1796 With Pole, C-2, B-2a, High R.4, MS62 Brown NGC. CAC. Our EAC grade MS63. ...

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1796 C-2, B-2a Half Cent, MS62 Brown
Breen Half Cent Encyclopedia Plate Coin
First Public Offering

1796 With Pole, C-2, B-2a, High R.4, MS62 Brown NGC. CAC. Our EAC grade MS63. 83.4 grains. Breen Die State I. Manley Die State 1.0. An early die state with bold traces of the repunched 9. The majority of 1796 half cents, like those in the present sale, hover around the standard weight of 84 grains. While Roger S. Cohen, Jr. wrote that all specimens were made from clipped and spoiled cents, that does not seem to be the case. Walter Breen knew of just one example struck on a spoiled large cent, held in the Robert Schonwalter Collection, and noted that that coin was low grade and unavailable for photography. The Schonwalter coin appeared in the January 2003 Stack's catalog, lot 1108 and reappeared in the 2014 Missouri Cabinet sale, lot 38. The cataloger noted that it is on a thick planchet with a weight of 105.1 grains, but with no trace of undertype. All other 1796 half cents appear to be from rolled copper planchets.

Rich dark chocolate-brown surfaces are reflective with bluish overtones and substantial faded mint red. The strike is bold and nicely centered with most of the border dentils remaining. When Walter Breen's Half Cent Encyclopedia was published in 1983, this example was believed to be the finest known. A few others have been located in the last 40 years, including the coin in the previous lot, and this example now ranks tied for sixth finest known. This piece has been held in the Donald G. Partrick Collection for over half-a-century and is making its first public appearance in this auction, the first to offer three Mint State 1796 half cents since the 1999 sale of the John Whitney Walter Collection.
Ex: Virgil Brand; J.A. Duggan; Col. C.W. Cole; Robert F. Batchelder (11/23/1967); Donald G. Partrick.

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 2227, Variety PCGS# 35098, Base PCGS# 1027, Greysheet# 80864)

Metal: 100% Copper
Weight: 6.74 grams
Weight: 0.24oz
Mintage: 1,390

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