Lot 138
1851/81 N-3 R1 Overdate 51 over Inverted 18 PCGS graded MS65 Brown, CAC Approved. Frosty medium brown and light chocolate with 10-15% of the mint red remaining. The only marks, and they are easy to miss with a glass, are a tiny tick on the ear lobe and another hidden in the hair just above the ear. Sharply struck EDS, die state a. The obverse fields are covered with strong die finishing lines, strongest around the date where there was an aggressive but insufficient attempt to remove evidence of the inverted date. Strong die lines are also show around UNITED and AMERICA. The remainder of the fields on both sides are covered with very fine die polishing lines. The inverted 18 is obvious and sharp, with the 8 behind the 5 and the inverted 1 behind the normal 1. Some researchers have speculated that the inverted digits were from smaller punches. I disagree. The punches were of the same size, but they appear to be slightly smaller because of the attempts to remove them from the die. I speculate the entire date was initially punched into the die using a 4-digit logo punch in an inverted position. This inverted impression was delicately made, strongest on the right end where the 1 & 8 are located. The mint worker then realized his error, reversed the logo punch, and properly inserted the date into the die. The die lines in the field around the date are remnants of his unsuccessful effort to erase his mistake. And all of this becomes clear when you get to study a choice early die state example like this one. A sharp, very attractive example of this popular "Redbook" variety. Our grade is MS63. The attribution and Koshkarian provenance are noted on the PCGS label. PCGS population 3; 1 finer in 65+ for the variety at PCGS. Estimate Value $2,000 - UP
Ex Doug Bird 2/2005.
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| Realized $4,113 |
