Undated (ca. 1864) United States Arsenal, Without Sun / Liberty Cap Muling. Dies by John Adams Bolen. Musante JAB M/E-9. Copper. MS-63 BN (NGC).27.8 mm. Mostly olive-brown with soft accents of steel-blue and arcs of faded red inside the rims. Very nice eye appeal despite a few trivial spots hidden in the patina. Nicely struck with pleasing prooflike character in the fields, especially on the Liberty Cap side. Struck from Bolens Arsenal Without Sun obverse in the later state which we have tied to the Dr. Frank Smith Edwards shop. The reverse helps to prove this assertion, as this die is said to have been sold by Bolen directly to Edwards in 1864.<p>We only have only two impressions from these dies in our online archives, this, from November 2017, and a silver one from the E Pluribus Unum Collection in November 2021. Considering the overall rarity of the issue, the mintage was likely extremely small in any composition, certainly in single digits.From the Claremont Collection. Earlier ex Stephen L. Tanenbaum; Q. David Bowers; our sale of the Tim Gabriele Collection, November 2017 Baltimore Auction, lot 259.
