Lot Number 74
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1832 Sm. Lets. - O.109 R.4 PCGS MS 62 OGH
This Condition Census piece makes a 4th appearance in my Mail Bid auctions. It comes with a regal provenance (at least in the realm of bust halves). Brian Greer placed it in MB 17, back in 1996, after acquiring it from James Allen. It sold to Gehring Prouty. In 2002, after Gehring passed away, Charles De Olden acquired it. The present owner and consignor is Jim Ross. A complete description appeared in MB 32, June 2006, lot 125, part of the De Olden collection: Generally conceded to be the finest known of this very sticky R.4. Flashy and untoned, save for a few splashes of pastel rose on the portrait. This is a nicer example than the Overton plate coin (NGC MS 62), marred by a scrape over the eagle’s right wing. The strike is as sharp as this variety comes. Very early die state with crisp die lines (not described in Overton) between STATES OF on the reverse. The coin reappeared a year later in MB 33, lot 159, where Ross picked it up for $1,997. A PCGS graded MS 64 appeared in 2007, pushing this example to 3rd place in the Condition Census. Gehring Prouty’s personal insert accompanies the lot. It includes his comments on the rarity rating of the die pair. Est. $1,500 to $2,400.
