It is about as difficult to find a perfect 1808, of any variety, as a perfect 1793. - Dr. William H. Sheldon, Early American Cents,1949.Dramatic frost and bountiful luster commingle over beautifully toned surfaces. The light brown color that surrounds the darker brown and steel found at the central obverse highlights the areas where mint red was last to mellow. On the reverse, that transitional process is not as advanced, with hints of mint color intermingling with the dominant shade of light brown. Lightly glossy but not unnaturally so, the eye appeal is particularly strong for a cent of 1808, an issue whose survivors are rarely this attractive. The obverse shows its typical alignment, shifted to below 8:00, with the denticles of the lower left truncated while those of the upper right are stutter doubled as they climb the raised rim. The reverse is ideally centered, with a frame of denticles seen around the entire circumference. No important marks are seen, just a few trivial specks and a tiny mark outside of star 11. The largest spot hides between AT of STATES, though a similar one centers on the berry below AM. Other light specks are seen on the obverse near the tip of Libertys nose, below the curl nearest the bust truncation, and at the tip of the top hair ribbon. The overall aesthetic impact nicely matches the grade assigned.The die states of this variety are widely varied and have deservedly earned careful study. This piece was struck near Breens Die State VI, after several clashings had left their vestiges in front of Libertys profile and throughout the wreath, most prominent inside its right side. The reverse has cracked heavily, with a single crack that began at the rim above D of UNITED forking at the top of that letter. The top fork arcs along the wreath before crossing it and passing over the center of the second S in STATES on its way to the rim. The lower fork extends along the same vector as the initial crack from the rim, crossing the wreath boldly. Another substantial crack from a clash mark inside the left side of the wreath through the base of O of ONE is not connected to any other crack; it continues through the upper left of N in ONE and diminishes above the adjacent E. A short crack connects the two forks inside D of UNITED; in later states, the triangular piece between them drops from the die. A very light crack stems from the upper right of C in CENT above the upper left of E.This coins traceable provenance begins with the famous 1918 sale of the collection of Mr. Allison W. Jackman of Poughkeepsie, New York, best remembered for his ownership of a 1787 Brasher doubloon. While so many of the great cabinets of this era were built by titans of industry, Jackman seems to have been a different sort of individual. From Henry Chapmans introduction to the Jackman catalog, we read that he "was a highly cultured gentleman who devoted his life to study, having never engaged in business and being a most devoted son with an equally appreciative mother, his collecting was a pleasure to them both." He started collecting in the early 1860s while still a teenager "and his interest never ceased" until his death in 1917. When his mother, Seraphina, predeceased him in 1914, her estate included over $230,000 in bonds left in her safe deposit box.Jackmans free time and high net worth allowed him the luxury to assemble an exceptional collection. After his death, it all found a new home at the rate of 200 lots per hour. Plated in the 1991 Noyes work and listed second in the Breen/Bland census, this coin is tied for finest certified of this date by PCGS.
