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Sale 5
Lot 1306
The Legendary 1815 in Mint State 62. NGC graded MS-62. A frosty and nearly choice example of this extremely rare date. Records show a total of 11 specimens known of this date, of which a scant 635 were struck. Walter Breen did extensive research as to why the mintage was so small, apparently only a few deposits of gold were received, and on November 3, 1815 the coiner struck and delivered these coins. The surfaces of this particular coin are very nice indeed, with full luster and well struck devices. This coin is identifiable by a short and shallow scratch between the sixth and seventh stars, just above Liberty's cap to the rim, and nearly touching the lower left point of the seventh star. There is also a very shallow tick mark just behind Liberty's mouth, on the reverse, a few minor hairlines show, and there are no significant bagmarks or identifying marks that will assist in plate matching.
Of the 11 examples known, three are essentially off the market permanently. Here is a census research by Stack's in the Charles Kramer Sale from 1988:
1). Smithsonian Institution, from the Mint Cabinet, reportedly from a private collection on December 4, 1885, previous history unknown.
2). Swedish Royal Mint Collection, donated by one of the Swedish Kings. Known to H. P. Newlin and T. Harrison Garrett in the 1880's.
3). The Joseph C. Mitchelson specimen, now in the Connecticut State Library Collection. We believe that this coin represents a later appearance of the specimen that was offered auction in the Chapmans' sale of the Bispham Collection, February 2, 1880, lot 391 "bought in" by the auctioneer at $150 and returned to its former owner "who paid a great deal more for it" (according to Frossard in his March 1880 issue of Numisma"). It was originally owned by Seavey (not coin No. 4 below). The coin would grade approximately AU by todays standards and Stack's speculates that it may have been repaired on the edge.
4). The George F. Seavey Collection (by 1869). Lot 780 in the 1873 "Descriptive Catalogue" of Seavey's collection. The whole collection was sold to Lorin G. Parmelee and sold as lot 894 in that 1890 sale to John Clapp and thence to Louis Eliasberg, and from that sale in 1982 to Harry Bass, Jr. some of whose collection was recently sold by Bowers and Merena, where it is PCGS graded AU-58. That specimen realized $103,500 in October 1999.
5). The Waldo Newcomer collection, sold to Col. E.H.R. Green in 1932 via B. Max Mehl, sold to Stack's in 1942, they sold it to King Farouk in 1943 with the majority of the rare Col. Green half eagles. Sold as lot 234 in the 1954 sale of the Farouk sale, next in Farish Baldenhofer Sale, lot 1232, apparently sold to Abe Kosoff, then to the Norwebs, sold as lot 767 in October 1987 of the Norweb Part I sale.
6). The Granberg specimen, offered by B. Max Mehl in 1912. From Granberg it went to William Woodin, then to Col. James Ellsworth, then Wayte Raymond, later sold to Waldo Newcomer, who later sold it William Cutler Atwater. Next it appeared as lot 1634 in Mehl's auction of the Atwater Collection, purchased by Amon Carter, Sr., which was then sold as lot 655 in Stack's Carter Sale in 1984. Possibly this is the present specimen offered (or #9 below).
7), The William Jenks Collection specimen, offered as lot 641 in W. Elliot Woodward's sale of the most important parts of that collection on June 25, 1883, purchased by T. Harrison Garrett. The coin passed from Garrett to Harold P. Newlin, together with $475, in trade for specimen No. 8 below. Stack's believed that the coin reappeared as lot 660 in Henry Chapman's sale of the Matthew Stickney Collection in 1907. It reappeared as lot 183 of B. Max Mehl's 1922 sale of the James Ten Eyck Collection. It sold years later by Stack's Col Flanagan sale in 1944, later in the J.F. Bell sale also of 1944 as lot 338. Next it appeared in Kosoff's Memorable Collection of 1948, lot 314, acquired there by Clinton Hester. It next showed up in Kreisberg's Adolphe Menjou Collection in 1950, lot 1460, and possibly next in Kagin's Dec. 31, 1951 lot 1819. Present location unknown.
8). The Harold P. Newlin/Garrett specimen, purchased privately by Newlin from W. Elliot Woodward in 1883; traded by Newlin to T. Harrison Garrett in October 1884 for specimen #7 above. It appeared as lot 460 in the Garrett Sale and next in the Paramount portion of Auction '84 lot 901.
9). The Davis-Graves specimen, lot 1447 in Stack's 1954 sale. Stack's believes this coin was the same as offered by W. Elliot Woodward in his January 1884 sale of the Heman Ely Collection lot 830, which failed to meet the $300 reserve. Woodward doubtless owned it for a few years thereafter. It next appeared in Stack's Dr. Clifford Smith sale, lot 1680, the George Walton Estate, Stack's 1976 ANA sale, lot 2935. It was later owned by R. E. Naftzger and offered in Paramount's Fixed Price List of Naftzger's half eagles. Possibly the present specimen.
10). The Col. Mendes Cohen specimen, sold as lot 138 in Ed Cogan's 1875 sale. Stack's believed that Breen was wrong saying that this is the Parmelee coin (see #4 above). The coin was later owned by H.P. Smith, then via the Chapman's again to John Clapp to Louis Eliasberg, sold by Stack's in 1947 of the H.R. Lee sale (where Eliasberg sold off duplicates). This coin has not reappeared in 4 decades.
11). The Kramer specimen, sold in 1988 by Stack's/Superior. This coin first appeared in Ed Cogan's sale of the Henry S. Adams Collection, October 30, 1876, lot 1297; passing to T. Harrison Garrett, then to Dr. George Massamore's sale of December 10, 1884, lot 925 (shortly after he had traded No. 7 above for No. 8). It is believed to have appeared again in the Chapman's sale of Harlan P. Smith, May 9, 1906, lot 204 and next in Thomas Elder's sale of February 23, 1917, lot 210a. Next Stack's believes that it was purchased by Virgil Brand and possibly offered in 1939 in an ad in the Numismatist in 1939 by James Kelly.
Previously in our June 1999 sale, lot 718.
Our thanks to the auction research department of Stack's for publishing this helpful census and history.
A foremost rarity and worthy of the finest collection in the land.
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