1796 $2.50 BD-2, No Stars MS(PCGS#45501)

Rarities

拍卖行

Bowers & Merena

批号

336

等级

AU55

价格

748,931

详细说明

1796 BD-2 Breen-6113, Breen-1. Rarity-4. No Stars. AU-55 (PCGS). Highly lustrous with bright yellow gold surfaces and faint rose toning on the high points. A few scattered surface marks are visible, however, none are visible. A short diagonal nick is southeast of the chin and a small diagonal mark is off the arrow tips in the left obverse field, below the I in UNITED. These are mentioned primarily for pedigree purposes. A small splash of dark toning is noted on the first two horizontal shield lines, just above the left most vertical stripe. The present piece is a great American numismatic classic. In a single coin it embodies the first year of issue of the quarter eagle denomination, the only year with starless obverse, and, not that more characteristics are needed, but offering a very low mintage as well. In any numismatic season a 1796 No Stars quarter eagle is a showpiece. However, few that have come to auction have matched the quality of the coin offered here. A short die crack from the obverse border at 9:00 extends right, into the field, then curves upward, reaching about half the distance to the cap. An extremely faint die crack connects the bases of BERT, with an additional series of tiny die chips vertically from the cap to the right base of E. The reverse has die defects through the tops of the letters OF AMERI and the tip of the eagle's wing at 2:00. This is the first issue of the denomination, designed by Robert Scot and produced to the extent of 963 coins delivered September 22, 1796 and December 8, 1796. There are two reverse dies known with the other being extremely rare, just five or six surviving. Robert Hilt attributed the rarer variety as representative of the 66 coins delivered on September 22, and the common variety as the 897 coins delivered December 8. Approximately 100 examples of the latter are in existence, suggesting in both cases a survival rate in the range of 9% to 11%. From the Long Beach Connoisseur Collection.