Second best is presumably the Dr. French coin, EF; this first appeared in the Twining sale, (Woodward, April 1886), from a Boonville, N.Y. lady, later went to the late T. James Clarke and is now owned by a distinguished New York collector. - Walter Breen, "The Cent Collectors Forum," The Numismatist, February 1958Unknown in Mint State, the 1807/6 Small Overdate has long attracted abundant collector desire and ranks among the most famous of all large cent rarities. Adding to this legacy of desirability is the elusiveness of nice specimens; well-worn examples are found in most major die variety collections, but fewer than a half dozen exist in grades above Fine. This example shows fine medium steel brown coloration on both sides, a bit lighter and more golden around reverse design elements where mint color lasted longest. Good luster has survived on the reverse, while the obverse is glossier in character. Scattered hairlines are visible across the obverse fields, which also play host to a fair number of tiny marks, though the reverse is nearly pristine. A faint hairline scratch crosses Liberty upper lip, and a disconnected segment of the same mark is visible across the obverse field to the denticles at 3:00, just above the only notable contact mark. Three tiny spots gather left of the numerator. The visual appeal is strong for the assigned grade and is particularly robust for an example of this usually unattractive variety.The dies have clashed, with vestiges visible below Libertys hair bow and throughout the wreath. This state is equivalent to Breens Die State II. The obverse is aligned noticeably to 5:00, with no denticles visible between 9:00 and 12:00 on the obverse. The reverse is less misaligned, though the denticles are stouter at the base of that side than they are at its upper right. Concentric arcs of lathe lines cross Libertys hair and the drapery at her shoulder. The overdate is crisp and clear. An attempt to efface the 6 underdigit mostly succeeded in removing its upper flag, while the round base of the numeral retains nearly full shape and boldness.No specimen of this famous variety has such a long unbroken provenance as this coin, and no privately owned example has a provenance that includes such an early starting point. This piece first turned up in W. Elliot Woodwards April 1886 sale; consignor John S. Twining noted "I received it of an old lady in Boonville, N.Y. She kept it as a memento of the year of her birth." Twining is most remembered for his collection of New York Indian artifacts, which was acquired by the State of New York at the behest of the Legislature. Among what Woodward called his "small collection, but an exceptionally fine one," only this coin retains any level of fame. It is generally considered the second finest known specimen of this famous variety, one of just two listed at a grade higher than Very Fine in the Bland and Noyes census listings. The three PCGS entries at this grade likely represent only those two specimens.
