Finest Known 1794 S-30 Cent, Ex: Maris

1794 1C Head of '94. MS64 Brown PCGS. S-30, B-12, R.1. Bland MS60; tied for CC-1. Noyes MS65; CC-1. Photo #20145. Our EAC Grade MS60.

Equivalents. Maris 26 (Amatory Face [1869]; Amiable Face [1870]); Frossard 16.1; Doughty 46; Hays 37; McGirk 11-B; Ross 23-Q; Chapman 22; EAC 15; Encyclopedia 1660; PCGS #901374.

Variety. The Marred Field. Right ribbon long, nearly touching dentils. The obverse appears on S-30 and S-31. The reverse appears on S-29 and S-30. Lettered Edge, leaf points up.

Surfaces. Stunning chestnut and mahogany surfaces are accompanied by hints of gold toning on each side. The obverse has satiny luster with reflective fields; the reverse is frosty with full cartwheel luster.

Die State IV. A later die state with heavy die erosion below STATES OF and a crack through R to the wreath. It is apparently the earliest use of the obverse die, with the field chips behind the hair curls only beginning to form.

Appearances. The obverse and reverse are illustrated in Early American Cents, Penny Whimsy, Noyes (1991 and 2006), and Boka. The obverse is illustrated in Morley as MS60.

Census. This specimen easily ranks as the finest known piece, and the only example called Mint State by Noyes. One other coin is also graded Mint State according to Bland, but is called AU55 by Noyes.

Commentary. Sheldon-30, 31, 38-40, and NC-2 are all known as "Marred Field" varieties, each with similar die chips in the left obverse field. These provide numismatists with a bit of a challenge, as all three obverses have similarities and differences. In Early American Cents and Penny Whimsy, Sheldon described three different obverse dies. In his Large Cent Encyclopedia, Walter Breen identified all of these varieties from a single obverse die with S-30 in the earliest state, and the others from lapped versions of this die. Today, this position has been accepted by most students of the series.

In his first edition, Dr. Maris called the variety the Amatory Face and commented: "Physiognomy that of a lady in love." This lady, once owned by Dr. Maris and probably the coin he was describing at the time, is easy to love! A year later Maris downgraded his description to Amiable Face in the second edition.

Provenance. Dr. Edward Maris; later, Col. E.H.R. Green; B.G. Johnson (St. Louis Stamp & Coin Co., 3/1943); Abe Kosoff; Oscar Pearl (Numismatic Gallery, 1944 FPL), lot 54, $225; T. James Clarke (1950); Dr. William H. Sheldon (4/1972); R.E. Naftzger, Jr. (2/1992); Eric Streiner (4/1992); Dr. Allen Bennett (1/2000).

Personality. Edward Howland Robinson Green was the son of Hetty Green, the "Witch of Wall Street." He was born in London on August 22, 1868, while his parents were on a European tour. His death occurred in Lake Placid, New York, on June 8, 1936. By all accounts, Hetty Green was quite miserly, and refused to hire a doctor to treat her son when he injured his leg. This action caused Col. Green to lose his leg. He graduated from Fordham College in 1888 and was admitted to the bar. Green was active in politics for the Republican Party and chaired the Texas Republican State Committee. He was on the board of directors for the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, served as a director of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and was president of the Texas Midland Railroad. After his death in 1936, his coin collection was valued at $5 million and his stamp collection at $3.5 million. (#35555)

View Entire Collection
View large image(s) of this item

Shipping Description: Coins & Currency (view shipping information)