1837 N-9 R1 Beaded Hair Cord, Head of 1838 MS63+. Highly lustrous light chocolate and bluish steel brown with faded mint color showing in the protected areas on both sides. Flawless except for very faint traces of an old fingerprint in the field before the portrait. LDS with rim cud breaks from star 11 down to the bottom of star 13. In addition, there is a curious collection of die scratches at the dentils from star 3 to star 4 with a much smaller patch of similar marks left of star 2 and at the dentil tips over AM. At first glance you would swear these were scratches added after minting, but all the latest state examples show the same marks, so they have to be in the die. All the die cracks previously described are stronger and there is an additional horizontal crack passing through the lump on the bust. These dies are really cracked up. Called MS63 and tied for CC#5 in the Bland census. Noyes says MS62 and tied for CC#9, his photo #36922. Comes with a nice provenance of large cent luminaries.
Removed from a PCGS slab graded MS66BN (PCGS label included, and it shows the attribution and Naftzger provenance).
Estimated Value $1,500-UP.
Ex Richard Picker-C. Douglas Smith 1972-Del Bland-Jerry A. Bobbe-R. E. Naftzger, Jr.-C. Douglas Smith-Herman Halpern, Stack's 3/16/88:496-R. E. Naftzger, Jr., McCawley & Grellman Auctions/Goldbergs 2/1/2009:383, The Northwest Collection.
Test Category 7