NGC coins never sell for very much and the best coins are never in NGC holders
ANACONDA
Posts: 4,692 ✭
NGC MS 66 that sold for a measly $210,000
The write up:
Type and designer: 1793 Wreath Reverse. By an unknown engraver, perhaps the talented author of the 1793 half cent dies (David Rittenhouse?).
What can be said about this coin? Adjectives including marvelous, exceptional, wonderful, and just about anything else, seem to fall short of the incredible and absolute beauty of this piece. One glance at it will tell all. Suffice it to say that here, indeed, is a coin for posterity, a 1793 cent the likes of which would be difficult to duplicate elsewhere for any price.
Rich lustrous medium brown surfaces exhibit full mint frost and generous remnants of deep red mint color, with delicate traces of bluish toning in the right light. Smooth and exceptionally attractive, with color and overall quality almost incomparable among other cents of this design type. On the obverse the hair strands are minutely defined, save for a few very high areas. We have never seen a sharper one. The impression is so excellent that every nuance, every engraving detail, every surface die characteristic is transmitted to the coin itself and can be seen today, including a little raised area on the cheek to the left of Miss Liberty's lips. The word LIBERTY is bold, as is the 1793 date and the sprig of three leaves above it. The border beads are complete and well struck. In cataloguing this coin in 1973, New Netherlands cataloguer Jon Hanson called this cent "the most boldly struck Crosby 9-H we have ever seen and immaculate in every respect."
On the reverse the central details are exceedingly sharp, and one can even see the lines of the engraving tool in the die, as transmitted to the characteristics of the wreath ribbon. The leaves are finely formed. The lettering and numbers are similarly bold. The obverse die was not completely axially aligned with the reverse, and thus the beading is very slightly off center, yielding a wide margin beyond the beads to the left, and just hints of the beads at the right.
The edge of the coin, lettered ONE HUNDRED FOR A DOLLAR is likewise superb.
One could gaze at this coin for a long time, discovering still more fascinations. Of all important "type" coins to cross the block in the present generation, without question this particular 1793 Wreath cent is in the front rank.
If there was ever a nice match for the 1793 Chain AMERI. cent just offered, it is this 1793 Wreath cent, except that it is even finer overall, as it has virtually no contact marks, save for the light peripheral marks inherent in the planchet before the dies ever imbued an image upon this coin. The planchet quality and preservation of this particular specimen is extraordinary. It is, by general acclamation of those who take the study of large cents very seriously, the finest known example of the Sheldon-9 die marriage and one of the very finest 1793 Wreath cents in existence, among the top three specimens extant of this type. Abe Kosoff called this cent "a gem of the first water" in 1947. Indeed, no bolder impression exists anywhere; this fact combined with the eye appeal and provenance makes this a special cent, an essentially unsurpassable ideal for the Wreath cent type.
NGC Census: 4; none finer. This figure includes all 1793 Wreath cents of all varieties. This piece is considered finest known of the variety in the Condition Census data compiled by both Bland and Noyes.
Die State: Breen's state II, free of clash marks and showing only a thin, spidery crack through CA of AMERICA.
Upon examination this and other Wreath cents are fascinating, revealing elegant design details and touches not present later in the series. The head of Miss Liberty is in exceptionally high relief, almost medallic, while the fields are basined or dished. On the reverse the leaves have decorative sprays of berries, a feature omitted on later issues. It is almost as though an effort was made to create a small piece of art for the masses, a coin that could be enjoyed and appreciated. Today it is difficult to envision how anyone could have spent a coin such as this.
Interestingly, cents dated 1793 remained in general circulation for a long time, indeed until the 1850s, by which time remaining examples were worn to near smoothness. In the first large work ever published on coin collecting in the United States, An American Numismatical Manual, 1859, by Montroville W. Dickeson, the author tells of recently finding such pieces in circulation.
Many of our readers will remember the John W. Adams Collection of 1794 large copper cents, consigned to Bowers and Ruddy in 1982, and catalogued by Q. David Bowers from extensive notes by the owner, and with assistance by Dr. Richard A. Bagg. John Adams "collected collectors" as well as coins and to him the pedigree was an extension of a coin's desirability. Today in 2004, pedigrees are often lost, as coins move from one owner to another, grade interpretations change, and so on. However, now and again a piece comes on the market that does have an extensive pedigree, the present piece being such. According to the pedigree notes, the present piece was once the property of Sylvester S. Crosby, a distinguished American numismatist who today is honored by the singular fact that his 1875 book, Early Coins of America, has never been superseded! Just about every other numismatic reference in existence printed before 1890 is now woefully obsolete, or has been vastly superseded. Not so with Crosby's work, which today is nearly as valuable as it was back then. Crosby was a coin dealer and watchmaker by trade, in Boston, with roots in Charlestown, New Hampshire.
