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Lot 154
1795 Pattern Half Eagle. Copper, reeded edge. Judd-23, Pollock-38, One of Two Known! . J-23. PCGS graded VG-10. An extremely rare pattern issue struck from the regular mint dies, known as die pairing Breen-3-D, Miller-5. The reverse has the curious second S over D in STATES. History tells us that only two copper trial patterns are known of 1795 half eagles. The other one is defaced, presumably at the Philadelphia Mint to stop if from being gilded and passed as a half eagle. Obviously, that piece would not be as desirable with the dents defacing the coin. One must conjecture that this was a pocket piece, it has smooth even wear with all of Liberty's head sharp and defined, although a few stars are worn into the rim, similar on the reverse, but the central portion of the eagle's breast is a bit weak, along with some of the peripheral letters, especially STATE. For a copper coin, the color and surfaces are choice, none of the usual pitting or corrosion is present, unlike most copper coins of this era. For additional identification, there are two minor scratches below the last A of AMERICA.
One must speculate that this coin was the pocket piece of someone special. We could make the usual statement that this was probably George Washington's personal example, along with the thousands of other worn coins frequently "traced" as his pocket pieces (as Marty Oghigian used to say "Washington had mighty large pockets" whenever someone claimed to have yet another George Washington pocket piece discovery). We certainly don't know who's coin it was 206 years ago, but someone treasured it for many years, and carried it as a memento. Logic dictates that it was someone working in the Mint, or a very influential politician that was well connected with the Mint. Perhaps we will never know, but this is a coin that is overflowing with history, and because of its moderate grade, will likely realize a price that will put it within the reach of many serious collectors, the lucky winner of which will certainly treasure this coin for many years to come, as it has been treasured in the past.
Walter Breen speculates that this die was probably made by the bumbling Robert Scot, the Mint's engraver at the time. Around the periphery several of the dentils extend well into the fields, far beyond the normal placement. Breen speculates that this was Scot slipping with his engraving tool as he fumbled his way into numismatic history. This is likely as Scot was the probable choice for making such important dies, no one else being available at the time. The dies were probably prepared in May of 1795, and this may have been one of the first struck. There is evidence of an undertype from a host coin, likely a large cent as a half cent would have been too narrow to be the planchet, while a large cent could be cut down and rolled to the correct size. When examining this coin with a glass, note the undertype line that runs up from Liberty's nose on the half eagle into her forehead and hair, and another tell tail remnant is located along her upper drapery into her hair. On the reverse, there are other traces of undertype near the branch and into the eagle. Careful study will resolve this puzzle, and it will prove enticing for numismatists to ponder what the source of the planchet was. A most thoroughly enjoyable piece of Americana.
Estimated Value $7,000-UP.
No provenance information included.
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| Realized $13,800 |
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