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

2296

1812 1C Small Date. AU55 PCGS. S-291, B-1, R.2.

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:4,875.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1812 1C Small Date. AU55 PCGS. S-291, B-1, R.2.
<B>1812 1C Small Date. AU55 PCGS. S-291, B-1, R.2. </B></I> <B>Noyes VF20; tied for CC-22. Photo #59283. Our EAC Grade VF35.<BR><BR>Equivalents. </B></I>Proskey 4; Doughty 220; McGirk 4A; Clapp 4; EAC 1; <I>Encyclopedia </B></I>1783; PCGS #1561.<BR><B><BR>Variety. </B></I>Small date, first 1 leans left. Die chip below upright of E in ONE. The obverse appears on S-291. The reverse appears on 1811 S-286 and 1812 S-291.<BR><B><BR>Surfaces. </B></I>Nearly all of the obverse and reverse are dark steel-brown with a few splashes of lighter tan, mostly on the obverse. The surfaces have the usual small handling marks often seen on the Classic Head cents. Some luster remains visible on both sides, perhaps accounting for the higher commercial grade assigned by PCGS. The lower EAC grade results from a few faint scratches.<BR><B><BR>Die State I </B></I>or perhaps later. Despite the extensive obverse die cracks, this is an early die state. The repunching over E of UNITED, prominent on 1811 S-286, has nearly faded away and the die chip below E of ONE is smaller. The obverse has a crack joining the outer points of stars 1 through 5 and a crack joining the inner points of stars 5 through 7, continuing over the hair curls and disappearing in the upper field nearly over star 8. Another crack joins the 2 with all of the stars on the right, grazing the top of the rear hair curl and ending in the field below the second crack. Another crack joins the bases of 812. This latest crack is described by Breen for Die State III; however, the tops of ATES OF do not merge with a raised ridge as described for Breen's State II.<BR><BR><B>Census. </B></I>Bland is only able to trace a single Mint State example of S-291.<BR><BR><B>Commentary. </B></I>As with a number of other pieces in the Husak Collection, we disagree with the grade given this coin by Bill Noyes. He assigns a sharpness grade of VF30 and deducts 10 points for the surface irregularities. While we agree with a 10-point deduction, we disagree with the initial sharpness grade, which is much too low.<BR><BR>Coinage dies for the Classic Head cents seem much more durable than earlier dies. Although most of the dies show signs of use, including clash marks and flowlines, few actually have die cracks.<BR><BR><B>Provenance. </B></I><I>Thomas Reynolds; Denis W. Loring; 2007 EAC Convention.</B></I><BR><BR><B>Personality. Colonel Mendes I. Cohen</B></I> was born in Richmond in 1796. He enlisted in the army when he was just 16 years old, and served with his brother at Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. After the war, he was employed by the Baltimore Fire Insurance Company, and also in the family banking business. In 1829, when just in his early 30s, Cohen retired from business and spent the next six years touring Europe and the Middle East. His meticulous diaries provide researchers with excellent information about life in the countries he visited. During his travels, he collected many artifacts and relics that were donated to the Johns Hopkins University in 1884. Upon his return from abroad, he was given the title of Colonel by the Maryland governor. He served in the War with Mexico, despite the advanced age of 50 years. Cohen served a term in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1847 to 1848, and later served as a director of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.<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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