From there the coin went to Dr. Thomas Hall, who enjoyed copper issues, not only early cents but also state coinage, of which he acquired a remarkable holding. The next owner was Virgil M. Brand, the famous numismatist whose life was chronicled in a book by Q. David Bowers in 1983, Virgil Brand, the Man and his Era. Brand, born in Blue Island, Illinois, in 1861, became a numismatist during the 1880s, and went on to accumulate the largest and most valuable numismatic holding of his era, numbering some 350,000 coins by the time of his passing in 1926.
Much could be said about later owners as well, some of whom had absolutely fascinating biographies, including Oscar J. Pearl, an account of whom will be related in some future year-one involving an element of international intrigue.
Sylvester S. Crosby to Dr. Thomas Hall; Hall to Virgil M. Brand; Brand to B.G. Johnson (St. Louis Stamp & Coin Co.) in 1941; Johnson to Oscar J. Pearl in 1942; Abe Kosoff's (Numismatic Gallery) fixed price list of the Oscar J. Pearl Collection, 1944, Lot 7 at $1,150; Abe Kosoff's (Numismatic Gallery) sale of the Charles Williams Collection, November 1950, Lot 10; R.E. Naftzger, Jr.; New Netherlands' sale of coins from the Naftzger Collection, November 1973, Lot 330; Fred Yee; dealer intermediaries to Bowers & Ruddy Galleries, August 1975; RARCOA's session of Auction '82, August 1982, Lot 510; James A. Hayes, the future Congressman from Louisiana; Anthony Terranova; Alex Acevedo; Anthony Terranova; Marvin Goode; Heritage's 1998 ANA Sale, August 1998, Lot 5852. Plated in S.S. Crosby's 1896 The United States Cents of 1793, the standard reference on the date until the publication of Sheldon's Early American Cents in 1949.
The write up:
Type and designer: 1793 Wreath Reverse. By an unknown engraver, perhaps the talented author of the 1793 half cent dies (David Rittenhouse?).
What can be said about this coin? Adjectives including marvelous, exceptional, wonderful, and just about anything else, seem to fall short of the incredible and absolute beauty of this piece. One glance at it will tell all. Suffice it to say that here, indeed, is a coin for posterity, a 1793 cent the likes of which would be difficult to duplicate elsewhere for any price.
Rich lustrous medium brown surfaces exhibit full mint frost and generous remnants of deep red mint color, with delicate traces of bluish toning in the right light. Smooth and exceptionally attractive, with color and overall quality almost incomparable among other cents of this design type. On the obverse the hair strands are minutely defined, save for a few very high areas. We have never seen a sharper one. The impression is so excellent that every nuance, every engraving detail, every surface die characteristic is transmitted to the coin itself and can be seen today, including a little raised area on the cheek to the left of Miss Liberty's lips. The word LIBERTY is bold, as is the 1793 date and the sprig of three leaves above it. The border beads are complete and well struck. In cataloguing this coin in 1973, New Netherlands cataloguer Jon Hanson called this cent "the most boldly struck Crosby 9-H we have ever seen and immaculate in every respect."
On the reverse the central details are exceedingly sharp, and one can even see the lines of the engraving tool in the die, as transmitted to the characteristics of the wreath ribbon. The leaves are finely formed. The lettering and numbers are similarly bold. The obverse die was not completely axially aligned with the reverse, and thus the beading is very slightly off center, yielding a wide margin beyond the beads to the left, and just hints of the beads at the right.
The edge of the coin, lettered ONE HUNDRED FOR A DOLLAR is likewise superb.
One could gaze at this coin for a long time, discovering still more fascinations. Of all important "type" coins to cross the block in the present generation, without question this particular 1793 Wreath cent is in the front rank.
If there was ever a nice match for the 1793 Chain AMERI. cent just offered, it is this 1793 Wreath cent, except that it is even finer overall, as it has virtually no contact marks, save for the light peripheral marks inherent in the planchet before the dies ever imbued an image upon this coin. The planchet quality and preservation of this particular specimen is extraordinary. It is, by general acclamation of those who take the study of large cents very seriously, the finest known example of the Sheldon-9 die marriage and one of the very finest 1793 Wreath cents in existence, among the top three specimens extant of this type. Abe Kosoff called this cent "a gem of the first water" in 1947. Indeed, no bolder impression exists anywhere; this fact combined with the eye appeal and provenance makes this a special cent, an essentially unsurpassable ideal for the Wreath cent type.
NGC Census: 4; none finer. This figure includes all 1793 Wreath cents of all varieties. This piece is considered finest known of the variety in the Condition Census data compiled by both Bland and Noyes.
Die State: Breen's state II, free of clash marks and showing only a thin, spidery crack through CA of AMERICA.
