1799 1C, BN MS(PCGS#1443)

February 2026 Showcase Auction - The James A. Stack, Sr. Collection Part II

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

25030

Grade

F15BN

Price

24,000

Lot Description

Breen Die State IV. A handsome piece to represent this fabled key date issue in the Draped Bust cent series. The strike is somewhat soft overall, and moderate wear is also noted; the lack of detail to the base of the digits in the date and along the upper reverse border is due to die state. Despite these impediments, both sides offer enough detail to allow one to appreciate the overall design, and there is even some sharper definition remaining within the recesses of Liberty's portrait. Blended autumn-orange and olive-brown patina provides an attractively original appearance, punctuated only by a swirl of darker color in the right obverse field, before Liberty's profile, that is associated with some microscopic carbon. Texture is hard and tight, nonetheless, with nice gloss. Wispy handling marks are commensurate with the grade and include none that are singularly distracting during in-hand viewing.<p>This is the most famous large cent issue, second rarest in the series behind the 1793 Liberty Cap. Generally conceded as the rarest date in the series, if all 1793 varieties are considered together. Most of this date's fame, today, is from the often repeated story that Joseph Mickley, born in 1799, vainly searched for a cent from his birth year. In different variations this comment has been repeated often, although numismatic researcher Karl Moulton has stated that he had difficulty attributing this comment to Mickley himself - it seems that others other than Mickley were fond of saying this.<p>Although federal records indicate that 904,585 cents were delivered during calendar year 1799, the vast majority of those coins were struck from 1798-dated dies. A small percentage of that total is believed to represent the mintage for the S-188 and NC-1 overdate varieties; the S-189 perfect date coins are thought to have been struck in 1800 since most examples are on the same dark planchets as many of the 1800-dated varieties. The offered coin is more vivid and pleasing in color than most and will surely catch the eye of advanced large cent enthusiasts.<p>This lot includes NGC Generation 5.0 insert #186409-003 with a grade of Fine-12 BN from an earlier certification of this coin.