LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2008 February Long Beach Signature Coin #460  / 

2023

1794 1C Head of '94. MS64 Brown PCGS. S-21, B-5,

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:19,000.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1794 1C Head of '94. MS64 Brown PCGS. S-21, B-5,
<B>1794 1C Head of '94. MS64 Brown PCGS. S-21, B-5, R.3. </B></I> <B>Bland MS60; CC-2. Noyes MS60; CC-2. Photo #21541. Our EAC Grade MS60.<BR><BR>Equivalents. </B></I>Maris 3 (Sans Milling); Frossard 22; Doughty 21; Hays 5; McGirk 8-C; Ross 4-A; Chapman 5; EAC 5; <I>Encyclopedia </B></I>1656; PCGS #901374.<BR><B><BR>Variety. </B></I>End of the pole is wide and flattened. Dentils, stems, and ribbons are unusually long. The obverse appears on S-21. The reverse appears on S-19a, S-19b, S-20, S-21, and NC-7. Lettered Edge, leaf points up.<BR><B><BR>Surfaces. </B></I>Sharply detailed with exceptional mahogany and light brown color, faded from original red luster. A slightly darker splash of toning is visible beneath the 9, and additional splashes of maroon are evident on each side, especially at the center of the obverse. The full border details, especially on the obverse, make this piece especially desirable.<BR><B><BR>Die State IV.</B></I> The obverse is cracked from the rim to the upper serif of B, between IB, to the cap. Another crack begins at the top of the first crack to the top of L, curving down through IB and across the first crack, through the forecurl and forehead to the upper corner of the eyelid. A short crack is visible from the lower left corner of the cap to the rim, and from the center of this crack up to the left center of the cap. Faint clash marks can be seen in the right obverse field. The reverse has advanced die roughness through both branches of the wreath, with heavy clash marks inside the wreath.<BR><BR>Breen described a later die state (State V) with a crack from the rim to the second curl point from the bottom. A flowline at that location may be the feature that Breen called a crack.<BR><B><BR>Appearances. </B></I>The obverse is illustrated in <I>Penny Whimsy</B></I>. The obverse and reverse are illustrated in Breen's <I>Complete Encyclopedia</B></I> and in Noyes (2006).<BR><BR><B>Census. </B></I>A single example is placed ahead of this coin in the Noyes and Bland Census listings, these being the only two Mint State pieces known. Walter Husak owned the other Mint State specimen before he acquired this coin.<BR><BR><B>Commentary. </B></I>Sheldon wrote: "Maris called this the Sans Milling, because the milling is rarely (if ever) seen complete on the obverse." An examination of the plates in Bill Noyes' <I>United States Large Cents 1793-1794</B></I> will show weak obverse border detail on most examples.<BR><BR>While some large cents frequently trade hands, others remain in collections for long periods. This piece, the second finest known, has been in just seven collections over the last 140 years, an average of 20 years per owner. Sheldon discussed this coin in <I>Penny Whimsy</B></I>: "On objective scrutiny only the Proskey-Hines piece seems to stand up to the rather rigorous criteria of MS-60."<BR><BR>Dr. Edward Maris described 39 varieties of 1794 large cents in his 1869 reference: "The interest excited in the minds of collectors by their variety - a consequence probably of the breakage of dies - is shared by the writer, and has resulted in this attempt to describe the most noticeable peculiarity of each with sufficient accuracy to enable the careful examiner to recognize any given specimen, in a condition not below fair." For the Maris 3 variety, the author wrote: "Not the slightest trace of any milling on this side of the coin, contrasts with the reverse, which is protected by a bold and serrated elevation around the edge."<BR><BR><B>Provenance. </B></I><I>Dr. Edward Maris; David Proskey; Henry C. Hines; Dr. William H. Sheldon (4/1972); R.E. Naftzger, Jr. (Early American Coppers, 4/1989), lot 21 $15,000; Dr. Allen Bennett.</B></I><BR><BR><B>Personality. Dr. Edward Maris</B></I> was born outside Chester, Pennsylvania, on March 15, 1832, the son of Jesse J. Maris who was president of the Delaware County Bank. Maris is described as a Quaker physician who graduated from Jefferson Medical College in 1856. He was associated with the Philadelphia Dispensary for 16 years, then began a private practice. In numismatics, he is best known for his interest in New Jersey coppers and large cents, and wrote books about both series. His reference on the New Jersey series remains the standard reference today. Many of his names for 1794 large cents are still seen in today's literature. Maris was a member of the ANS and an avid collector of autographs and manuscripts. Maris died at his home in June 1900.<BR><BR>Lapp and Silberman note: "He was a worthy member of the Society of Friends and wore the broad-brimmed hat and quiet attire of the Quakers throughout his life. In his conversation and correspondence he adhered to the ‘thee' and ‘thou' familiar to his sect. He had a prominent Roman nose and a strong-featured, shaven face. He lived simply in a commodious home at 1106 Pine Street in the old residential section of Philadelphia. He actively pursued his profession as a physician, but he was ever on the watch about town for coins of interest and in his quiet way he dealt largely in them."<BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Coins & Currency (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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