Light olive brown is seen on the obverse motifs and through the open areas of the fields while all of the devices are outlined by rich orange red. The reverse retains even more original color through the fields and exhibits the same light olive brown otherwise. Pleasantly lustrous on both sides, accentuating the nice color, this piece is virtually mark free, though what appears to be a tiny lint mark is noted right of the date. One tiny speck of debris is nestled into the curls over the second 8, and is not easily noticed.This middle die state, Grellmans Die State-b, shows fine lines from the dentils over stars 1 and 2 and under the second 8 in the date now faded away. Recutting on the digits of the date remains strong. Sharp details are surrounded by thick, high rims, thanks to a bold strike that adds to the visual appeal.Ted Naftzger acquired this piece in our 1960 Milton Holmes sale where it was simply described as "mostly mint red," and he held it for nearly a half century, recognizing even then that it was a special example. Today it is considered the single finest known of the variety and it is among the finest examples of the date graded by PCGS.
