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

2283

1808 1C MS62 Brown PCGS. S-278, B-2, R.3.

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:17,500.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1808 1C MS62 Brown PCGS. S-278, B-2, R.3.
<B>1808 1C MS62 Brown PCGS. S-278, B-2, R.3. </B></I> <B>Noyes AU55; tied for CC-10. Photo #60001. Our EAC Grade MS60.<BR><BR>Equivalents. </B></I>Proskey 2; Doughty 209; McGirk 2A; Clapp 2; EAC 2; <I>Encyclopedia </B></I>1774; PCGS #1543.<BR><B><BR>Variety. </B></I>Wide date, 1 high, sliver on neck. High leaf below right edge of S. The obverse appears on S-278. The reverse appears on S-278.<BR><B><BR>Surfaces. </B></I>A splendid piece despite a rather uneven strike. The right-side stars and Liberty's hair curls are boldly detailed, while the left-side stars are nearly gone. The border dentils from 7 o'clock to 3 o'clock are full and sharp, and nearly invisible elsewhere. The reverse has nearly identical characteristics, with the right side and the wreath all nicely brought up, but most letters to the left nearly flat, especially NITED STA. The reverse border is sharp from 1 o'clock to 9 o'clock, and like the obverse, missing around the rest of the circumference.<BR><BR>The surfaces have minor marks on both sides, including a shallow old scratch from the top hair curl to the border above. Most remaining imperfections are trivial, and some may remain from the original planchet prior to coining. Such marks are especially noticeable at the weakly struck portions of the obverse and reverse. Full cartwheel luster remains on the olive-tan surfaces, with hints of pale blue toning and traces of original mint red on the reverse. A few splashes of darker olive are scattered across the obverse.<BR><BR><B>Die State I. </B></I>Apparently the earliest die state, although the State II rim break below the date may be present. Since the border is missing entirely at this location, the actual die state is impossible to ascertain. Breen and Smith both mention that flowlines connect stars 10, 11, and 12 to the border in State II. Faint flowlines are visible in this area, but there is no apparent distortion of the stars. We can be certain that the die state is earlier than Breen's State IV (Smith state 3), as a rim break above stars 5 and 6 has not formed.<BR><BR><B>Census. </B></I>Only about 20 Mint State 1808 large cents are identified by Bland or Noyes, and approximately half of those are S-278. Nearly 10 more are known in the AU grades.<BR><BR><B>Commentary. </B></I>Sheldon and Breen agree that S-278 is the scarcest of the three 1808 varieties, yet it appears more often than the other two varieties at auction and is more plentiful in higher grades.<BR><BR><B>Provenance. </B></I><I>Chris Victor-McCawley (9/2006).</B></I><BR><BR><B>Personality. Johann (John) Reich</B></I> was born in Bavaria in 1768 and came to America circa 1800. It is believed that he came as an indentured servant, paying off his debt soon afterward. He was hired as assistant engraver on April 1, 1807, and served exactly 10 years, resigning his position on March 31, 1817. Reich died in Albany, New York, in 1833. His reason for leaving the Mint was that he acted as engraver but was paid as assistant engraver. Upon his arrival, Reich prepared new designs for all denominations, including the Classic Head half cents and large cents. He was considered one of the finest artists in his discipline. Urging the employment of Reich, Mint Director Robert Patterson wrote to Thomas Jefferson: "The beauty of our coins would be greatly improved by the assistance of his masterly hand."<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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