A scarce variety in common condition, rare if sharp. — Ard W. Browning, 1925Offered is one of the very finest survivors from these dies. Sea-green and blue at centers of both sides, framed in lustrous champagne. Strong cartwheel careens around both sides with no obvious flaws of any size or significance noted as this coin spins in a light. A glass finds little more: a few trivial lines, a dull mark on the throat of Liberty, a few tiny chatter marks among the gules of the shield, a small batch of marks beneath TE of STATES, each more microscopic than the last. Clash marks are visible on both sides. An aesthetic treat, showcasing this fascinating overdate variety in superb style.This overdated obverse die represents one of the few times in the long history of the United States Mint that an obverse die was used for coinage during one calendar year, then changed to show a different later date and put back into service. Others include the 1806/5 quarter eagle, the 1825/1 quarter eagle, and the extremely rare 1827/3/2 Proof quarter, an example of which is offered in this catalog as lot 1076. This obverse is the precise same die as that used for 1805 Browning-4, as is the reverse; indeed, a technical argument could be made that this is not only an 1806 Browning-1, but a late die state 1805 Browning-4! This reverse die survived this marriage and was once again used in 1807, as the reverse of that years Browning-1.Once in the legendary cabinet of T. James Clarke, the present specimen was called the finest specimen we have seen in New Netherlands Coin Companys 47th sale, quite a testament from a staff that included John J. Ford, Jr. and a young, talented Walter Breen. This example has been privately held since it was acquired by the Knoxville Collection, a superb cabinet of silver type coins that was mostly assembled in the 1990s. Like the D. Brent Pogue Collection, the builder of the Knoxville Collection was known for his eye for gem quality and aesthetic appeal. Since its acquisition in 2002, there has not been a rival for this coin in the marketplace save for the Col. E.H.R. Green - Eric P. Newman coin, a PCGS MS-65+. While both are beautiful, the technical quality of this coin is superior to that one, with cleaner devices and a bolder strike. Of the 16 submissions that have been given Mint State grades at PCGS (representing a certainly lower but unknown number of discrete specimens), the greatest concentration is at MS-62. There has never been another 1806/5 quarter graded as high as MS-66 by PCGS.
