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

Lot Number: 2018

Shortcut to Lot: HA.com/1389*2018

1793 1C S-16 R6 Liberty Cap, Fine Detail, Exc. Corrosion, PCGS. Slightly glossy dark olive brown and steel with lighter brown outside the border beads on the reverse. The highest points of the devices are smooth but everything else is rough, and there are patches of lighter brown raised corrosion on the obverse, mostly at the date, neck, and eye. No notable contact marks. The date and legends are clear, even strong, but the 3 in the date is partially obscured by raised corrosion. Late die state, Breen state II, with a die crack from the rim to the lowest curl. Graded VF20 net G6 and tied for CC#7 in the Noyes census, his photo #28577. Bland says F15 net VG8 and tied for CC#4. This cataloger's EAC grade is net VG7. The attribution and COL Ellsworth Collection provenance are noted on the PCGS Gold Shield label (35498.97/44293925). The reverse of the holder is scuffed.
Ex Hollinbeck Coin Co. 10/31/1952:2130 ($107.50)-Hollinbeck Coin Co. 7/18/1953:19 ($925)-Hollinbeck Coin Co. 2/27/1954:397 ($860)-Hollinbeck Coin Co. 10/31/1957:162 ($1700)-Hollinbeck Coin Co.-Leo A. Young 2/13/1959:1302 ($1750)-Hollinbeck Kagin Coin Co.-Philip E. Benedetti (Pickwick Stamp & Coin Co.)-offered in the Numismatic Scrapbook Magazine 3/1961 at $3500 (unsold)-Hollinbeck Kagin Coin Co. 6/29/1963:350 ($5100)-Hollinbeck Kagin Coin Co. (privately) 1/1972-Denis W. Loring 1/1972-John W. Adams 11/1972-Denis W. Loring 11/1972-Robinson S. "Robbie" Brown, Jr., Superior 9/30/1986:22 ($5225)-Robinson S. "Robbie" Brown, Jr., Superior 1/27/1996:21 ($10,450)-COL Steven K. Ellsworth.

The September 1986 Superior Galleries sale of the Robinson S. Brown, Jr. Collection was a landmark event in the field of early American copper. Brown, a noted authority and dedicated member of the Early American Coppers club, assembled a cabinet renowned for its breadth, rarity, and remarkable condition across half cents and large cents. The catalog began with an extraordinary series of early date cents including 1793 Chain, Wreath, and Liberty Cap issues, an array of superb 1794 cents, and an exceptional run of varieties through 1814, nearly all with pedigrees to famous collections and sales. These pieces reflected Brown's discerning taste and deep scholarship, qualities that made the catalog itself a reference work for specialists.

Later large cents from 1816 through 1857, including key Newcomb varieties, also stood out for their quality and completeness, underscoring Brown's devotion to the series as a whole. The catalog, richly detailed and scholarly in its descriptions, was more than a sales tool-it was a lasting contribution to the literature of American numismatics. Collectors and researchers continue to view the first Robinson S. Brown, Jr. sale as one of the definitive auctions in the study of early U.S. copper, cementing Brown's legacy as both a connoisseur and a caretaker of America's numismatic heritage.

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