Auction Name: 2026 January 14 - 17 FUN US Coins Signature® Auction

Lot Number: 3034

Shortcut to Lot: HA.com/1390*3034

1794 1C Starred Reverse, S-48, B-38, High R.4, VF20 PCGS. Early cent collectors recognize certain coins such as the Chain AMERI., the Strawberry Leaf, the Bisecting Crack, the Jefferson Head, and others when their nicknames are mentioned. The same holds true in other series such as the S-VDB and the Three-Legged nickel. Perhaps no early cent is more famous than the Starred Reverse. More than 70 individual stars are evident on this example that we are unable to locate in the current census posted at 1794largecents.com, nor in the Noyes/Lusk early copper database.

Most Starred Reverse cents show stronger details at the lower left reverse. Denis Loring explains at PCGS CoinFacts: "Early in its life, the reverse die buckled in a straight line from 10:00 to 4:00, accounting for the scarcity of the variety. Because of the buckle, the upper right reverse wears away quickly and the lower left lingers. Low-grade examples are known showing only a few stars at 7:00." The present example shows more stars than most others at similar or lower grades.

Unlike many others, this example features smooth olive and golden-tan surfaces with a few splashes of maroon toning on the reverse. A reverse rim nick over the second T in STATES will aid provenance research, as will a small surface mark at the O in OF. At one time, the Starred Reverse was thought to be a major rarity, although today the variety has broken into the Rarity-4 level with an estimated population of 80 to 90 examples. However, Dr. Sheldon once wrote: "Collectors mention it with religious awe" and the same holds true today. Despite its status as the premier 1794 cent variety, we still have no understanding of the purpose of those 94 stars intermixed with the border dentils on the reverse.

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