Sternberg bought 9 1793s, the 1797s and 1798s, 1 1799, 10 1800s, 7 1801s, as well as some of the dates of 1821 to 1829. - Robert Vail, "The Dr. French Large Cent Dispersal," Penny-Wise, March 1992A halo of mint red surrounds devices on both sides, more abundant and prominent on the reverse than obverse, contrasting ideally with dark brown and olive fields. Exceptional luster graces both sides, presenting satiny cartwheel at arms length and a more glossy texture under close examination; some rainbow highlights are visible, particularly near the denticles at the lower right obverse. The strike is superb, with no central soft spot, educing every fine detail from both dies to a superlative degree. Long, broad denticles frame both sides with nearly ideal centering. No significant marks or post-striking flaws are seen, just a scattering of light contact points on Libertys cheek. The visual appeal is as magnificent as the assigned grade would indicate.The dies have clashed, swollen, broken, and spalled in this die state, the latest described by Breen, his state VIII. Clash marks are visible on the reverse, near the bow and numerator, and below TES of STATES, where the clashing was severe enough to create a substantial depression in the die that manifests as a bulge distending OF. Another bulge affects NITE in UNITED. A spidery obverse die crack extends into the left field from the lower right serif of Y of LIBERTY, joining a related horizontal crack from the denticles near 3:00, and a short delicate one spans from a denticle above I of LIBERTY to the top of the nearby B. On the reverse, a light crack joins ST of STATES at the top and links AT at their midpoints, but doesnt appear to connect to the short cracks from the right tops of E and S that end at the rim. Two cracks at the central reverse appear late in the life of this die; both are present here, stemming from the point of the leaf atop the cluster above O of ONE. One stretches horizontally above ONE, curving downwards until it ends above the berry beneath the first A of AMERICA. The other is nearly vertical, touching the left side of O in ONE before ending left of C in CENT. Spalling breaks appear all over both sides, including a prominent vertical streak on Libertys neck, another near Libertys ear, and a small area right of the final 7 in the date. On the reverse, spalling may be seen right of the wreath, near CA of AMERICA, and elsewhere.It is ironic that two dies in terrible disrepair just months into their existence could create a coin that would survive in nearly perfect condition for more than two centuries. John G. Mills of Albany collected this coin sometime in the late 19th century and was only 39 when his cabinet was sold in 1904. George H. Earle Jr. bought 39 large cents from the Mills auction, including this one for $18. It traveled in a similar pack when Henry A. Sternberg bought dozens of coins from the Dr. French Collection, when Ted Naftzger bought the entire Dr. Sheldon Collection, and when Brent Pogue purchased 14 of the prized early dates from 2009 sale of the Dan Holmes Collection. This is a cent that likes company.
