May 26-27, 2003, The Dr. Jacob Terner Collection, Sale 20
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U. S. Coins

Large Cents

Historic, Affordable "Chain" Cent

Lot 1024
1793. S-4, R-4. Chain reverse, "AMERICA" in legend. Sharpness of Fine. Excellent details, including full legends, nice hair detail, and a very strong chain. The color is a pleasing, chocolate brown. The surfaces are decent for the grade, with some minor pebbling due to light contact marks, but the obverse has an ancient "X" scratched into it and a cut on the rim at 4:00. The reverse has a noticeable ding at 1:00 and a small stain by the T of CENT. While these problems detract from the overall appearance, they do nothing to the historical value of this piece, and, in fact, they serve to make the coin more affordable to a wider range of bidders. The 1793 Chain Cent and Half Cents were the first, regular-issue coins struck at the United States Mint.
Estimated Value $4,800-5,200.

Lot 1025
1794. S-72, R-2. Fine-15. A perfect Fine example, with glossy surfaces and a milk chocolate color that dreams are made of.
Estimated Value $800-1,000.

Lot 1026
1794. VG-8. Light brown and struck on a slightly porous planchet.
Estimated Value $400-450.

High-End 1796 Sheldon 81

Lot 1027
1796. S-81, R-3. Liberty cap. NGC graded MS-61 Brown. Lovely, dark brown, milk chocolate colors. Desirable, glossy surfaces. While the high points are weak, this was the result of a soft strike rather than any wear or friction. An incredibly important example of the variety -- the only one certified by NGC in Minst State and one of only 10 1796 Liberty Cap Cents graded so far by NGC.
Estimated Value $18,000-20,000.

Lot 1028
1808. Fine-15. Medium reddish-brown with the wear evenly distributed. Broken out of a PCGS VF-25 holder (includes the green insert tag).
Estimated Value $200-300.

Lot 1029
1811. S-287. Perfect Date. PCGS graded VF-35. Olive-brown fields, brown high points. Evenly worn and perfect for type purposes.
Estimated Value $625-725.

Lot 1030
1812. Small date. S-290, R-2. MS-63 Brown. Dark, glossy brown, with lustrous surfaces and excellent color. Struck slightly off-center towards 6:30, enough to be noticeable, but not enough to kick this coin into the error category. Softly struck on the stars on the left side of the obverse, but sharp everywhere else. Accompanied by a PCGS insert with the grade "MS63BN."
Estimated Value $3,900-4,100.

Lot 1031
1817. 15 stars. N-16, R-2. MS-60+. Dark olive brown, with nice surfaces and a decent strike. This is one of the most curious varieties of the Large Cent series, created when fifteen stars were punched accidentally into the obverse die. Breen blames this variety on Robert Scot, presumed by Breen to have failing eyesight. According to Breen, Scot began the die work, placed the stars too close together, then realized there would be too large a space between the last star and the date (one can mentally erase the last two stars from this coin and see how glaring the error would have been). To correct the error, Scot simply added two extra stars!
Estimated Value $2,500-2,800.

Important Proof 1840 Large Cent

Lot 1032
1840. Small date, large 8. N-2. NGC graded Proof 63 Brown. Well struck and mostly mahogany in color with some iridescence noted on the reverse. Free from serious nicks, scratches or spotting, this is an important coin for the large cent enthusiast. Breen estimates only about 14-15 proofs exist, a number we believe might be a bit optimistic. We note that NGC reports this sole example. Population of only 1.
Estimated Value $8,100-9,000.

Lot 1033
1855. Slanting 55. NGC graded Proof 64 Brown. A chestnut-brown Proof, with smatterings of faded, mint red brilliance flashing about. Crisply struck, far better than the usually seen 1855 Large Cent. A couple of minor marks appear in the obverse fields, but these all appear to be natural and were, most likely, in the planchet when the coin was struck. If this is the case, the grade is conservative. NGC has graded 2 in Proof-64 Brown, 1 in Proof-65 Brown, and 2 in Proof-65 Red Brown, so this piece ranks near the top of the condition ladder.
Estimated Value $3,800-4,200.

Lot 1034
1855. Slanting 55, knob on earN-9. NGC graded MS-65 Red & Brown. A nice bold strike with frosty mint luster throughout. The surfaces exhibit a natural blending of rose and faded mint red.
Estimated Value $1,000-1,100.

Glittering 1856 Proof 1856 Slanted 5 Cent

Lot 1035
1856. Slanted 5. PCGS graded Proof 64. 50-60% full Red color. Impressive strike and surface quality. A glittering, no-questions-asked Proof example of the date. Nice, lilac and gold tones. PCGS reports 10 in this grade and only 3 higher. Identifying marks: small spot inside the top loop of the 8; small spot near the rim between the 7th and 8th stars; small spot near the inside tip of the second star; small spot on the leaf tip just below the ES of STATES. A great coin in a special condition. Color photo.
Estimated Value $5,000-6,000.

Lot 1036
1856. Upright 5. N-10. NGC graded MS-66 Red & Brown. A nice bold impression and the lustrous surfaces are ablaze with far more fiery mint red than brown. A delight in every way.
Estimated Value $1,100-1,200.

Lovely Proof 1857 Small Date Large Cent

Lot 1037
1857. Small Date. PCGS graded Proof 64. Nice red and bluish-brown toning. A lovely coin. PCGS reports 7 coins at this grade and 6 higher. This was the last year in which Large Cents were struck. The series overlapped the Flying Eagle Small Cents as a way of easing the public into using the new money. Thus, the mintage for the 1857 Large Cent was smaller than usual, while production of the 1857 F.E. Cents was prolific. On the other hand, Proof Large Cents always had low, unrecorded mintages, mostly because there were few collectors at the time, many of whom did not even know that Proof coins were available from the Mint! Color photo.
Estimated Value $5,000-6,000.

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