Lot Number 4
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1807 Cap Bust - O.111 Prime R.7 PCGS F.12
I’ve not before encountered a true prime of the O.111. The die marriage, of course, is best known for its late state: the bearded goddess, O.111b. The familiar die break that joins Liberty’s chest and chin is invariably accompanied by a 2nd, less remarkable, die break joining stars 1-6. The peripheral die break is also seen on the intermediate state, O.111a, where Liberty’s “beard” is thin, incomplete, or just a nub on her chest. The early die state, O.111, with no sign of an interior die break, is given an R.6 rarity rating in Overton/Parsley’s 5th edition. The few examples I’ve seen display some portion of the peripheral break through the left-hand stars. Not here! Under high magnification I see no evidence of a break between any stars. To my knowledge, this piece is the earliest known die state of the O.111 die pair. The coin was spotted and acquired by the consignor in a PCGS 1807 Small Stars holder! PCGS has corrected its error. The label now includes the proper O.111 attribution. The coin is without defects. The obverse sports natural grey toning with a thin ring of album toning; the reverse toning is more colorful, though somewhat uneven. This may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Est. $5,000 and up
