1800/79 1C S-196, BN MS(PCGS#36167)

Spring 2026 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

2178

Grade

AU53BN

Price

6,600

Lot Description

Breen Die State II. A lovely premium quality example with hard, frosty surfaces that display plenty of good gloss. Warmly toned with glints of steel to dominant chestnut-brown patina, both sides show areas of golden-tan from faded down mint color. This coin is well struck for the type with minimal wear and minimal marks, just a few dull nicks over and before Liberty's portrait that we mention solely for accuracy (the viewer will actually need a loupe to discern these trivial blemishes). The Del Bland census for this Sheldon number published in the 2000 Breen large cent encyclopedia includes coins with EAC grades of VF30 to AU55. In premium PCGS AU-53 as verified by CAC, the well-known and highly regarded Wider Family specimen offered here belongs in any discussion of the finest Sheldon-196 cents.