1794 High Relief Head, B-7, C-7, High R.5, AU58 PCGS. CAC. Our EAC Grade VF30....

Click the image to load the highest resolution version.

Sold on Aug 22, 2022 for:

$43,200.00 Bid Source: Live: Floor bidder

Get one of these:

Share this lot

Track Item Printable Auction Results

Sell One of These

Description

Auction Info

Guides & Info

Description

1794 B-7, C-7 Half Cent, AU58
From the Showers and Weber Collections

1794 High Relief Head, B-7, C-7, High R.5, AU58 PCGS. CAC. Our EAC Grade VF30. Equivalents. Maris Sixth; Proskey 2: 1-B; Frossard-6; Ross 6-D; Gilbert-2; Empire-6; Cohen-7; Breen-7; Bowers Whitman-7; Eckberg 5-D.
Rarity. High R.5. The rating suggests a surviving population in the range of 30 to 45 coins, and the actual population is likely in the middle of that range, 35 to 40 coins as Eckberg suggests.
Obverse 5 appears on Breen-7, 8, and 9. This is the High Relief head from a new device punch. The date is high in the field and the top of the 4 is closer to the bust than on any other obverse. On worn specimens, the 4 appears to touch the bust. The pole joins the neck and its end is clearly separated from the border. The prominent should loop is over the 1 and 7, and has a different shape than the other obverse dies. A prominent center dot is position in the hair left of the ear lobe.
Reverse D appears on Breen-4 and 7. A vertical leaf pair is directly below the T in CENT, and that feature is diagnostic. The left branch has 14 leaves and six berries. The right branch has 18 leaves and six berries. The lower three berries on each side are larger than the others. Two leaves of a pair join the lower and upper left serifs of the H in HALF. The numerator is centered between the ribbon knot and the short fraction bar that begins over the right side of the 2. The denominator is well-spaced. The ribbon ends are even with the top of the denominator.
Edge. Lettered TWO HUNDRED FOR A DOLLAR with a single leaf. Two edge devices used in 1794 are distinguished by the letter size. The Small Edge Letters device has narrow, deep, and widely spaced letters.
Surfaces. Highly glossy steel-brown surfaces are suggestive of light burnishing, although this is a pleasing piece that retains its census rank.
Die State. Manley Die State 2.0 with light obverse clash marks and a reverse die crack through the right side of the E in UNITED.

Appearances. Plated in the Showers and Weber catalogs. Illustrated at the PCGS Set Registry record of the McGuigan Collection. The Weber catalog reports that this piece is the Breen Die State III plate coin on page 114 of his Half Cent Encyclopedia. This may be the coin depicted on plate IX in History of the United States Mint and American Coinage by George Evans (1886, 1888 editions, and possibly others).
PCGS Population (3/2022). PCGS has certified 14 1794 half cents of all varieties as AU58 with 32 finer coins in all Mint State grades. Among coins attributed as C-7, PCGS has graded just three examples graded VF20, AU58 (this coin), and MS67 Red and Brown.
Commentary. This is the rarest of the three 1794 High Relief varieties. While the six die pairs of 1794 Low Relief half cents are known with Small Edge Letters or Large Edge Letters, the three High Relief varieties are known only with Small Edge Letters.

Two Mint State pieces are known, both with original mint red. One of those is held in the British Museum, so will never be available to collectors. The other example was sold in the January 2014 Missouri Cabinet auction. Three others appear in the Breen-Hanson Condition Census as About Uncirculated, and that record lists this coin and two others as Extremely Fine. Our VF30 grade accounts for the surface appearance.
McGuigan Commentary. Choice glossy medium brown planchet. Late die state (M2.0) with light obverse and reverse clash marks. Third finest known of this rare variety.
Provenance. Ex: Phillip Showers (Stack's, privately, 1969); Willis H. duPont; Fred S. Werner (2/1976); Superior (2/1976); Joe Flynn & Son (4/20/1976); R. Tettenhorst (11/1980); William Weber (Superior, 6/2002), lot 2257.
Personality. Known as Bill, William Raymond Weber was born at San Jose, California on May 16, 1919. After surviving the depression and serving in the U.S. Navy in World War II where he was a flight instructor, Weber worked in the telephone industry for three decades, retiring from Western California Telephone Company in 1979. He died at Scottsdale, Arizona on June 23, 2003. In addition to other numismatic interests, Weber had a particular interest in early copper coinage, and his budget led him to half cents, forming an exceptional collection. Weber was an active member of Early American Coppers and held many friendships within the half cent community.
From The James R. McGuigan Half Cent Collection.

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 2223, Variety PCGS# 35057, Base PCGS# 35054, Greysheet# 80851)

Weight: 6.74 grams

Metal: 100% Copper

More Information:

Special Terms for the McGuigan Collection:
12 equal monthly payments with 3% APR interest starting at Day 46. Invoice released when invoice is paid in full.
or
6 equal monthly payments with interest at 6% APR starting at Day 46. Invoice released within certain limits. Please contact the Heritage Credit Department at CreditDept@HA.com prior to the auction.