1831 Matron Head Cent. N-3. Rarity-6 as a Proof. Medium Letters. Proof-64 BN (PCGS).Smooth reflective Proof fields on both sides make for a striking first impression. The obverse appears largely deep steel-brown with a streak of reddish tan that crosses stars 7, 8 and 9. When turned in the light, the surfaces come to life with a deep blue-green iridescence over traces of mellow orange and reddish-copper. The reverse field exhibits generous violet with subtle orange and blue mottling, while olive and steel dominate the reliefs. A trace of microscopic roughness is seen in the field to the left of the denomination ONE CENT, a characteristic that appears very much as made. A similar area may be seen just above Libertys head on the obverse. A couple of tiny natural planchet voids are also noted, just left of the coronet tip. Nicely struck as one would expect, with good details through the central design elements and complete denticulation around the borders. Those on the reverse are sharp, while those on the obverse are a little soft as typical of the variety. Likewise, the stars are largely flat, typical even on the rare Proof strikings of this large cent type. Noyes Die State A/A.pThe 1831 Matron Head cent, as are all pre-1858 United States Mint coins, is a significant rarity in Proof format. Mintages for these early issues were limited, often in single digits, the coins produced predominantly for presentation and other official purposes. Walter Breen listed 12 different examples of this issue in his research on Proofs, all from the N-3 dies, while it seems likely that a few more may be known today. Denis Lorings research on Proof cents indicates about 14 different specimens, with the possibility of a few more from old sales that have yet to be matched to more modern appearances. These may or may not be different coins, but it is likely that at least a few of the half dozen or so are already represented.Ex Teletrade, April 1996, lot 108; Northeast Numismatics; Heritage; our (Bowers and Merena) sale of January 2000, lot 19; our sale of the Twin Leaf Collection, Part II, March 2016, lot 10117.
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