Lot 62
1796 Edwards Copy Kenny-1 Rarity-7 EF45. Choice glossy medium brown. The surfaces are smooth and the eye appeal is excellent. A strong glass reveals that there are some extremely faint hairlines in the field before the portrait, all well hidden under the glossy toning. The only notable mark is a faint, very light but fresh scuff down from the left ribbon end. The edge under the date is covered with very fine but uniform reeding, which is quite unusual. The Edwards copies of the 1796 half cent were struck using hand-made dies on rolled copper planchets. These planchets vary greatly in weight, with the currently known specimens ranging from 59.4 grains to 94.5 grains and scattered rather randomly at various weights between these extremes. This piece is near the middle of the range. The workmanship is of good quality and the resulting design is a fairly accurate representation of the genuine article. These were struck sometime prior to 1865, and the first auction appearance came in 1866. After the death of Dr. Edwards, Edward Cogan wrote that he had destroyed the dies and all but 12 of the remaining specimens. It is possible, of course, that Dr. Edwards had distributed a few additional specimens before his death. These copies are highly sought and seldom appear for sale, and the population of known specimens appears to match the reported survivorship, or nearly so. Weight 72.4 grains. Davy #96.3.4.
Estimated Value $7,500-UP.
Ex Jim Jelinski (Essex Numismatics) 8/5/84.
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| Realized $6,325 |
