1797 1/2C Low Head, Lettered Edge, BN MS(PCGS#1033)

March 2020 Baltimore U.S. Coins Auction

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

3093

Grade

VF30BN

Price

14,400

Lot Description

Condition Census 1797 C-3b Half Cent 1797 Liberty Cap Half Cent. C-3b. Lettered Edge. VF-30 (PCGS). An attractive and handsomely preserved example of this Lettered Edge variety. The dark cocoa brown patina is accented by lighter swaths of caramel and crimson on the reverse. Uniformly glossy and well struck for the marriage, just an old shallow mark near Liberty's cap is noted under scrutiny. The surface quality is truly superior, situating this piece near the middle of the Condition Census. Based on die state evidence, Ronald P. Manley (1998) states that the Lettered Edge variety is the first of the 1797 C-3 half cents produced. Survivors are scarcer than those of the C-3a Plain Edge, yet nowhere near as rare as those of the C-3c Gripped Edge. Even so, just two coins have been graded finer by PCGS, asserting this as a significant opportunity for Registry Set participants. PCGS Population: 2; 2 finer in the Lettered Edge category. PCGS# 1033. Click here for certification details from PCGS.