1803 B-1, C-1, R.1, MS64 Red and Brown PCGS. CAC. Our EAC Grade MS63....

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1803 B-1, C-1 Half Cent, MS64 Red and Brown
Second Finest of Three so Designated at PCGS

1803 B-1, C-1, R.1, MS64 Red and Brown PCGS. CAC. Our EAC Grade MS63. Equivalents. Proskey 2: 1-B; Ross 1-Ba; Gilbert-2; Empire-29; Cohen-1; Breen-1; Bowers-Whitman 1; Eckberg 1-B.
Rarity. R.1. Perhaps 3,000 to 4,000 of these 1803 B-1 half cents exist. The Bowers-Whitman Guide Book has this variety and the 1808 B-3 tied for the fourth most common Draped Bust variety. Eckberg's estimate of 3,000 examples ranks the 1803 B-1 as the fifth most populous Draped Bust die marriage, tied with the 1804 B-9 that has the same estimate.
Obverse 1 appears on Breen-1, 2, and 4. The date is well-spaced with 03 slightly closer than 180. The serif of the 1 is close to the hair curl and the hair above the curl. The 3 is distant from the drapery and the border, slightly favoring the drapery. The upper left serif shows recutting from a larger 3 that was initially punched in the die. LIBERTY has LI close, IBE wide, and ERTY moderately spaced. The T has vestigial serifs.
Reverse A appears on Breen-1. Two features of this die provide immediate identification. The U is recut with an extra serif showing at the top center of that letter and the otherwise short fraction bar has a strong extension to the right ribbon end. That extension appears deliberate, as the initial fraction bar entered into the die failed to cover any part of the final 0 in the denominator. There are 16 leaves and five berries in the left branch, and 19 leaves and five berries in the right branch. The bases of ED are below the adjacent T that has vestigial lower serifs. The first T in STATES has a strong left base and a small right base, and the second T in STATES lacks its right base. The final S leans to the right. AME are joined, and the berry below that M is recut. HAL are joined and the F is separated from the wreath. All letters of CENT are close, and the T is high and leans to the right.
Edge. Plain.
Surfaces. Light brown surfaces present full cartwheel luster with splashes of red mint color and dark speckled toning at the central reverse.
Die State. Manley Die State 3.0. This is the latest die state that Manley records in The Half Cent Die State Book, 1793-1857. Although recorded as the first variety in Cohen and Breen, Ronald Manley observes that B-1 was struck after B-2.

Appearances. Illustrated at the PCGS Set Registry record of the McGuigan Collection.
PCGS Population (5/2022). Just 24 submissions of 1803 half cents are certified MS60 or finer at PCGS, and only three of those are designated Red and Brown. Those three coins are graded MS60, MS64 (this B-1), and MS66 (B-3).
Commentary. Mint records show a production of 97,900 half cents during the calendar year, although the number of surviving examples suggests a higher number of coins produced with the date. Some 1803 half cents were coined in 1805, and others were likely struck in 1804.

The B-1 die combination appears more frequently than any other 1803 half cent variety, while B-3 follows close behind. Despite its status as the most plentiful variety, few examples survive in Mint State grades. The finest known is the Weber-Pogue coin that is graded MS64+ PCGS. This piece is second finest of those that are known to us.
McGuigan Commentary. Choice lustrous mint red and light brown surfaces. Late die state (M3.0) with two reverse die breaks-one from the rim through the left side of the first "T" in STATES, through both wreath branches to the rim between "AM" of AMERICA and the second crack between "LF" of HALF, down through the base of "L," passing through "EN" of CENT, the lowest leaves of the left branch, and "N" in UNITED to the rim. Among the three or four finest known examples of the variety.
Provenance. Ex: Alto Collection (Stack's, 10/1991), lot 503.
Personality. A New York City auction company that operated continuously from 1934 to 2011, Stack's is the predecessor firm to Stack's Bowers. The firm initially operated under the direction of Joseph and Morton Stack. The firm conducted several hundred auctions offering important collections and individual rarities.
From The James R. McGuigan Half Cent Collection.

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 222E, Variety PCGS# 35129, Base PCGS# 1061)

Weight: 5.44 grams

Metal: 100% Copper

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