Lot 3937: 1796 Washington Dollar

The Unique 1796 Washington Dollar, VG Details Struck Over Mexican 8 Reales
Baker-33, Plated in Snowden, 1861

1796 MEDAL Washington "Dollar," Baker-33, Unique, Silver -- Damaged, Holed -- NGC Details. VG. 361.1 grains, 39.0 x 39.2 mm, specific gravity 10.4. Believed unique, this dollar-sized piece is struck over a Spanish 8 reales, likely from the Mexico City Mint. When James Ross Snowden published The Medallic Memorials of Washington in the Mint of the United States in 1861, he illustrated this piece on Plate XI. The Snowden plate shows the hole in exactly the same position, proving that this is the same piece. A little over a quarter century later, W.S. Baker described the piece in Medallic Portraits of Washington as his number 33. Baker noted that H. Drumheller of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania was the owner of the piece in 1861, and that it was on loan to the Mint. Henry Drumheller was a merchant in North Mannheim, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania in 1860. He was born in Pennsylvania about 1813.

Although dated 1796, the obverse is virtually identical to the 1792 Washington President pieces by Peter Getz, using the same device punch for the uniformed George Washington, and the reverse is from the identical die that Getz used for his 1792 Washington pieces. The specific gravity of 10.4 approximates .950 fine silver. We believe that the obverse and reverse of the pillar dollar were planed down before this example was struck, although traces of undertype are still visible, especially at CA of AMERICA. The ornamental squares and circles edge is still clearly visible around most of the circumference. The obverse and reverse have borders of rays that were hand punched after this piece was struck. The scalloped circle on the obverse, also hand punched, marks the edge of the die.

George Fuld and Eric P. Newman studied this piece at length in 1961, and they came to the conclusion that it is a medal, calling it a "development piece" that Getz used during the production of 1797 Masonic medals that also featured the likeness of George Washington. For their detailed report, see "Rediscovery of the 1796 Washington President Piece" in the April 1961 issue of The Colonial Newsletter.

To read the complete lot description, see:
1796 MEDAL Washington "Dollar," Baker-33, Unique, Silver -- Damaged, Holed -- NGC Details. VG. ... (http://coins.ha.com/itm/colonials/1796-medal-washington-dollar-baker-33-unique-silver-damaged-holed-ngc-details-vg/a/1238-3937.s)

Lot 3935: 1792 CENT Washington Getz President Pattern Cent, Plain Edge

1792 CENT Washington Getz President Pattern Cent, Plain Edge, XF45 NGC. Baker-25, Breen-1352, Pollock-5020, W-10775, R.5. 257.7 grains, 33.2 mm. Just over 50 of these survive in copper from an unknown production that some numismatists estimate at 100 pieces. Peter Getz of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, just 23 years old at the time, "is said to have aspired to the position of Mint engraver" according to George Fuld in The Washington Pattern Coinage of Peter Getz. His design closely followed the language of a coinage bill that Robert Morris introduced to Congress on December 21, 1791. Meanwhile, Getz became a successful goldsmith and jeweler who operated a business on Queen Street, "opposite Mr. Slough's tavern" according to a contemporary advertisement. He died at the age of 36 in 1804.

To read the complete lot description, see:
1792 CENT Washington Getz President Pattern Cent, Plain Edge, XF45 NGC. Baker-25, Breen-1352, Pollock-5020, W-10775, R.5. ... (http://coins.ha.com/itm/colonials/1792-cent-washington-getz-president-pattern-cent-plain-edge-xf45-ngc-baker-25-breen-1352-pollock-5020-w-10775-r5/a/1238-3935.s)

Lot 3939: Libertas Americana Medal

(1781) Libertas Americana Medal, Bronze, MS63 Brown NGC. Betts-615, Loubat-14. Augustin Dupre was arguably the best die engraver of the 18th century, certainly in France where these pieces were struck, and possibly anywhere in the world at the time. Designed after the concept of Benjamin Franklin, the beauty of this medal is equaled by its numismatic and historical importance. The Libertas Americana medal is considered one of the greatest medals ever produced, and it holds the number one position in 100 Greatest American Medals and Tokens, by Katherine Jaeger and Q. David Bowers. This spectacular example features chestnut and golden-brown surfaces with fully reflective fields and bold design elements. Delicate blue overtones complete the picture of a spectacular French medal telling the history of America.