Upon examination this and other Wreath cents are fascinating, revealing elegant design details and touches not present later in the series. The head of Miss Liberty is in exceptionally high relief, almost medallic, while the fields are basined or dished. On the reverse the leaves have decorative sprays of berries, a feature omitted on later issues. It is almost as though an effort was made to create a small piece of art for the masses, a coin that could be enjoyed and appreciated. Today it is difficult to envision how anyone could have spent a coin such as this.
Interestingly, cents dated 1793 remained in general circulation for a long time, indeed until the 1850s, by which time remaining examples were worn to near smoothness. In the first large work ever published on coin collecting in the United States, An American Numismatical Manual, 1859, by Montroville W. Dickeson, the author tells of recently finding such pieces in circulation.
Many of our readers will remember the John W. Adams Collection of 1794 large copper cents, consigned to Bowers and Ruddy in 1982, and catalogued by Q. David Bowers from extensive notes by the owner, and with assistance by Dr. Richard A. Bagg. John Adams "collected collectors" as well as coins and to him the pedigree was an extension of a coin's desirability. Today in 2004, pedigrees are often lost, as coins move from one owner to another, grade interpretations change, and so on. However, now and again a piece comes on the market that does have an extensive pedigree, the present piece being such. According to the pedigree notes, the present piece was once the property of Sylvester S. Crosby, a distinguished American numismatist who today is honored by the singular fact that his 1875 book, Early Coins of America, has never been superseded! Just about every other numismatic reference in existence printed before 1890 is now woefully obsolete, or has been vastly superseded. Not so with Crosby's work, which today is nearly as valuable as it was back then. Crosby was a coin dealer and watchmaker by trade, in Boston, with roots in Charlestown, New Hampshire.
From there the coin went to Dr. Thomas Hall, who enjoyed copper issues, not only early cents but also state coinage, of which he acquired a remarkable holding. The next owner was Virgil M. Brand, the famous numismatist whose life was chronicled in a book by Q. David Bowers in 1983, Virgil Brand, the Man and his Era. Brand, born in Blue Island, Illinois, in 1861, became a numismatist during the 1880s, and went on to accumulate the largest and most valuable numismatic holding of his era, numbering some 350,000 coins by the time of his passing in 1926.
Much could be said about later owners as well, some of whom had absolutely fascinating biographies, including Oscar J. Pearl, an account of whom will be related in some future year-one involving an element of international intrigue.
Sylvester S. Crosby to Dr. Thomas Hall; Hall to Virgil M. Brand; Brand to B.G. Johnson (St. Louis Stamp & Coin Co.) in 1941; Johnson to Oscar J. Pearl in 1942; Abe Kosoff's (Numismatic Gallery) fixed price list of the Oscar J. Pearl Collection, 1944, Lot 7 at $1,150; Abe Kosoff's (Numismatic Gallery) sale of the Charles Williams Collection, November 1950, Lot 10; R.E. Naftzger, Jr.; New Netherlands' sale of coins from the Naftzger Collection, November 1973, Lot 330; Fred Yee; dealer intermediaries to Bowers & Ruddy Galleries, August 1975; RARCOA's session of Auction '82, August 1982, Lot 510; James A. Hayes, the future Congressman from Louisiana; Anthony Terranova; Alex Acevedo; Anthony Terranova; Marvin Goode; Heritage's 1998 ANA Sale, August 1998, Lot 5852. Plated in S.S. Crosby's 1896 The United States Cents of 1793, the standard reference on the date until the publication of Sheldon's Early American Cents in 1949.
0
Comments
Tom
<< <i>This coin is a type that does not need to be in a holder. Someone with the means to aquire it SHOULD be able to grade and have a very trusted circle of dealer/friends who can also grade and authenticate. >>
Particularly because I love looking at the edge lettering as much as I do the rest of the coin on early US coinage.
peacockcoins
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Dennis
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New world record for early half I believe.
adrian
<< <i>This one is terrible too:
New world record for early half I believe. >>
Yuk, look at the hideous original color, where's the dip jar when you need it ?!!!
Les
<< <i>NGC MS 66 that sold for a measly $210,000 >>
i don't think that this holder, or any other holder, would impact the price. ie if that coin had been stuffed in a baggie & wrapped in toilet tissue w/ "ms-66" written on it w/ bar-b-que sauce, it would have brought the same price.
ditto the half
K S
<< <i>Why do the eyes on that coin remind me of Marty Feldman?? >>
My 1866 Philly Mint Set
My 1866 Philly Mint Set
Post again.. you have a bad # of posts...
siliconvalleycoins.com
My 1866 Philly Mint Set
My 1866 Philly Mint Set
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
But I'd rather have it in the NGC66 holder than an NTC-anything.
roadrunner