Torres Half Cent Collection

EARLY CENTS

LOT 33 1797 C-3c R6+ Low Head, Gripped Edge, Good-6 PCGS. The obverse is sharper while the reverse is weaker (as always on worn examples of the Low Head type), perhaps an 8/5 split. Mostly glossy chocolate brown and steel. The surfaces are smooth and this piece has excellent eye appeal for the grade. The only notable marks are a few light vertical scratches from the dentils down through ER in LIBERTY to the top of the head where they disappear. Otherwise just tiny contact marks scattered over both sides. What makes this piece so special are the “Grip Marks” that were added to the edge at the mint. The grip marks are visible all the way around the edge but some of them are weak. Curiously there are 8 “extra” overlapping grip marks in addition to the normal complement. The reason for the additional grip marks is unknown, but it could be from the same type of operator error that caused blundered edge lettering while using the Castaing machine to add edge devices. MDS, Manley state 2.0. The die crack extending from the chin is clear but it fades into a dull wave before reaching the dentils to the right. Our grade is G6+. Certainly one of the finest known. All the known examples are well worn and most have significant surface problems. PCGS has awarded real grades ranging from VG10 to AG3 to five pieces. And in a direct comparison with the PCGS VG10 example this piece was preferred by some experts. The famous collection formed by Jules Reiver did not contain this variety, and the superior collection formed by James R. McGuigan contained a heavily worn piece graded AG3 by PCGS (Fair-2 by EAC grading standards). The finest half cent collection ever formed, the Missouri Cabinet, contained two examples: a PCGS Genuine Fine Details piece that was lightly corroded and damaged, and a heavily worn PCGS graded AG3 with a mostly slick reverse. Although a nice 1796 No Pole might command a higher price, the 1797 Gripped Edge is the real key to completing a “Redbook” collection of half cents. Weight 78.1 grains. 35116.06/19448625 $135,000 Ex Loyd Whiteneck 8/1973-Sam Unger 11/29/1982-R. Tettenhorst (The Davy Collection), McCawley & Grellman Auctions/Goldbergs 9/4/2011:183 ($195,500)-Pete Miller (The ESM Collection), Stack’s Bowers 3/19/2020:3014 (via Chris McCawley)-The J. Torres Collection of Half Cents

FIXED PRICE LIST

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