A blazing red 70-coin, and undoubtedly the star of the collection. This is a numismatically perfect piece ... Unmatched. -Dr. William H. Sheldon, in the catalog of the Anderson Dupont sale, 1954The finest specimen from these dies by a substantial margin, this coin is defined by its exceptional frost and freshness. The warm glow of original mint color surrounds Libertys portrait and other design elements, but the thick satiny luster finds more red as it rolls over the fields, which have otherwise mellowed toned down to light brown touched with gold and steel. The strike of this coin is not its principal asset, as the die state has severely impacted the amount of detail imparted by the dies. Libertys portrait and the top of the letters in LIBERTY are bluntly struck, as is the base of the date and much of the reverse periphery. Heavy die clashes have exacted a toll in die cracks at the lower left obverse that have left swelling on the coin. Heavy clash marks are seen behind Libertys curls, under the bust, near the juncture of her throat and bust, and at ATES OF on the reverse, where the impressions of her bust line are deep enough to collapse that portion of the reverse die. The reverse is cracked through ICA of AMERICA, across the right ribbon, to the last digit of the denominator, and another crack arcs above that one, from the rim above E of AMERICA to the numerator and point of the 1 below. A lighter crack from the rim above the top left serif of E in UNITED crosses that letter and underlines NIT. A parallel batch of lapping lines is seen beneath E of UNITED to T of CENT. The die state is equivalent to Breens State V.The surfaces are pleasing and free of major marks, showing some light planchet texture in softly struck areas but only trivial contact points otherwise. A few little nicks are seen near the reverse fraction. The eye appeal is not only excellent, but bespeaks an as-found originality rarely encountered today.Following its appearance in the so-called Anderson Dupont Collection, Dr. Sheldon and Walter Breen both discussed this coins apparent freshness. Sheldon wrote in the September 1954 Stacks sale catalog that "for some reason its pedigree is entirely unknown. It appeared in the present collection out of the clear sky." Breen, writing in "Cent Collectors Forum" in The Numismatist in July 1957, followed suit, claiming "extensive search has still failed to locate any pedigree for the blazing red 70-coin which brought an astronomical figure in 1954. This coin may well have come from England, like many other Condition Census examples of the Early Dates." This cents mysterious origin was hiding in plain sight, in a familiar catalog from 1939. Barney Bluestone described this coin as "1801, Newcomb 3C-AF. Unc. Mint Red Gem. Unique in this condition. Few specimens known of this excessively rare variety. Worth any price it will bring." Sheldon estimated this coins value at $560 in 1954, based on its grade of 70 multiplied by the basal value of this rare die variety ($4) and a 2x coefficient as finest known. When it brought $1,200, the era of Sheldons "science of cent values" had clearly ended.This coins position atop the Condition Census has remained unchanged in the six decades since Sheldons pricing formula failed. A specimen of this elusive die variety graded Very Fine is within striking distance of the Condition Census, but this is the sole gem survivor. It is also one of the finest 1801 cents of any die marriage extant.
