244 / 280
242
Finest 1803 S-259
292
1803 S-259 R4 Small Date, Large Fraction. PCGS graded MS-64 Brown.
CAC APPROVED
.
Highly lustrous light to medium chocolate brown and
steel with underlying lighter steel brown and tan faded down from mint color
covering the obverse fields. This is a wonderful cent with superior eye appeal
in every respect. It almost seems unfair to identify any identifying marks, but
here goes. A small spot of reddish brown toning hidden in the hair under the
R in LIBERTY, a very faint scuff off the left end of the base of the L in LIB-
ERTY, and a faint puff of darker steel brown toning under the right end of the
wreath ribbon can help identify this cent, but they are absolutely inconsequen-
tial. Nicely struck E-MDS, Breen state II early. The die crack through the tops
of STATE is clear and there is a subtle bulge in the field just left of the lower
curls. This is the plate coin for the variety in the 1991 Noyes reference. Graded
MS62 Choice and CC#1 in the Noyes census (the only mint state examples
listed), his photo #21054. Bland says MS60 and CC#1 as the only mint state
piece.
Our grade is MS63 choice.
The attribution and Naftzger-Reynolds
provenance are noted on the PCGS Secure label.
Pop 1; none finer at PCGS
for the variety (PCGS # 36401)
Estimated Value................................................................................. $20,000-UP
From a collection that is rumored to have belonged to Dr. Edward Maris circa
1870 to an old Texas collector-L. R. Davis McKinney, Jr.-House of McKinney
#22, 1/1964:248-Dr. William H. Sheldon 4/19/1972-R. E. Naftzger, Jr. (via Bill
Noyes) 11/2000 (Naftzger collection envelope included).