To read the complete lot description, see:
(1781) Libertas Americana Medal, Bronze, MS63 Brown NGC. Betts-615, Loubat-14.... (http://coins.ha.com/itm/colonials/-1781-libertas-americana-medal-bronze-ms63-brown-ngc-betts-615-loubat-14/a/1238-3939.s)

Lot 3951: 1792 Silver Center Cent

1792 Silver Center Cent, Judd-1, SP35
First Coin Struck Inside the U.S. Mint

1792 P1C One Cent, Judd-1, Pollock-1, High R.6 SP35 PCGS Secure. CAC. The Silver Center cent is one of the most famous and iconic issues of American coinage. Most numismatists believe it was the first coin actually produced inside the walls of the first U.S. Mint, although a few other patterns were struck earlier, before the Mint was actually ready for coinage operations. Its historic importance can scarcely be overstated and examples have been prized by collectors since the earliest days of the hobby.

The Present Coin
The coin offered here is a fairly recent discovery, found in a pub in the 1960s. The first owner of record was named Nigel Willmott and it has one previous auction appearance in a Glendining's sale in 1997, where it brought 28,750 British pounds. It passed through a number of well-known American numismatists and coin dealers, including Kenneth Goldman, Stuart Levine, and Anthony Terranova, before finding a home with prominent collector Martin Oghigian. This piece has been in Oghigian's estate since his death in 1998.

To read the complete lot description, see:
1792 P1C One Cent, Judd-1, Pollock-1, High R.6 SP35 PCGS Secure. CAC.... (http://coins.ha.com/itm/large-cents/1792-p1c-one-cent-judd-1-pollock-1-high-r6-sp35-pcgs-secure-cac/a/1238-3951.s)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
THE WILLMOTT-OGHIGIAN 1792 SILVER CENTER CENT (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v19n27a18.html)

Lot 3992: 1792 Half Disme

1792 H10C Half Disme, Judd-7, Pollock-7, R.4 XF40 PCGS Secure. More than 200 years of legend and myth surround the striking of the 1792 half dismes. A great deal of embellishment and outright fabrication seem to have been attached to these coins in the 1850s and 1860s. More than likely the greatest perpetuator of these legends and myths was Mint Director James Ross Snowden. Two of the more fanciful and widely held beliefs are that Martha Washington was the model for Liberty and the coins were struck from George and Martha Washington's silver tableware.

In 2003, Joel Orosz and Carl Herkowitz separated much of the fact from fantasy regarding these coins in a well-researched article in the ANS' American Journal of Numismatics. Much of what we know today was based on an obscure tipped-in note found in a European coin book in 1943. The signature was faded, but the authors identified the author as John McAllister, Jr. McAllister was a close friend of Adam Eckfeldt, a primary source for the half dismes, as he was present at their striking. The note read:

While half dismes were struck for "friends of Gen. W. in Virginia" many of them were used as currency at the time. This is obviously one of them.

To read the complete lot description, see:
1792 H10C Half Disme, Judd-7, Pollock-7, R.4 XF40 PCGS Secure.... (http://coins.ha.com/itm/early-half-dimes/1792-h10c-half-disme-judd-7-pollock-7-r4-xf40-pcgs-secure/a/1238-3992.s)

Lot 4157: 1795 Flowing Hair Dollar

1795 $1 Flowing Hair, Three Leaves, B-5, BB-27, R.1, XF45 PCGS. The Flowing Hair silver dollar was struck for only two years, and since the 1794 is a costly rarity, most early type collectors instead select a 1795 example. Bolender-5 is easily attributed by the slender "bar" behind the highest neck curl, and represents the type in more holdings than any other Flowing Hair variety.

To read the complete lot description, see:
1795 $1 Flowing Hair, Three Leaves, B-5, BB-27, R.1, XF45 PCGS.... (http://coins.ha.com/itm/early-dollars/1795-1-flowing-hair-three-leaves-b-5-bb-27-r1-xf45-pcgs/a/1238-4157.s)