Auction Name: 2026 January 8 US Coins Signature Auction - FUN Special Sessions: Ellsworth & Jacobson

Lot Number: 2001

Shortcut to Lot: HA.com/1389*2001

1793 1C S-1 R4 Chain AMERI. XF40 PCGS. Glossy medium brown and light chocolate with traces of mint frost in protected areas on the reverse. The surfaces are smooth and there is no trace of verdigris, only small contact marks. The notable marks are nicks on the jawline (actually an impression from the edge reeding on another coin), tiny planchet voids under ERTY into the forehead (as struck), and a nick over NT in CENT. MDS, Breen state III, with die clashmarks below the truncation and minor swelling at the 1 in the date. The reverse is uncracked. The date and legends are strong except for strike weakness on CENT and the fraction. A very nice example of the first large cent variety struck at the fledgling U.S. Mint in Philadelphia. This cataloger's EAC grade is VF35. Noyes photo #36716. The attribution and COL Ellsworth Collection provenance are noted on the PCGS Gold Shield label (35432.40/19801824).
Ex Frank H. Masters, Jr., Rare Coin Company of America 5/14/1971:31 ($2200)-American Auction Association (Bowers & Ruddy) 12/12/1975:269 ($4500)-Bowers & Ruddy Mail Bid Sale 5/1978:3-Julian Leidman-Dr. William Rubin, Superior 1/28/1985:42 (EF45, $6600)-Stuart M. Bloch, Superior 2/2/1992:625 ($16,500)-J. R. Frankenfield, Superior held in association with McCawley & Grellman Auctions 2/17/2001:188 ($34,500)-Chris McCawley 3/21/2001-Jon A. "Al" Boka (The Al Boka Copperheads Collection), Heritage Auctions 9/8/2011:3001 ($63,250)-COL Steven K. Ellsworth.

The Century Collection sale, conducted by Superior Galleries on February 2-4, 1992 in Beverly Hills, California, was highlighted by John J. Nicholas, Jr.'s extraordinary cabinet of Newcomb middle date large cents (1816-1839), along with important contributions from Roger S. Cohen, Jr. and Stuart M. Bloch. Nicholas, a longtime Early American Coppers member, spent two decades assembling what Superior described as the finest Newcomb middle date set ever sold, with over 140 varieties represented. Of these, roughly 50 were the finest or tied for finest known, 40 ranked second, 30 third, and the balance still within the upper five positions of the Condition Census. His collection included remarkable die marriages such as a complete set of 1816 varieties-originally the pride of C. Douglas Smith and later upgraded by Nicholas with the discovery of a second-finest 1816 N-9-illustrating the depth of pedigree and scholarship behind the set.

In addition to Nicholas's centerpiece, the sale featured important early American copper across half cents and large cents, including high-grade 1793 half cents and rarities spanning through the Classic Head and Braided Hair series. The Nicholas Collection was compared to landmark copper dispersals such as Helfenstein (1964) and Starr (1984), marking it as a generational opportunity for specialists. Cataloged with detailed die variety attributions, Condition Census notes, and pedigrees, the Century Collection sale reinforced Superior's reputation for handling elite numismatic properties. For collectors of early U.S. copper-particularly students of the middle dates-this sale represented both a commercial and scholarly milestone, ensuring Nicholas's coins and research contributions would continue to shape the study of Newcomb varieties.
From The COL Steven Ellsworth Collection of U.S. Large Cents 1793-1796.

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