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

Lot Number: 2061

Shortcut to Lot: HA.com/1389*2061

1794 1C S-56 R3 Head of 1794, "Office Boy" Reverse, MS62 Brown PCGS. Frosty dark steel brown. The surfaces are satiny and lustrous and this cent has great eye appeal. Looks mint state but a glass reveals a touch of friction on the very highest points of the devices. The only marks are some pre-striking planchet chips that didn't completely disappear during the strike. This was a result of minor axial die misalignment (the die faces not being perfectly parallel). The strike was stronger on the lower half of the obverse and the opposing upper half of the reverse, and microscopic planchet chips remain in the more weakly struck areas. A small chip on the upper part of the cap and a tiny tick on the end of the chin can help identify this cent. E-MDS, Breen state I, Heck state 3, with die clashmarks on the reverse. The repunching on the right edge of the 9 is still clear. Often referred to as the "Office-Boy Reverse" variety due to the amateurish die cutting on that die, most obvious at TA in STATES. Graded AU55 and CC#2 in the Noyes census, his photo #22507. Bland says AU55 and CC#2. This cataloger's EAC grade is AU58. This cent is plated in the 1923 Chapman reference on the cents of 1794, it is the plate coin for the variety in the 2000 Breen encyclopedia, and the reverse is plated in Dr. Sheldon's Early American Cents and Penny Whimsy. Another outstanding cent that comes with a great provenance, an unbroken line of owners for the last 150+ years. The attribution and COL Ellsworth Collection provenance are noted on the PCGS Gold Shield label (35630.62/13457921). The holder is scuffed and scratched.
Ex William Fewsmith, Mason & Co. 10/5/1870:797 ($4)-"Ramsey"-John W. Haseltine (privately) 1881-Joseph Hooper-Edouard Frossard #113, 10/6/1892:333 ($9)-Howard R. Newcomb, J. C. Morgenthau & Co. #458, 2/7/1945:28 (UNC, plated, $75)-Willard C. Blaisdell 1975-John W. Adams, Bowers & Ruddy 1982 Fixed Price List, lot 51 ($7000)-Del N. Bland 6/28/1985-Dr. Allen Bennett 1/20/1998-Walter J. Husak, Heritage Auctions 2/15/2008:2058 ($32,200)-Larry A. Bland Collection, Early Cents Auctions 9/3/2022:517 ($32,400)-COL Steven K. Ellsworth.

The Fewsmith Collection, sold in 1870 by Mason & Co., was an early landmark auction for U.S. copper coinage. Large cents featured prominently, beginning with early federal issues and continuing through sets of nickel and bronze cents, including thick and thin planchet varieties. Notable was a selection of 18th-century colonials such as Massachusetts and New Jersey cents, as well as the famous 1837 Feuchtwanger cent.

Half cents were also offered, with early dates such as 1793 and 1794 represented, alongside later issues in fine preservation. While much of the sale included tokens, medals, and foreign pieces, the U.S. copper coins were carefully cataloged, reflecting Fewsmith's depth of study and broad approach. This auction remains historically important as one of the first public dispersals to highlight American coppers as a distinct specialty.

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