TNA HOF Collection Pt 1

CONDITION CENSUS 1843 N-17

LOT 1061 1843 N-17 R5- Type of 1844 VF35. Glossy medium brown and light chocolate with frosty golden tan faded down from mint color in a few of the protected areas. Slightly sharper with minor contact marks on the obverse, the strongest of these a dull nick right of star 3, and another in the field at the forehead. EDS. The fine early die lines are sharp. The coronet tip and hair over the ear are not quite fully struck up, as usual for this variety. CC#3 in the Grellman census for this rare die variety. Ex Doug Hill 10/1992-James E. Long, McCawley & Grellman Auctions 1/3/1993:281-R. S. “Robbie” Brown, Jr., McCawley & Grellman Auctions/Superior 6/2/2002:161-Daniel W. Holmes, Jr., McCawley & Grellman Auctions/Goldbergs 1/30/2011:70-Fred H. Borcherdt Collection (includes the Holmes collection envelope)

LOT 1062 1844 N-1 R1 Repunched 18 MS60+. Very attractive lustrous light olive and bluish steel with 5-10% of the mint red remaining, especially on the reverse. A choice cent if not for a few nicks in the field at stars 11-12. EDS, die state b early, with smooth fields and a single tiny rim cud under the 8. The fine repunching at both ends of the base of the 1 allows you to see that the line to left is from the base of a 1 and the line to the right is the curved base of an 8. Equal to the finest known of this die state in the Grellman census. 

LOT 1064 1844 N-3 R2 Repunched 18 MS60+. Beautiful lustrous mint red fading to bluish steel and light olive with at least a third of the mint color remaining, mostly on the reverse. Looks like it should rate a significantly higher grade but a glass reveals small contact marks including a tick on the nose before the eye, a very light abrasion over star 12, and a pair of small rim nicks over ST in STATES. Nicely struck M-LDS, die state d, with rim cuds at stars 8 & 9 and fine die cracks on the reverse. Both dies were freshly polished before this one was struck, and the fields are slightly reflective with fine polishing lines still visible in the obverse fields. Tied for CC#6 in the Grellman census. 

Ex Fred H. Borcherdt Collection

Ex the Freeman Collection, Abner Kreisberg & Hans M. F. Schulman, 5/23/1958:1287-R. E. “Ted” Naftzger, Jr.-Fred H. Borcherdt Collection (includes the Naftzger collection envelope)

LOT 1063 1844/81 N-2 R2 44 over Inverted 18 VF35. Slightly sharper with a nick on the cheek right of the mouth, another on the bottom of the jaw, and a fine hairline scratch in the field before the chin. Otherwise smooth and attractive with glossy chocolate brown toning with lighter reddish brown in protected areas on the obverse. E-MDS, die state a late, with a tiny point to the left from the upright of the E in CENT. The 44 over 81 feature is bold. A nice example of this popular “Redbook” variety. 

LOT 1065 1844 N-4 R1+ EF45+. Frosty light to medium brown. Smooth and satiny with trivial marks including a faint hairline left of the ear lobe into the neck. LDS, die state d, with fine die cracks on the reverse. 

Ex Fred H. Borcherdt Collection

Ex Fred H. Borcherdt Collection

20 Photos of all lots can be found at www.earlycentsauctions.com