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

Lot Number: 2005

Shortcut to Lot: HA.com/1389*2005

1793 1C S-5 R4 Wreath Cent, Vine & Bars Edge, Large LIBERTY, MS62 Brown PCGS. Choice glossy steel brown and medium chocolate with frosty mint luster in the fields and protected areas. Sharp and beautiful with just a hint of friction on the highest points of the devices. Nearly flawless but there are a couple small contact marks including two small nicks close together on the cheek, a very tiny rim nick opposite the eye, and a thin nick that skips over the top of the 7. Only the two nicks on the cheek catch your eye. The reverse is flawless. Sharply struck EDS, Breen state I, before any crumbling at the dentils over LI in LIBERTY. Graded AU50 and tied for CC#5 in the Noyes census, his photo #59278. Bland says AU50 and tied for CC#6. This cataloger's EAC grade is AU50. This cent is plated in Dr. Sheldon's Early American Cents and Penny Whimsy. A choice cent, the only variety of the 1793 Wreath cent with a large LIBERTY, and it comes with an unbroken provenance that has been traced back over a century. The attribution and COL Ellsworth Collection provenance are noted on the PCGS Gold Shield label (35447.62/43987690).
Ex John P. Lyman, S. H. Chapman 11/7/1913:390 ($112, plated)-Elmer S. Sears-Virgil M. Brand 1934-Armin W. Brand 2/7/1941-B. G. Johnson (St. Louis Stamp & Coin Co.)-Oscar J. Pearl, Numismatic Gallery 1944 FPL:4 ($1400)-Charles M. Williams, Numismatic Gallery Mail Bid Sale 11/14/1950:7 ($710)-Harold Bareford 9/13/1985-Herman Halpern 12/26/1986-C. Douglas Smith-Walter J. Husak, Superior held in association with McCawley & Grellman Auctions 5/29/2005:1012 (unsold)-Walter J. Husak, Heritage Auctions 2/15/2008:2004 ($126,500)-Wesley A. Rasmussen, Heritage Auctions (2013 FUN Convention Sale) 1/10/2013:5517 ($82,250)-COL Steven K. Ellsworth.

The John P. Lyman Collection, sold on November 7, 1913, by S.H. Chapman in Philadelphia, was one of the most complete and high-quality offerings of U.S. silver and copper coins of its era. Lyman, a Boston banker, had assembled his cabinet between 1877 and 1884, emphasizing preservation and completeness. Chapman praised the collection for its uniformly superb condition, noting that it lacked only three major pieces: the 1796 half cent, the 1823 quarter, and the 1827 quarter. The catalog's centerpiece was a detailed study and plate of the 1804 dollar, which Chapman described extensively, along with other landmark rarities such as two 1802 half dimes, a 1794 dollar, and comprehensive runs of silver and copper coinage. Eight photographic plates illustrated the coins, including four devoted entirely to cents and one to half cents.

The copper section of the Lyman Collection was particularly impressive, with exceptional 1793 large cents including high-grade Chain and Wreath varieties, as well as the rare 1793 Liberty Cap. Subsequent dates from 1794 through the early 1800s were represented by multiple die varieties, many in uncirculated condition and carefully described with attention to surfaces and color. The half cents ranged from the earliest Liberty Caps through proof-only issues of the 1830s-1850s, again chosen for superior quality. By combining rarity, completeness, and outstanding condition, the Lyman Collection set a benchmark for copper collecting in the early 20th century. Chapman's detailed attributions, paired with the plates, ensured the catalog became a lasting reference for students of early American copper.

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