1799/8 $1 BB-141 MS(PCGS#40064)

August 2023 Global Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Commissaire-priseur

Stack's Bowers

Numéro du lot

6312

Grade

XF45

Prix

4 560

Description du lot

1799/8 Draped Bust Silver Dollar. BB-141, B-3. Rarity-3. 15-Star Reverse. EF-45 (NGC). This richly toned example exhibits steel-blue peripheral toning to an otherwise mauve-gray obverse, the reverse with steel-blue dominant until replaced by antique gold at the border. Original luster persists on surfaces that are pleasingly smooth in hand with no significant marks. Boldly defined overall. 1799 was a very busy year at the Philadelphia Mint for silver dollar production. Some 423,515 coins were struck, although not all of those were from 1799-dated dies. The estimated mintage for this particular issue is 395,000 pieces, achieved from 22 die pairs, three of which bear the 1799/8 overdate. The most fascinating and popular of these overdate varieties is the BB-141 combination, which has quite a tale to tell. The obverse die bearing the 1798 date was prepared but was not used, so the date was recut to 1799, though remnants of the 8 remain visible. In addition, the reverse die of BB-141 die is a study in diecutter improvisation and adaptation. When the engraver was entering the stars, he elected to put one arc of seven stars, then a second arc of six stars, then flanked the eagle with two more stars, rendering 15 stars all told on the reverse, two too many. Realizing this and because die steel was at a premium, the diecutter tried to correct the mistake by drastically enlarging the leftmost and rightmost clouds in an attempt to cover up the extraneous stars. This adaptation did not fully hide the two stars so that they remain partially visible. The die nonetheless entered service and a sizable quantity of silver dollars were made with this die pairing. Thanks in no small part to speculators buying up as many silver dollars and selling them overseas at a profit, perhaps between 700 and 1,200 pieces survive, mostly in the middle to higher circulated grade levels. The pleasant surfaces of the offered coin make this a desirable Choice EF example for discriminating silver dollar connoisseurs. BB Die State IV. Provenance: From the Legacy Collection. Earlier from Heritage's CSNS Signature Auction of April 2014, lot 4537. PCGS# 40064. NGC ID: 24X8. Click here for certification details from NGC.