This beautiful gem cent retains most of the original red color over both sides, gently faded to light olive and steel on the high points. Strong mint luster accentuates the fresh and highly attractive surfaces. A few small marks are noted, the most prominent seen in the hair strands right of the ear. The strike is bold, evoking strong details throughout.The obverse die is cracked through star 2, this being the prime marker for Grellmans State-b. The fields are satiny with just a trace of flowlining in places which serve to set later impressions apart from the earliest ones which sometimes have prooflike character in the fields.This is one of the two finest examples of the variety, tied for CC#1 in both the Grellman and Noyes Census records. The other candidate is the former Helfenstein coin that was referenced specifically as being inferior to this one when this was cataloged in the June 1967 New Netherlands sale. Opinions will differ, but this is certainly one of the very best, though the PCGS data incorporates all die varieties and is misleading in this respect. A fine provenance back to 1908 adds to the appeal of this lovely gem.
