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Sale 109
Lot 33
1793 S-16 R6 Liberty Cap PCGS Genuine Fine Details Planchet Flaw. Glossy dark chocolate brown. The planchet appears to be perfectly smooth but the fields and protected areas are covered with extremely fine roughness that is mostly hidden under the glossy toning. The devices are a lighter shade of brown and chocolate. The obverse has a deeper gloss than you would expect suggesting it was "Sheldonized" long ago using a special wax. There are several obvious marks, the most prominent of those being a partially delaminated planchet flaw in the field before the mouth and chin that can immediately identify this coin. In addition there are a few rim bruises including one under the end of the bust and perhaps 10 more lighter ones around the reverse. The date is clear and the legends are complete and easily readable. EDS with a faint radial die crack from the rim through the right side of the Y in LIBERTY to just short of the brow where it fades out, and there is no crack from the lowest curl to the rim. The bulge in the center of the reverse is not yet apparent, and the reverse is rotated 135 degrees clockwise relative to the typical head-to-foot die orientation (curiously this variety is often found with a rotated reverse). This coin is plated in Dr. Sheldon's Early American Cents and Penny Whimsy where he describes it as having a "heavily broken obverse die." The "die break" is a lamination defect in the planchet, not a die break, and this distinction should have been obvious to an expert such as Sheldon. Walter Breen discusses this specific coin on page 79 in his large cent encyclopedia. Carl Wurtzbach sold this cent to Sheldon in 1945 for $225. This was at about the same time Sheldon bought the S-7 from Wurtzbach for $150 more (the second one listed above). In Early American Cents Sheldon described this S-16 as the "famous broken die specimen" and he graded it VG10, second finest known. Sheldon, however, failed to mention he owned the cent at that time. He called the variety R7 knowing of only 7 examples with unconfirmed rumors of two more. Ten years later in Penny Whimsy he reported knowing of 11 examples of the S-16. He writes "The variety remains R7, although barely so." And he still listed this example as VG10 and second finest known (and he still owned it). Today the population of the S-16 die variety has increased to just over 20, so the rarity has fallen to R6. Two of the new discoveries are VF, and this piece is now tied for CC#5 honors. Sheldon's assessment that this piece was struck with a broken obverse die has been debunked. Perhaps his ownership came with fuzzy glasses. Graded VG8 and tied for CC#4 in the Breen/Bland census. Noyes says VF20 sharpness net VG8 and tied for CC#5, his photo #24105. Our grade is net VG8 as well. An important example of a very rare variety, and it comes with a provenance that contains some of the brightest luminaries in the history of large cent collecting. Weight 200.2 grains. Estimate Value $30,000 - UP
DeWitt Smith 10/1908-Virgil M. Brand-Henry C. Hines-Carl Wurtzbach 1945-Dr. William H. Sheldon 4/19/1972 ($225)-R. E. Naftzger, Jr., New Netherlands Coin Co. 11/14/1973:337-Douglas Robbins-William R. T. Smith-Dr. Edward R. Bush 4/1979-G. Lee Kuntz, Superior 10/6/1991:19-Wes Rasmussen, Heritage 1/13/2005:3019-Jim Neiswinter Collection.
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