1794 Normal Head, Small Edge Letters, B-6b, C-4a, R.2, MS66 Brown PCGS. CAC. Our EAC Grade MS64....

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1794 B-6b, C-4a Half Cent, MS66 Brown
Small Edge Letters
Manley Plate Coin

1794 Normal Head, Small Edge Letters, B-6b, C-4a, R.2, MS66 Brown PCGS. CAC. Our EAC Grade MS64. Equivalents. Maris Fifth; Proskey 4: 3-D; Frossard-2; Ross 4-E; Gilbert-4; Empire-8; Cohen-4a; Breen-6b; Bowers Whitman-6b; Eckberg 4-E.
Rarity. R.2. This variety and B-9, C-9 are the two most plentiful varieties of 1794. Eckberg suggests that 1,000 examples survive in all grades. That is more than twice the number that Breen estimated when he assigned an R.3 rating to this variety.
Obverse 4 is unique to Breen-6. The well-spaced date is close to the bust with the 9 low. The shoulder loop is positioned over the 7. LIBERTY has the LI and ER slightly closer than other letters with the L slightly low and ER slightly high. The heavy pole joins the neck and its thick end nearly touches the border. A small center dot is hidden in the hair left of the ear lobe.
Reverse E appears on Breen-5 and 6. A vertical leaf pair is directly right of 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 upper right berry is attached to a stem from the tip of a leaf, a botanical improbability. The numerator is close to the fraction bar and the denominator is widely spaced and curved. Terminal leaves of the left and right wreath branches appear to touch, unlike any other 1794 reverse. The ribbon ends extend to the bottom of the denominator, that on the left ending very close to the border.
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. This is an extraordinary survivor that exhibits virtually flawless light brown surfaces and splashes of original mint red. A tiny lamination is noted at the top of Liberty's forecurl.
Die State. Manley Die State 2.0. Heavy obverse and light reverse clash marks are noted in the usual locations. There is no evidence of the late die state bulge left of the date. Faint die cracks are visible through the tops of several reverse letters.
Appearances. Illustrated at the PCGS Set Registry record of the McGuigan Collection. This is Ronald Manley's primary illustration and his Die State 2.0 plate coin in The Half Cent Die State Book.
PCGS Population (3/2022). The finest PCGS-certified 1794 half cents of all varieties include this coin and two others that grade MS66 Brown, one MS66 Red and Brown, and one MS67 Red and Brown. Those graded MS66 Brown include two examples of C-4a and one of C-9 (offered below). The MS66 Red and Brown coin is also C-9, and the MS67 Red and Brown example is C-7.
Commentary. The 1794 B-4b half cent ranks among the most common Liberty Cap varieties, and is an ideal candidate for type, date, or major variety collections. Four examples are recorded in the Breen-Hanson Condition Census as Uncirculated. One of those is housed in the Smithsonian Institution, another was in the Reakirt Collection (sold together to an unidentified collector or institution, per that record), a third is the present coin, and a fourth was included in the Charles M. Williams Collection that was sold in 1950 and had not been seen by either Breen or Hanson. The Missouri Cabinet MS66 Brown PCGS example was carried in the Breen-Hanson census as About Uncirculated. The McGuigan Collection coin that is offered here is also MS66 Brown PCGS, and the two coins are tied for finest known honors.
McGuigan Commentary. Superb light brown with original mint red around the devices and lettering on the obverse and reverse. Intermediate die state (M2.0) with heavy obverse and reverse clash marks. Among the three or four finest known examples of the sub-variety.
Provenance. Ex: John Freet; John Foreman (1/1982). Possibly Ex: Thomas L. Elder (2/1920), lot 1177; Thomas L. Elder (5/1923), lot 2311; or Thomas L. Elder (4/1925), lot 2148.

Personality. Mint Assayer Albion Cox was commissioned on April 4, 1794 and was employed there during the production of most 1794 half cents, although his work centered around silver and gold. Several years earlier, Cox was associated with the coinage of New Jersey coppers that ended in disaster when he was sued and landed in debtor's prison. After escaping to England, Cox returned to work at the Philadelphia Mint. His birth date is unknown and he died of an apoplectic fit (stroke) in late 1795, after which Mint Director Elias Boudinot wrote:

"The sudden and unexpected death of the assayer, Mr. Albion Cox, on Friday last by an apoplectic fit, deprived the Mint of an intelligent officer, essentially necessary to the future progress in the coinage of the precious metals. Until this officer is replaced, the business at the Mint must be confined to striking cents only."

From The James R. McGuigan Half Cent Collection.

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 2223, Variety PCGS# 35036, Base PCGS# 35015, Greysheet# 80845)

Weight: 6.74 grams

Metal: 100% Copper

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