1812 Classic Head Cent. S-288. Rarity-3. Large Date. MS-63 BN (PCGS). CAC.An outstanding Classic Head cent for the most advanced specialist or type collector. Glossy and highly lustrous surfaces give this piece exceptional eye appeal. This is a very challenging type to find as nice as seen here and any such example is truly a pleasure to study. both dies exhibit late state characteristics such as heavy flowlines in the fields and very weak denticles, where they remain at all. The excellent luster is largely due to the die state. Still, the detail in the motifs remains pleasantly sharp throughout. Medium to deep brown copper in the fields, with nuances of lilac and steel. Just into the Condition Census for the variety, it is given an EAC grade of MS-60 by Del Bland and ranked in 5th place. <p>A fine provenance back to the 1878 sale of the H.E. Jones Collection adds considerably to the appeal of this lovely coin. While the Jones sale is little recognized today, it included a few lovely early American Gems in copper and silver. From there, the coin passed through the hands of several collectors widely recognized today for their quality coppers such as Thomas Cleneay in the 19th century and Herman Halpern, Wallace Lee and Paul Gerrie. It comes most recently from our August 2015 sale of selections from the magnificent Cardinal Collection, famous for high quality large cents as well as early dollars and other beautiful properties selected by a true connoisseur of the modern era. From the Collection of Thaddeus A. Tatum III. Earlier ex Scott & Co.s sale of the H.E. Jones Collection, October 1878, lot 249; Edward Cogan; S.H. and H. Chapmans sale of the Thomas Cleneay Collection, December 1890, lot 1834; Charles Steigerwalt; Charles S. Mathewson, 1955; Copley Coin Co.; our (Stacks) sale of the L.S. Ruder Collection, September 1987, lot 410; our (Stacks) sale of the Herman Halpern Collection, March 1988, lot 275; Julian Leidman; Heritages sale of the Robert G. Schick Collection, January 2002, lot 5356; McCawley & Grellman Auctions/Superiors sale of the Dr. Wallace Lee Collection, May 2003, lot 559; McCawley & Grellman Auctions/Superiors sale of the Paul Gerrie Collection, February 2013, lot 80; our sale of the Cardinal Collection, August 2015, lot 10029.
