1792 1C Washington/Hancock Pattern Cent, Plain Edge AU53 PCGS....

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Extremely Rare 1792 Washington President Cent, AU53

1792 1C Washington/Hancock Pattern Cent, Plain Edge AU53 PCGS. Baker-59, Breen-1234, W-10690, R.6. In the recently published Whitman Encyclopedia of Colonial and Early American Coins, Dave Bowers rates this colonial variety as "URS-6" according to his Universal Rarity Scale that was developed for use in his 1993 Silver Dollar Encyclopedia. URS-6 translates to between 17 and 32 pieces known and is quite comparable to Rarity-6 on the Sheldon scale (13 to 30 known). The Universal Rarity Scale begins at URS-1 for a unique coin, with the population doubling for each increment, with some adjustment for round numbers. In the colonial reference, a scale is given through URS-16 (16,000 to 31,999) but the scale could continue infinitely.
Although technically English pieces, and related to other similar pieces of known English origin, these Washington pieces have been highly desired and actively collection in the U.S. since at least the middle 19th century, at a time when some still remembered Washington and his Presidency.
The present remarkable specimen from the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection ranks among the finest known, and it is far finer than any we have handled in the past. The deep brown surfaces exhibit hints of steel-blue and iridescent toning, with a few areas of verdigris and faint corrosion that the Ford cataloger called "cuprous oxide accretions." The strike is excellent and shows detail that is seldom seen on these pieces. Population: 1 in 53, 0 finer (3/09). Listed on page 78 of the 2009 Guide Book.
Ex: F.C.C. Boyd Estate; John J. Ford, Jr. (Stack's, 5/2004), lot 64.
From The Joseph C. Thomas Collection.

Coin Index Numbers: (PCGS# 711, GSID# 266)

View all of [The Joseph C. Thomas Collection, Part Two ]

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