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

2147

1798 1C First Hair. AU50 PCGS. S-144, B-1, High

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:37,000.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1798 1C First Hair. AU50 PCGS. S-144, B-1, High
<B>1798 1C First Hair. AU50 PCGS. S-144, B-1, High R.5.</B></I> <B>Bland VF35; CC-2. Noyes VF35; CC-1. Photo #22947. Our EAC Grade VF35.<BR><BR>Equivalents.</B></I> McGirk 23A; Clapp 1; EAC 1; <I>Encyclopedia </B></I>1715; PCGS #1431.<BR><B><BR>Variety. </B></I>Style I Hair and letters. Close date. Final A far from ribbon. The obverse appears on S-144 and S-145. The reverse appears on S-144.<BR><B><BR>Surfaces.</B></I> Slightly sharper than our net grade, but with fine granularity. Tan and medium olive surfaces are splashed with steel and lilac toning on both sides. The surfaces are generally smooth, with a few microscopic scratches and minor pits. The Superior cataloger suggested these pits were possibly as made. Partially Reeded Edge.<BR><B><BR>Die State II. </B></I>The reverse is cracked through the left ribbon and stem ends, the branch, and into the left ribbon bow. Buckling in a straight line from TA to ER is plainly visible, but does not affect the design elements.<BR><B><BR>Appearances. </B></I>The obverse and reverse are illustrated in Clapp, <I>Early American Cents</B></I>, <I>Penny Whimsy</B></I>, and Breen's <I>Large Cent Encyclopedia</B></I>. The Superior catalog also states that this piece is illustrated in Noyes, but that is not the case.<BR><BR><B>Census. </B></I>This is the second finest example listed in Bland's Condition Census; the finest according to Noyes. The only other comparable example is the Virgil Brand specimen. The next best is the ANS specimen that grades just VG10 according to Bland.<BR><BR><B>Commentary. </B></I>The S-144 ranks among the most important 1798 die combinations, with only 30 to 40 examples known today, almost all in low grades. In <I>Penny Whimsy,</B></I> Sheldon rated it Rarity-7, noting that just eight were available to collectors, with two others in ANS.<BR><BR><B>Provenance. </B></I><I>David Proskey; Henry C. Hines; Dr. William H. Sheldon (1953); C. Douglas Smith (10/1975); Denis W. Loring (12/1977); C. Douglas Smith; Dr. Robert Schuman (Superior, 5/2003), lot 433, $34,500.</B></I><BR><BR><B>Personality. Dr. Charles E. McGirk</B></I> (1869-1939) was a resident of Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, who assembled a large collection of large cents that was sold by B. Max Mehl in 1913. Just prior to his death, McGirk sold a 1795 S-79 Reeded Edge cent to George H. Clapp; that coin is now in the ANS Collection. McGirk prepared a serial article, "United States Cents and Varieties," published in <I>The Numismatist</B></I> in 1913 and 1914. The McGirk study was published in 18 parts, with supplementary material. The study is best recognized today as a good attempt that was not properly arranged.<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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