Lot 63
1798 S-181 R3 Style II Hair, Small 8. PCGS graded MS-64 Brown. Lustrous medium bluish steel with specks of darker olive near the dentils on both sides, particularly on the left side of the reverse. The surfaces are covered with mint frost, even the highest points of the devices, and there is not even a hint of rub on the highpoints. However there is a planchet flake at the rim left of the upper end of the hair ribbon, and this flaw does catch your eye. The only other mark is a tiny planchet flake in the field before the middle of the neck, and this defect is insignificant. Both of these defects are mint-made planchet flaws that can be used to identify this cent. E-MDS, Breen state II, with die cracks on the obverse, but the crack up from the dentils right of the date has not formed. Struck with the reverse rotated 45 degrees CCW. This variety has larger than normal numerals in the fraction, the only variety of the year with this feature (this Large Fraction variety probably deserves a separate listing in the "Redbook"). And the larger numerals were punched over the smaller (normal) numerals. The overpunching is clearly visible on the two 0's, and the first 0 was also punched over a small 1. Struck very slightly off center to K-9. Graded MS62 and CC#1 in the Noyes census, his photo #23255. Bland says AU55 (because of the planchet flaw) and tied for CC#3 in his census. Our grade is MS60. The attribution and Doug Bird Collection provenance are noted on the PCGS label. PCGS population 1; 1 finer in 64+. (PCGS # 36110) Value $20,000 - UP
Discovered unattributed in Germany on 10/30/1983 by Darwin B. Palmer, Jr., 3/15/1986-C. Douglas Smith-Dr. Robert A. Schuman, McCawley & Grellman Auctions/Superior 5/25/2003:480-Douglas F. Bird Collection (includes the Superior lot ticket).
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| Realized $20,400 |
