1793 Flowing Hair Cent. Chain Reverse. S-1. Rarity-4. AMERI. VF-30 (PCGS). This coin offers ample boldness of detail and superior eye appeal for a mid grade survivor of the perennially popular Sheldon-1 Chain cent. Richly and evenly toned surfaces are bathed in medium copper-brown with a tinge of light olive. Both sides are impressively smooth in hand, the reverse maintaining this quality even under close inspection with a loupe. The obverse, however, exhibits numerous fine pin scratches that will require persistence to discern. Bold Choice VF detail throughout, the central obverse carries much of the wear - typical of the type - while the reverse is overall sharp. The date is clear, Libertys portrait is easy to appreciate in its entirety, and both sides exhibit a lovely hard frosty texture.The 1793 Chain cents are numismatic Americana at their finest. After pattern coinage in 1792, the first federal coins made for general circulation at the new Mint building in Philadelphia were struck at the end of February 1793, and delivered by the coiner in early March. These were the first large cents, production of which preceded that of half cents by several months. The pieces were put into circulation, with no known numismatic attention paid to them. Indeed, the number of people seriously interested in numismatics in the United States at that time could be counted on the fingers of one hand, and these gentlemen mainly concerned themselves with earlier and classic issues.A newspaper article at the time stated that the Chain motif on the reverse was but "an ill omen for Liberty," certainly not symbolic of our nation. No doubt for this reason the design was soon revised completely. The Chain cents are struck in rather low relief, whereas their successors, the Wreath cents, are in dramatic high relief, more so than any other large copper cent issue.Over the years the cents of 1793 have had special place in the hearts of numismatists. Indeed, the first photographic plate printed in <em>The American Journal of Numismatics</em> in 1869 was a panel of cents of this year gathered from various collections. Ever since numismatics became a widely popular hobby in 1857-1858, the ownership of a 1793 Chain cent has been a badge of distinction. The Sheldon-1 die pairing, offered here, enjoys particularly strong demand not only as the first variety of large cent produced, but also as the only one of the Chain Reverse design with the AMERI. abbreviation in the legend.Today in 2023, the typical 1793 Chain cent ranges in grade from Good to Fine, punctuated by an occasional VF, and an even more occasional EF. Anything finer is a major rarity. The presently offered VF retains considerably more detail than most Sheldon-1 cents and is sure to see spirited bidding among both type collectors and early copper enthusiasts. PCGS# 1340. NGC ID: 223G. From the George Henry Carman Collection. Earlier from Lester Merkins sale of April 1966, lot 6; our (Stacks) Dr. E. Yale Clarke Collection sale, October 1975, lot 37.
