1798 Draped Bust Cent. S-161. Rarity-2-. Style I Hair. MS-63 BN (NGC).An exceptional Draped Bust cent irrespective of variety, this beautiful Choice example ranks high in the Condition Census for the Sheldon-161 dies. Glossy medium copper surfaces reveal subtle pale gold and powder blue undertones as the coin dips into a light. The strike is nicely centered, both sides exhibiting uniformly denticulated borders, and the obverse is sharply struck with crisp delineation to Libertys hair tresses and the drapery folds. The reverse is a tad soft overall with evidence of light die swell, although all features are bold and the design is fully appreciable. A loupe reveals mostly small, well scattered marks that are easily overlooked by the unaided eye, the only worthwhile identifying feature a shallow nick in the right obverse field before Libertys neck. Breen Die State IV.<p>The EAC grade for this coin in both the Bland census and the Breen large cent encyclopedia is AU-55, and it is tied for third finest known from the S-161 dies in both listings. Grellmans grade and ranking is the same. Although this is a readily obtainable die marriage in an absolute sense, the present example numbers among the finest known and is seemingly earmarked for inclusion in another highly regarded large cent cabinet.Ex Carl Wurtzbach; Virgil M. Brand; Emanuel Taylor, October 1960; Ira & Larry Goldbergs sale of the R.E. Naftzger, Jr. Collection, September 2008, lot 175; Ira & Larry Goldbergs sale of the Dan Holmes Collection, September 2009, lot 295; Heritages sale of the Adam Mervis Large Cent Collection, January 2014, lot 2657.
