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1790 Standish Barry Threepence, Breen-1019, W-8510, R.6, MS62 NGC. ...
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Sold on Apr 22, 2021 for:
$51,600.00
Bid Source: Internet bidder
Description
1790 Standish Barry Threepence, MS62
W-8510, Among the Finest Known
1790 Standish Barry Threepence, Breen-1019, W-8510, R.6, MS62
NGC. 12.9 grains. Medal-Turn die alignment (360°). An
exceptional example of this very rare private issue from the early
Federal era, one of perhaps two dozen known. The peripheries are
more firmly struck than the centers, which seems often to be the
case. While the central portions of the designs are soft, most
notably in the hair and at the H of the reverse's THREE, both sides
feature bold peripheral legends. In particular, the obverse area at
TOWN JULY, including the figure's coat, is exquisitely bold, with
very sharp lettering that reveals the true condition of this piece.
These coins are nearly always encountered struck off-center, and
this example is no exception, with both dies shifted slightly
toward 10 o'clock. A few light imperfections can be found,
including across the obverse's nose and in the lower right reverse
field, but none of these are distracting. A small patch of planchet
roughness, as struck, is present on the figure's chin below the
corner of his mouth. The coloration is vibrant, with an underlying
gold providing the dominant silver-gray with a touch of warmth that
bespeaks originality. Struck from an earlier state of the dies than
the magnificent MS64 example -- the finest known in private hands
-- sold in our January 2015 sale of highlights from the Partrick
Collection.Standish Barry of Baltimore was one of two Maryland silversmiths to strike silver coinage in the years between the ending of the Revolutionary War and the establishment of the Mint at Philadelphia, John Chalmers having produced several types of silver coins in Annapolis in 1783. Both coinages saw extensive circulation, judging from the condition of surviving examples. Beyond the simple need to provide a circulating medium, however, the exact motivations behind the Barry threepence are uncertain. The unusually precise date, uniquely rendered as JULY 4 90, has led to speculation that it may have been issued in commemoration of a local event, possibly held in honor of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, though Independence Day as such was inconsistently and mostly unofficially observed at the time.
The obverse figure has also been the subject of much deliberation, with George Washington being the most commonly proposed identification, along with Standish Barry himself. In the Spring 2009 issue of the C4 Newsletter, however, Max B. Spiegel brought to light an 1843 article from the Baltimore Sun that named the figure depicted as James Calhoun, who was serving in a position analogous to Mayor in Baltimore on July 4, 1790. A comparison of contemporary portraits of Calhoun and the threepence's obverse figure strongly suggests that this attribution is accurate.
This example of the Standish Barry threepence was part of the extraordinary collection formed in the twentieth century by Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr., himself from Baltimore. It is one of only three examples of this issue in private hands considered to be Mint State, with the MS64 Partrick threepence and the MS62 piece in the 2018 Archangel sale being the others (a Gem Uncirculated example is housed at the Maryland Historical Society). Listed on page 77 of the 2021 Guide Book.
Ex: Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. (Bowers & Merena, 5/1996), lot 92; Jon Hanson; Donald G. Partrick.
Coin Index Numbers: (PCGS# 609, Greysheet# 250)
View all of [The Donald G. Partrick Collection ]
Auction Info
2021 April 22 - 25 Central States US Coins Signature Auction #1329 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
April, 2021
22nd-25th
Thursday-Sunday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 14
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 841
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
20% of the successful bid per lot.
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