United States 1823 cent
The first specimen was lot 1080 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Costa Mesa, CA, August 2021), where it sold for $10,800. The catalog description noted,
"Key Date 1823/2 Cent. Significant AU-58 Grade from PCGS. 1823/2 Matron Head Cent. N-1. Rarity-2. AU-58 (PCGS). Obv: A head of Liberty faces left with 13 stars around the border and the date 1823 below. She is wearing a coronet inscribed LIBERTY, her hair tied into a bun at the back of her head by a plain cord. Rev: A circular wreath encloses the denomination ONE CENT with the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around the border. Newcomb-1. Obv: Overdate, 1823/2, which is definitive for this variety since the only other die marriage of the 1823-dated Matron Head cent issue is a normal date. There is also a nearly vertical die scratch between the letters TY in LIBERTY. Rev: The letter I in UNITED is "dotted" with a denticle centered over its upright. The letter E in ONE is slightly high compared to the adjacent N. The 1823/2 N-1 represents the only use of this reverse die. N-1 is the only die marriage that corresponds to the 1823/2 Guide Book listing in the Matron Head cent series.
Die State: Noyes B/A. Obv: There are narrow rim breaks, difficult to discern, in the denticles along the lower left border. Rev: Perfect. Rarity-2: 751 to 1,000 coins in all grades.
Strike: Sharply struck overall, the central design elements retain nearly full detail with just a touch of rub to the high points. Centering is good with uniform denticulation around both sides. The stars along the upper border exhibit bold to full centrils, although the others are blunt. An exemplary example of this classic among middle date cents. Lovely chocolate brown overall with deep tan at the right and left borders on the obverse, right border on the reverse, these areas were the last to experience fading of original mint color. Overall smooth, some frosty luster is still discernible. A dull nick at the base of the digits 23 in the date and some light dirt trapped in a few letters on the reverse and among the denticles along the left obverse border are noted for accuracy; there are only minor scattered contact marks otherwise.
This date has always been popular with collectors due to its relative scarcity, but also because of the bold overdate seen on the Newcomb-1 variety, a feature that is readily evident on the present example. The mintage of this issue is unknown and, given the paucity of examples, it probably accounted for only a small percentage of the 1,262,000-coin mintage reported for calendar year 1824. Mint State examples are of the utmost rarity, heightening demand for attractive Choice About Uncirculated survivors which are certainly rare in their own right. A highlight of the middle date cents in the ESM Collection, this impressive near-Mint rarity is sure to see spirited bidding among advanced collectors.
We first handled the ESM specimen of the 1823/2 N-1 cent in our (American Numismatic Rarities') March 2005 sale of the Hogan Pond Collection. An impressive cabinet, the Hogan Pond Collection was assembled in the 1930s and 1940s with the help of Syracuse, New York dealer Barney Bluestone. Bluestone received consignments of large cents from some of the most prominent collectors of the day, including Henry Hines and Carl Wurtzbach, and he was well known for handling many significant large cents during his brief heyday. From the ESM Collection. Earlier from our (American Numismatic Rarities') sale of the Hogan Pond Collection, March 2005 Richard Jewell Collection sale, lot 1159."
The second specimen was lot 1081 in Stack's Bowers August 2020 auction, where it sold for $10,800. The lot description noted,
"1823 Matron Head Cent. N-2. Rarity-2. AU-58 (PCGS). Obv: A head of Liberty faces left with 13 stars around the border and the date 1823 below. She is wearing a coronet inscribed LIBERTY, her hair tied into a bun at the back of her head by a plain cord. Rev: A circular wreath encloses the denomination ONE CENT with the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around the border. Die Variety: Newcomb-2. Obv: Normal Date, which is definitive for this variety since the only other die marriage of the 1823-dated Matron Head cent issue is the 1823/2 N-1 overdate. The letter L in LIBERTY is repunched, and there is a strong coronet line under the letters ER. Rev: The left top of the letter N in CENT is slightly lower than the right top of the adjacent E. This die also appears in the 1824/2 N-5 pairing. N-2 is the only die marriage that corresponds to the normal date Guide Book listing of the 1823 Matron Head cent. Die State: Noyes B/A. Obv: Five denticles over and before star 5 are fused, as are three denticles at and after star 6. Rev: Perfect. Estimated Surviving Population for the Die Variety: Rarity-2: 751 to 1,000 coins in all grades. Strike: Sharply to fully defined overall from a nicely centered strike, softness is confined to stars 1 to 7 on the obverse, which are blunt and more or less devoid of centrils. Surfaces: Lustrous and satiny, the surfaces are predominantly medium brown with faint traces of faded tan-olive in the protected areas around some of the design elements, especially on the reverse. A faint hairline scratch from below the earlobe down the back of Liberty's neck, light rim bruise at star 10, and shallow planchet voids on the reverse at the letter O in ONE and between the words ONE and CENT are the only blemishes of note; the surfaces are otherwise smooth and certainly appealing. The 1823 is a key date in the middle date large cent issue. The normal date Newcomb-2 variety, offered here, is scarcer than its N-1 overdate counterpart, especially in the finer circulated and Mint State grades. We last offered a PCGS-certified AU-58 from these dies in our March 2018 offering of the Q. David Bowers Collection, a more recent offering of the Eliasberg-Twin Leaf specimen. The ESM specimen offered here is also a very sharp and appealing example of both the issue and die variety and should find a home in another advanced early copper cabinet. From the ESM Collection. Earlier ex Carl Wutrzbach; Judge Gaskill; New Netherlands Sale #50, December 1957, lot 1438; C. Douglas Smith; Denis Loring; our (Bowers and Ruddy's) Fixed Price Lists of November 1970 and November 1971; Dr. John M. Tondra, 1980; Joe Haines; Harmer Rooke's Gemini II Collection sale, September 1980, lot 87; Denis Loring; Herman Halpern; our (Stack's) sale of the Herman Halpern Collection, March 1988, lot 389; J.R. Frankenfield; Superior's sale of the J.R. Frankenfield Collection, February 2001, lot 793; Dr. Wallace Lee; Superior's sale of the Dr. Wallace Lee Collection of Half Cents & Large Cents, May 2003 Pre-Long Beach Elite Coin Auction, lot 682."
This type, struck 1816-39 in substantial quantities, is available in circulated condition. Many varieties exist and all are avidly collected altho the type is common as a whole.
Recorded Mintage: 1,262,000 for 1823-24 (nearly all 1824).
Specification: 10.89 g, copper, 28-29 mm diameter, plain edge, designed by Christian Gobrecht.
Catalog reference: KM 45.
- 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, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Yeoman, R. S., and Kenneth Bressett (ed.), A Guide Book of United States Coins, 65th Ed., Atlanta, GA: Whitman Publishing, 2011.
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