Lot 417
1801 NC-5 R7+. About Good-3. Discovery Coin. Plated in Breen and Noyes. Slightly glossy medium brown and chocolate with darker olive brown toning in the protected areas. The surfaces are decent for the grade but not perfectly smooth with very fine granularity visible in the fields and protected areas, especially on the reverse. No verdigris and only a few minor contact marks, including a short, light hairline scratch in the center of the neck and two other faint ones that cross at the base of the E in CENT. The date is clear, although the bottom blends into the rim below. LIBERTY is faint, AMERICA is extremely faint, but the remainder of the legend is readable and some areas of the reverse are rather strong. A large retained cud break affects STATES, and this catastrophic die failure accounts for the extreme rarity of the variety (only 4 examples are known, and all have the huge reverse break). This broken reverse die was discarded ending the very brief marriage, and the virtually new obverse die was mated with the famous "3-error reverse" die to produce the S-219 die variety. This is the discovery coin for the variety. Called Fair-2 and finest known in the Bland census. Noyes says Fair-2 and tied for CC#1 in his list, photo #20039 (although a photo comparison indicates the example offered here is the superior cent). This is the plate coin for the variety in the Noyes and Breen books. DWH #2808.
Estimated Value $10,000-UP.
Ex Chris McCawley (who discovered it at the Long Beach Show 6/3/87)-Jack Robinson, Superior 1/29/89:462-R. E. Naftzger, Jr., 2/23/92-Eric Streiner 3/20/92-R. S. Brown, Jr., Superior 1/27/96:306-J. R. Frankenfield, McCawley & Grellman Auctions/Superior 2/17/01:491-Jack Wadlington (via Bob Grellman & Chris McCawley) 6/30/05.
|
| |
| Realized $13,800 |
