1808/7 Overdate, B-1, C-1, High R.6, XF40 PCGS. Our EAC Grade VF30....

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Description

1808/7 B-1, C-1 Half Cent, XF40
Finest of the Variety
Cohen, Breen, and Fuhrman Plate Coin

1808/7 Overdate, B-1, C-1, High R.6, XF40 PCGS. Our EAC Grade VF30. Equivalents. Empire-53; Cohen-1; Breen-1; Bowers-Whitman 1; Eckberg 1-A.
Rarity. High R.6. Fuhrman writes that 17 examples of this extremely rare variety are known. That falls in the 16 to 20-coin range that Eckberg published, and is higher than the 12 to 15-coin range estimated in the Bowers-Whitman Guide Book. Only the 1804 Cohen-3 is rarer, and there is disagreement about its status as a die variety or die state.

Obverse 1 appears on Breen-1 and 2. This is the diagnostic 8 over 7 overdate. The date is closely spaced and the final 8 is centered between the drapery and border, with ears from the previous 7 projecting up from its top left and right curves. The serif of the 1 is closer to the hair and farther from the curl. LIBERTY is well below the border with LIB closer than other letters. The right base of the T extends past the forelock.

Reverse A appears on Breen-1. A leaf point is close below the upright of the D in UNITED, distinguishing this reverse from the plentiful Reverse B. The numerator is low and closer to the moderately long fraction bar than to the ribbon knot. The left end of the fraction bar is over the center of the 2, and its right end is over the left curves of the second 0. The bottoms of HAL are merged, and each of those letters appears slightly lower than their left-hand neighbors. The L and F are spaced apart. The base of the E in CENT is slightly higher than the adjacent N. The lowest inside right leaf covers the base of the T in CENT but does not encroach on the upright.
Edge. Plain.
Surfaces. This smooth and glossy dark brown half cent has pleasing surfaces with a few scattered marks that are consistent with the grade. Weakness at the lower right reverse is the result of mis-aligned dies that likely explain the rarity of the variety.
Die State. Manley Die State 2.0. The reverse has heavy cracks through the tops of several legend letters.

Appearances. Illustrated at the PCGS Set Registry record of the McGuigan Collection. Plated in the second edition of Roger Cohen's American Half Cents, the "Little Half Sisters." This is the Breen plate coin on page 282 of his Half Cent Encyclopedia. The reverse is plated on page 132 of Michael Demling's attribution book. The plate coin on page 163 of Ed Fuhrman's The Half Cent Handbook, Draped Bust Varieties, 1800-1808, and the State 2 plate coin on page 164 of the same book.
PCGS Population (5/2022). PCGS has attributed two submissions of 1808/7 half cents as B-1, C-1. This coin is one of those and the other submissions grades Fine 12. We doubt that there are any unattributed coins from this die pair.
Commentary. This is the coin that started Jim McGuigan on his half cent journey as related in his article that appeared in The Numismatist and that is reproduced here. The coin was attributed as "G.1" in the Stack's catalog where it was described as "Fine to Very Fine, but softly struck on the reverse at 5 o'clock. The overdate very clear." The coin was not plated in that cataloger, perhaps fortunate for McGuigan.

After purchasing this coin in 1970, McGuigan traded the coin into the Missouri Cabinet, acquiring several other half cents for his own collection. He advertised the coin "For Sale or Trade" in the July 1973 issue of Penny-Wise. Coincidentally, that same issue included the present cataloger as new member of Early American Coppers.
McGuigan Commentary. Attractive glossy dark brown surfaces. Late die state (M2.0) with a rim cud between the "D" and "S" of UNITED STATES. Finest known of this very rare die variety. Breen plate coin (p. 282). See the story of this coin in the article "Life Changing Coin" in the June 2021 issue of The Numismatist, pp. 24-25 [reprinted here with permission.]
Provenance. Ex: Stack's (6/1970), lot 1123; James R. McGuigan (4/24/1974); Missouri Cabinet (Goldberg Auctions, 1/2014), lot 89.
Personality. Ira and Larry Goldberg started Goldberg Coins and Collectibles after their former firm, Superior, was sold to A-Mark. Goldberg Auctions has handled several important rarities and collections, continuing to operate today, conducting more than 120 auctions since its beginning in 1999.
From The James R. McGuigan Half Cent Collection.

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 222L, Variety PCGS# 35209, Base PCGS# 1110, Greysheet# 80899)

Weight: 5.44 grams

Metal: 100% Copper

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