1828 25C MS(PCGS#5342)

Summer 2025 Global Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

4305

Grade

AU58

Price

10,200

Lot Description

Tompkins Die Stage 1/1, Rea et al. Die State P. <strong>Tompkins Plate Coin</strong>. This elegant piece is beautifully toned with pinkish-apricot central toning that gives way to bolder olive and cobalt blue patina at the borders, especially on the obverse. Nearly full mint frost shines forth nicely as the coin rotates under a light. With a sharply executed strike, minimal high point wear and no troublesome marks, it is difficult for us to imagine a more attractive example of the type, issue and die pairing at the near-Mint State grade level. Lovely!<p>This very scarce Browning number is a pairing of two workhorse dies: the obverse also appears in the 1828 B-1 and B-3 marriages, the reverse in the rare 1823/2 B-1, key date 1824/2 B-1, and very scarce 1825 B-1 varieties. The die state here is perfect, as it always is for the 1828 B-2 attribution, but the reverse is cracked from the border through the left series of the letter E in UNITED, which developed in the precious marriage. Particularly challenging to locate in Choice AU and Mint State grades, the offered coin is tied for CC#2 in the 2008 Tompkins census and tied for CC#6 in the 2010 Rea et al. census.<p><strong>Steve M. Tompkins Commentary:</strong> This coin offers a great combination of rarity and quality which seems to happen very infrequently in the collecting world. It was obvious to me when I saw it at the ANA sale that it would be the plate coin for my forthcoming book, and I fought hard when it sold at auction, paying close to MS-63 money to win it.