The Rare ESM Collection of Large Cents
The incredible ESM Collection of United States Large Cents realized over $4.6 million in the Stack’s Bowers Galleries August 2020 Las Vegas Auction. Offered as part of the firm’s Rarities Night session on Thursday, August 6, this was perhaps the most highly anticipated selection from the legendary ESM Collection. Offered was a virtually complete set of large cents by Guide Book variety, spanning all issues from 1793 through the end of the type in 1857. Stack’s Bowers Galleries has presented small cents and half cents from the ESM Collection over the past several years. However, the large cents were considered the collector’s crowning achievement for its degree of completeness, quality, and overall rarity. Rarely has such an impressive offering of early, middle and late dates been featured in a single sale, and the quality of the presentation attracted students of every Early American Copper series. (All prices include the buyer’s fee.)
The sale was highlighted by the famous Parmelee 1793 NC-3 Strawberry Leaf cent, which realized $660,000 in lot 1006. Graded VG-10 (PCGS), it is the finest of just four known examples. Rare varieties continued to attract strong bids among the Flowing Hair and Liberty Cap types, with the Rarity-5 1794 S-48 Starred Reverse cent earning $156,000 in lot 1010 and the Rarity-8 1795 NC-1 Jefferson Head cent selling for $408,000 in lot 1017.
Exceptional preservation was a hallmark of the Draped Bust coins, with CC#1 examples of the 1796 S-112 cent (lot 1021) and the 1803 S-254 cent (lot 1045) each selling for $60,000. The CC#1 MS-65 BN (PCGS) CAC 1813 S-292 cent took the top spot for the Classic Head type, earning $96,000 in lot 1065. The middle and late dates matched exceptional quality with desirable provenance, compelling strong activity through the final lots of the presentation. The Bland-Naftzger MS-67 BN (PCGS) 1830 N-6 cent brought $72,000 in lot 1093, while the Garrett MS-65 RD (PCGS) CAC 1847 N-38 cent realized $28,800 in lot 1132. For complete prices realized visit StacksBowers.com.
With over $4.6 million realized across 147 lots, the Stack’s Bowers Galleries sale of the ESM Collection of Large Cents emphasizes the firm’s expertise in presenting specialized collections amid challenging and rapidly evolving circumstances. Stack’s Bowers Galleries is now accepting consignments for upcoming auctions, including their monthly Collectors Choice Online sales, their November 2020 Baltimore sale of U.S. coins and currency, and their January 2021 NYINC sale of Ancient coins and World coins and paper money. Contact Stack’s Bowers Galleries today at 800-458-4646 or via email at consign@stacksbowers.com to take advantage of their proven success.
