1837 Proof Cent Featured in the August ANA Sale
Among the most coveted early American coppers are the Proof large cents struck in the mid-19th century. With production figures shrouded in mystery, Proof large cents have been the subject of intense scholarly debate and serve as crown jewels in the most advanced cabinets.
Our August 2019 ANA Auction will feature an exceptional specimen from this series. Struck in 1837 from the Newcomb-10 dies, this piece has long been recognized as significant and desirable. The surfaces show an impressive array of colors ranging from rose-violet mint color to bright blue that highlights the right obverse and dominates the reverse. There are golden stripes across the obverse and blushes of similar color elsewhere. The strike is superb, with only star 8 appearing a trifle soft, while the stars on the right show absolute maximum definition.
This piece can be traced back over 109 years to Thomas L. Elder’s sale of the Peter Mougey Collection in September 1910. In the century since, it has spent time in the cabinets of our hobby’s most sophisticated collectors including T. James Clarke, R.E. Naftzger, Jr., and Eugene H. Gardner. We last handled this particular specimen in our sale of the Haig A. Koshkarian Collection in March 2004 where it brought $20,700 in
lot 325.
Most recently, we offered a Proof-64 BN (PCGS) CAC example from these dies as part of our sale of the Twin Leaf Collection in July 2015. With earlier provenance to the collection of Floyd T. Starr, it earned $35,250 in
lot 2288. While from five to eight Proof examples are known from the 1837 N-10 dies, just a single coin ranks finer at NGC in this category.
This significant Proof-63 RB (NGC) 1837 cent will be a featured highlight in our August 2019 ANA World’s Fair of Money Auction, where it will be sold alongside incredible rarities from the Taraszka Collection, the ESM Collection, and many others. Contact us now to speak with a numismatic representative and include your coins in this exciting event. Call 800-566-2580 or email info@stacksbowers.com. Also, download our mobile app to view and participate in our auctions via your Android or Apple device.
