United States 1798 cent
This specimen was lot 1626 in Jean Elsen sale 165 (Brussels, June 2026), where it sold for €800 (about US$1,102 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"ÉTATS-UNIS, Cu 1 cent, 1798. Draped bust. 2e type de cheveux. D/ B. nu et dr. de la Liberté à d. R/ Valeur dans une couronne de laurier. Rare. Très Beau. (United States, copper cent of 1798, draped bust, second hairstyle. Obverse: draped bust of Liberty right; reverse: value in a laurel wreath. Rare, Very Fine.)"
This Draped Bust cent is from a type struck in Philadelphia 1796-1807. Large numbers were made, especially compared to the earlier Flowing Hair and Liberty Cap cents, and circulated specimens are readily available. Varieties abound, all carefully documented by Sheldon number. The "second hairstyle" refers to an extra curl of hair near Liberty's shoulder. A 1798/7 overdate is reported.
Recorded mintage: 1,841,745.
Specification: 10.89 g, copper, 29 mm diameter, plain edge, designed by Robert Scot, This specimen 10,73 g.
Catalog reference: KM 22.
- Alexander, David T., Coin World Comprehensive Catalog & Encyclopedia of United States Coins, Sidney, OH: Amos Press, 1995.
- Breen, Walter H., Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of U. S. and Colonial Coins, New York: Doubleday, 1987.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- Yeoman, R. S., and Kenneth Bressett (ed.), A Guide Book of United States Coins, 65th Ed., Atlanta, GA: Whitman Publishing, 2011.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 165, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2026.
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