LOT #4381 |
Current Bid: $125,127
1793 1C Liberty Cap, S-14, B-17, Low R.5, AU53+ PCGS....
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Description
1793 S-14, B-17 Liberty Cap Cent, AU53+
The Famous Bisecting Crack Variety
The Finest Known Example
1793 1C Liberty Cap, S-14, B-17, Low R.5, AU53+ PCGS. Ex:
Jay; Naftzger; Holmes; Pogue. Numismatic tradition states that
Joseph Wright engraved dies for the Liberty Cap cents prior to his
death of yellow fever in September 1793, and that he likely never
saw the actual coins struck from the several pairs of dies that he
created. In Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of United States Large
Cents, the author wrote: "Wright died of the disease on
September 12 or 13, most likely not having seen even one of his
cents struck." Like so many traditional numismatic stories, this
one is called into question. Although Joseph Wright did some work
for the Mint, there is no evidence that he was ever on the Mint's
payroll. When Elias Boudinot reported on the state of the Mint in
1795, he wrote: "Before an engraver could be engaged, ... the chief
coiner was obliged to make the dies for himself." Bill Eckberg's
article, "Did Joseph Wright Engrave the Cent Head of '93?" that was
published in the October 2017 issue of Penny-Wise provides
details.Analysis of contemporary documents calls into question another numismatic tradition that the Chief Coiner, Henry Voigt, delivered 11,056 cents to the Mint's treasurer on September 18, and that delivery was the entire production of Liberty Cap cents from six different die pairs. Past authors suggested that the actual striking of those coins occurred just a few days before the delivery. The September 2010 issue of Penny-Wise carries Bill Eckberg's article, "Coinage of the 1793 Wreath and Liberty Cap Cents" that analyzes Henry Voigt's daily ledger of Mint activities from April to September 1793. Eckberg concludes that the Liberty Cap cents were struck in late July 1793 even though they were not delivered until September. Eckberg also suggests that the September 18th delivery was 12,756 cents, revising the long-standing mintage figure.
Voigt's daily ledger provides much of what we know about Mint operations in 1793. He identifies the actual workmen who struck the 1793 cents and half cents as Jacob Bay, Thomas Flude, Daniel Gerard, and Jonathan York. We know little about these workmen except that they earned about $1.00 per day. We also know that Jacob Bay was fined on occasion for being drunk at work.
Six die pairs are identified for the 1793 Liberty Cap cents combining four obverse dies and two reverse dies. The emission sequence suggests that the S-14 Bisecting Crack variety offered here was the first struck Liberty Cap die marriage. Current estimates suggest that about 60 to 70 examples survive in all grades, mostly well worn. Del Bland and Bill Noyes agree that the present piece is the finest surviving example of this variety, and this example is recorded as the finest in the PCGS CoinFacts census.
The bisecting crack on the obverse is constant on all examples that survive from this die pair. Breen Die State III shows a slight die bulge at the NT of CENT. The glossy blue-steel and chocolate-brown surfaces show areas of tan that is faded from mint red. A small maroon corrosion spot is noted below the shoulder, and the surfaces exhibit faint hairlines and myriad planchet marks. Slightly reflective surfaces give this example a high degree of aesthetic appeal.
Ex: An English non-collector (1962); James F. Ruddy; Q. David Bowers; Lester Merkin; Charles Jay (Stack's, 10/1967); later, Anthony Terranova; Herman Halpern (12/1986); R.E. Naftzger, Jr. (2/1992); Eric Streiner; Jay Parrino (The Mint, 5/1996); W.M. "Jack" Wadlington (via Bob Grellman and Chris Victor-McCawley, 6/2005); Daniel W. Holmes, Jr. (Goldberg Auctions, 9/2009), lot 24; Larry Hanks; D. Brent Pogue (Stack's Bowers, 3/2017), lot 5092; Martin Logies (Cardinal Collection Educational Foundation); Stack's Bowers (8/2022), lot 7011.
From The Rusty Thompson Uncommon Cents Collection.
Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 223L, Variety PCGS# 35492, Base PCGS# 1359, Greysheet# 76734)
Weight: 13.48 grams
Metal: 100% Copper
View all of [The Rusty Thompson Uncommon Cents Collection ]
Auction Info
2025 January 14 - 19 FUN US Coins Signature® Auction #1380 (go to Auction Home page)
Proxy Bidding Ends
January
15th
Wednesday
7:00 pm CT
Auction Dates
January
14th-19th
Tuesday-Sunday
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This lot is in: 4 -
Signature® Floor Session - Platinum Session - I (Live Floor, Live Phone, Mail, Fax, Internet, and Heritage Live):
(Lots 4368-4528) - 7:00 PM Central Time, Wednesday, January 15, 2025.
[Proxy bidding ends ten minutes prior to the session start time. Live Proxy bidding on Heritage Live now starts within 2 hours of when the auction opens for proxy bidding and continues through the live session.]
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Additional Location Info:
Heritage Auctions
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Dallas, TX 75261
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