First Year for John Reich's Classic Head Cents
Sheldon 279, Breen 3 (Dies 3-C) : Straight front to head band, 08 in date close. Reverse with leaf right of center of upright of D, another just right of center of second S in STATES. This is the only die pairing for both the obverse and reverse dies.
Three separate die pairs were used to strike 1808 cents with no shared obverses or reverses. Sheldon 279 appears to be the scarcest die pair in Mint State and Sheldon 278 the most available. And while all three are relatively common overall, there is nothing common about any Classic Head Cent in Gem Mint State, especially with this amount of mint red remaining.
This 1808 S.279 is listed as finest known in Bland’s census as MS-63, but second finest in the Noyes census as MS63(60) Average, although with no photo, behind Noyes #20279 as MS63(60) Choice. Noyes #20279 last sold in Bowers and Merena’s January 1997 sale, lot 9 at $12,100 as NGC MS66BN, there described as “Glossy deep steel brown with traces of mint red visible around the devices”, and is ranked by Bland as tied for second with two others which he grades MS-61.
Understanding EAC grading standards and the Condition Census rosters compiled by Bill Noyes and Del Bland requires an understanding of their tendencies. All graders have tendencies, the weight or priority that each grader assigns, intentionally or unintentionally, to the variables that contribute to a net grade. My experience leads me to believe that Bill Noyes prefers a “glossy” look, which I consider to be unnatural, often the result of wax and a good brush. My tendency is to favor surfaces that are as near original as possible, which for most early copper means luster that is satiny in appearance.
This 1808 Classic Cent is a perfect example of what I describe as “satiny” luster, with a soft but unmistakable cartwheel visible when tilted under a light. The obverse retains a substantial amount of subdued original red about the head, date, and stars, and in the recessed areas of the fillet and throughout Liberty’s hair, while the reverse is colored in an even reddish tan. The strike is off-center to the right, with the stars at right drawn toward the edge. A few inconsequential marks can be found, with a mark on the bust above 1 in the date, and a series of tiny marks in the reverse field right of the E in ONE qualifying for the most notable. Overall, it’s hard to argue with Bland’s ranking, as this is likely the finest known example of the die pair, and one of the more remarkable survivors for the series.
PCGS #32708434
Provenance
Per Bland, Noyes, and Stacks Bowers (Pogue): Henry C. Colvin, President of the Troy Savings Bank of Troy, New York, acquired before his passing in 1936. Henry’s collection was purchased from the estate by his son, Allan D. Colvin, who continued to add to the collection until his passing in 1950. Allan’s widow, Mrs. Lena Colvin, donated the collection and all of its documentation to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where both Henry and Allan had served on the board of trustees. The collection was then sold in French’s MANA Philadelphia sale, October 1962, as lot 166a at $575, described there as “A beautiful part red Mint State 65”.
Next to Louis Helfenstein, and sold in Lester Merkin’s sale of the Louis Helfenstein Collection, August 1964 as lot 45 at $2,300 as “Mint red gem Unc.”; Garry Fitzgerald; Lester Merkin October 1966, lot 125 at $2,000; Lester Merkin March 1969, lot 669 at $1,750.
R.E. Naftzger, Jr.; New Netherlands Coin Company and B.A. Seaby “An Important Collection of Superb Early Large Cents” November 1973, lot 595 at $2,900 and described there as:
Mint State-65. Mint red and olive, reverse less red and brown. Usual strike, not fully struck up on the highest curls. Magnificent, flawless surfaces. One of two finest known, but possibly finest known because of the color … Scarcest of the three 1808 varieties in Mint State …
Sold to RARCOA; Robert W. Barker; Stack’s October 1986, lot 6 at $12,100; Herman Halpern; Stack’s sale of the Herman Halpern Collection, March 1988, lot 266 at $20,900; Denis W. Loring; Kenneth Goldman; Dr. Kenneth Baer Collection; Julian Leidman; Richard Burdick, November 2006 to Brent Pogue; Pogue Family Collection; Stacks Bowers March 2017, lot 5131 at $76,375 as PCGS/CAC MS66BN to Laura Sperber (Legend) for the “Black Cat Collection” by William Anderson.
