Lot 109
1831 C-1 Breen 1-A R6. Proof 55. Glossy medium brown with a small swipe of reddish brown toning at the dentil tips outside stars 11-13. There is a touch of very light friction on the highest points of the design and trivial contact marks scattered over both sides, none notable. The best identifying marks are a faint struck-through lint mark that meanders in the field above the 31 in the date and a tiny planchet void left of the bottom of the first A in AMERICA, both as struck. The fields are hard and reflective and there is fine doubling at many of the dentil tips on both sides, both factors suggesting a proof strike, but this piece was removed from a PCGS slab graded AU55 (the old green PCGS label is included). Many experts believe there were both proof and business strikes from this die pair (Walter Breen and Roger Cohen are in that camp), but others feel all the known examples were struck as proofs. This cataloger is of the opinion that all were struck as proofs but a significant portion of that mintage was released into circulation, perhaps due to a lack of demand from collectors at the time. That would help explain why we see a relatively high percentage of the 25-26 known examples displaying the effects of circulation (rather than simple mishandling). Weight 78.3 grains.
Estimated Value $35,000 - 45,000.
Ex New England Coin Co-Bruce Stowe-Jim McGuigan 12/97.
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| Realized $71,875 |
