1796 1C Liberty Cap, BN MS(PCGS#1392)

Summer 2026 Global Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

拍賣行

Stack's Bowers

批號

2028

等級

MS65BN

價格

73,200

詳細說明

Breen Die State I. This is a superb example of the scarce, transitional 1796 Liberty Cap cent, and a Condition Census coin for the Sheldon-84 dies. Lustrous medium chocolate brown surfaces are lightly reflective in the fields and show lighter brown shades around devices where the mint color was last to fade. Some faded red remains in protected areas, mixing with gold overtones and light violet highlights. The luster is impeccable on both sides, lively and impressive. The strike is essentially fully realized, with superlative definition in Liberty's hair and sculptural detail in her profile. Some very tiny marks at the left obverse periphery predate striking, natural planchet chips at central reverse and a few individual chips at Liberty's neck and throat, spot of minor roughness hidden among denticles at 3 o'clock on obverse, tiny identifying pit in denticles above the letters IT in UNITED links this piece with its extensive and distinguished provenance.<p>Since its inclusion in the famed cabinet formed by H.O. Granberg of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, this piece has been counted as one of the finest for both the issue and the die pairing. Granberg's collection, sold intact to William H. Woodin, included such delicacies as an 1804 dollar, a 1776 Continental dollar in silver, and other rarities of similar stature. Its later ownership by Howard Newcomb and John Whitney also speaks to the quality of this specimen. Whitney replaced this piece with the Eliasberg specimen of S-84 before the 1999 sale of his 1796-dated collection on the basis of that piece's preponderance of mint color, though this example is better struck and shows finer detail. That coin was graded MS-64 BN by PCGS after the Eliasberg sale. The present example is included in the 2000 Bland census as tied for CC#8 with an EAC grade of AU-55, following behind the Eliasberg-Whitney coin in EAC MS-60 and tied for CC#5. The CC#1 coin for the S-84 dies, and also the finest known 1796 Liberty Cap cent regardless of variety, is the stellar Beckwith specimen that, as PCGS MS-66+ RB, brought $705,000 in our March 2017 sale of the D. Brent Pogue Collection, Part V.<p>The Liberty Cap is widely admired as the most beautiful cent design ever produced by the United States Mint. Inspired by Dupre's famed Libertas Americana medal of 1783, it was coined for just four years, 1793 through 1796. Though depicting the same basic design, each of those years is distinctive. The 1793, featuring a high relief portrait by Joseph Wright and beaded borders, is considered the most desirable, especially in high grade. The cents of 1794 appear with a wide variety of portrait styles, divided into three main groups: the Head of 1793, the Head of 1794, and the Head of 1795. Devoted variety specialists pursue all 69 different die marriages, making the cents of 1794 the most celebrated year of the early cents. The cents of 1795 show less variety in portraiture, even as other distinctions are widely collected: thick and thin planchets displaying lettered and plain edges, the rare reeded edge Sheldon-79, and the Jefferson Head made outside the Mint by John Harper. The 1796 Liberty Cap is the last of the type, composed of six different obverses and 11 total die marriages before the motif was replaced with the Draped Bust of Liberty in the middle of the year. The portrait on the 1796 Liberty Caps is elegant, refined, and artistic, attracting attention from specialists and novices alike. None of the 1796 Liberty Cap varieties are terribly rare, nor can any of them be called common, even in low grades. In Mint State, or even choice upper circulated grades, they are rarities, avidly sought but rarely found. With its gorgeous eye appeal, sophisticated provenance, and exceptional technical preservation, this landmark cent in NGC MS-65 BN could be the centerpiece in a truly world-class cabinet.