Variety Equivalents: Breen 1638

Images courtesy of Superior Galleries

Significant examples:
NGC Specimen MS-65 Brown.
- George F. Seavey
- William Strobridge's 1873 catalogue of the Seavey collection
- Purchased intact by Lorin Parmelee
- Purchased in 1892 to Dr. Thomas Hall
- Purchased on September 7, 1909 by Virgil Brand
- Purchased by New Netherlands Coin Company and sold to Harold Bareford in July 1951
- Purchased by Herman Halpern in 1985
- Stack's sale of the Herman Halpern collection, March 1988, Lot 6
- Superior, August 1992, Lot 10
- Bowers and Merena Galleries "The Rarities Sale", January 7, 2003, Lot 12, illustrated, sold for $92,000.00

PCGS MS-66 Red and Brown (illustrated above).
- Clarence S. Bement 
- Henry Chapman May 1916, Lot 288, where it was called "The King of 1793 Cents" 
- Dr. George P. French 
- B. Max Mehl Fixed Price List, 1929, Lot 5, as a "red and olive Proof" 
- Henry A. Sternberg 
- J.C. Morgenthau & Co. Sale #305, April 1933, Lot 4 
- B. Max Mehl collection, 1944 
- T. James Clarke, 1950 
- Dr. William H. Sheldon, April 19, 1972 - R.E. Naftzger, Jr., February 23, 1992 
- Eric Streiner 
- Jay Parrino (The Mint) 
- Superior Galleries "The ANA 2001 National Money Show Auction", March 8-9, 2001, Lot 13, unsold, where it was described as follows: "1793 Sheldon-6 Rarity-3 PCGS graded Mint State-66 Red & Brown. Wreath Cent.. Glossy light olive brown and bluish steel with 15% of the red remaining, although it has faded down a bit from its original brilliance. The surfaces are smooth and lustrous. The only defects, and they are trivial, are a tiny lamination on the rim over the first A in AMERICA, a small flake out of the planchet in the field under the L in LIBERTY, and a speck of carbon on the cheek under the eye. MDS. The "Sprung Die" feature of the obverse is clear, including the fine crack in the field before the portrait. A beautiful Wreath Cent that's rated MS65 and finest known by a wide margin in the Noyes and Bland census lists. Noyes also calls this cent a "Gem", which is a term he seldom uses, and it is the plate coin used to illustrate the variety in the Noyes book..."

PCGS MS-63 Brown.
- Herman Halperb
- Stack's 03/1988:7
- R.E. "Ted" Naftzger
- 1989 EAC sale:14
- Dr. Robert J. Shalowitz
- Brigandi Coin Co.
- Superior 01/2005:70

Recent appearances:
Net grade VF-35, sharpness grade AU-50.  
- B. Max Mehl's sale of November 1954, lot 1304
- Auctions by Bowers and Merena, Inc.'s "The Norweb Collection: Early American and U.S. Coins, Part III", November 14-15, 1988, Lot 2690

Net VF-30.  
- Bowers and Merena Galleries' "Robert W. Schwan Collection" Sale, October 26-27, 2000, Lot 67, illustrated, sold for $3,910.00

VF-30, lacquered.  
- Heritage's "Long Beach Signature Sale", May 31-June 2, 2001, Lot 5361, illustrated, sold for $2,012.50

VF-20 Corroded.  
- Heritage Numismatic Auctions, Inc.'s "October 2000 Long Beach Sale", October 5-7, 2000, Lot 6631, "Sheldon-6, Vine and Bars", not illustrated, sold for $1092.50

Net VF-12, sharpness of VF-20.  
- Bowers & Merena Galleries' "The Cabinet of Lucien M. LaRiviere, Part II", March 15-17, 2001, Lot 2408 sold for $1,955.00

Fine-12 Burnished.  
-  Heritage Numismatic Auctions, Inc.'s "October 2000 Long Beach Sale", October 5-7, 2000, Lot 6628, not illustrated, sold for $1380.00

Del Bland VG-10, Holed, Plugged.  
- Ira & Larry Goldberg Coin & Collectibles' "The Fairchild Family Trust Collection Sale", May 28-30, 2001, Lot 141, illustrated, sold for $690.00

Sources and/or recommended reading:
"United States Large Cents 1793-1814" by William Noyes

"Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia Of U.S. And Colonial Coins" by Walter Breen

Relevant collector organizations:
Early American Coppers Club