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1856 1C PR65 NGC. Snow-9. A pinpoint-sharp Gem of this 1856[1C] PR65 NGC.

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:1.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1856 1C PR65 NGC. Snow-9. A pinpoint-sharp Gem of this 1856[1C] PR65 NGC.
<B>1856<1C> PR65 NGC.</B></I> Snow-9. Considered a Proof-only variety without any known business strikes from these dies. The obverse has a short die line from the border to the upper right serif of I in UNITED. The reverse center dot is attached to the left side of N in CENT, just below the serif. A pinpoint-sharp Gem of this perennially popular key date Small Cent. Although technically a pattern, the 1856 is typically collected as part of the Flying Eagle Cent series. Its historical importance is unquestioned, not only because it introduced the Small Cent denomination, but because demand for examples fueled the growth of the coin collecting hobby throughout the second half of the nineteenth century. This attractive piece has dominant dusky peach-gold color. Well preserved, only the faintest hairlines are noted on the central reverse, and a few tiny flyspecks are found beneath a glass. Only the fleck above the E in ONE can be seen with the unaided eye.<BR> Two past collectors were responsible for the availability of this issue, even today. Detroit resident George W. Rice "collected" 1856 Flying Eagle cents, to the tune of 756 coins. These coins were acquired in the 1890s and early 1900s, and most were sold when the Rice collection was dispersed in 1911. Many coins from the Rice hoard were immediately acquired by Pennsylvanian John A. Beck who was assembling his own accumulation. By the time of his death in 1924, Beck had acquired 531 examples of this popular date. The Beck Collection was held for another 50 years, finally be sold in the mid 1970s. Today, chances are good that any 1856 Flying Eagle cent was once owned by either or both of these two famous collectors. Envelope Included.