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1822 25C 25/50C MS66 NGC....
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Sold on Apr 30, 2009 for:
$184,000.00
Bid Source: Live: Floor bidder
Description
The Eliasberg 1822 25/50C B-2 Quarter, MS66
The Finest Known Business Strike
1822 25C 25/50C MS66 NGC. Ex: Eliasberg. B-2, High R.5. The
1822 blundered reverse variety is a spectacular die cutting error
where the engraver mistakenly entered the denomination as 50C, then
corrected his mistake. Although other early quarter varieties are
rarer, the 1822 25 over 50 variety ranks among the famous die
blunders in American numismatics. Examples are known in proof and
business strike format, with few top quality pieces known. There
are probably not more than four proofs and three or four Mint State
pieces known, with the few others all in circulated grades. Perhaps
40 or so exist in all grades. The population data of NGC and PCGS
report the following: PR65 PCGS (2), MS66 NGC, MS65 NGC, MS65 PCGS,
MS63 NGC, and MS61 PCGS. A roster of the top grade pieces is
presented by Steve Tompkins who records two proofs and eight
business strikes that range from the present MS66 down to VF30.Breen suspects that ailing Robert Scot was the engraver of this blundered die, and this conjecture would fit the evidence. A question comes to mind as to why this reverse die was employed to coin proofs for the year--especially when proofs are known of the perfect die 1822 quarter. Were these blundered die proofs struck first, or later when additional proofs were needed? Both share the same obverse die, perhaps the new perfect reverse die was not prepared until after the initial proofs were struck using the blundered die. The answer lies in careful study of the few proofs from each die pairing, to figure out which came first based on the condition of the obverse die. Remarkably, the Philadelphia Mint shelved this die after the small issue of proofs and general circulation strikes in 1822, only to resurrect this same reverse and strike more quarters with it in 1828.
The toning is a delight to behold for any experienced collector with lilac-gray throughout mixed with splashes of blue and yellow-gold near the devices. Many of the silver coins from the Eliasberg Collection had toning that matched this present coin as they were stored in the same type of holders and environment for decades. The devices are frosty while the fields show prooflike reflectivity except for a small satiny area before Liberty's neck surrounding a small nick. It is all but certain that this coin was struck soon after the handful of proofs were made from this pair of dies, as the present coin is an early die state and shows so many of the characteristics of a proof. The central devices and legends are sharp save for the uppermost portions of the talons on the eagle, and the obverse stars generally lack their radial lines except for star 10 which is sharp, matching the characteristics of the proofs from this die pairing. Breen considered this coin a proof and listed it first in his roster of four such pieces. He also wrote that the Eliasberg coin was from the famous Mougey Collection that Thomas Elder sold in 1910.
Ex: Louis E. Eliasberg Collection (Bowers and Merena, 4/1997), lot 1385; Heritage (3/2006), lot 564.
From The Joseph C. Thomas Collection.(Registry values: P6)
Coin Index Numbers: (PCGS# 5333, GSID# 5071)
Metal: 89.24% Silver, 10.76% Copper
Weight: 6.74 grams
ASW: 0.19338oz
Mintage: 64,080
View all of [The Joseph C. Thomas Collection, Part Two ]
Auction Info
2009 April-May Cincinnati, OH (CSNS) US Coin Auction #1124 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
Apr-May, 2009
29th-3rd
Wednesday-Sunday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 9
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 1,717
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
15% of the successful bid per lot.
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