1800 Draped Bust Cent. S-209. Rarity-3 for the Variety, Unique as a Brockage--Partial Collar with Reverse Brockage--AU-50 (NGC). A dramatic and captivating blunder that will surely appeal to both Mint Error enthusiasts and Early American Copper specialists. The surfaces are smooth and lightly glossed, with considerable luster remaining in the protected areas. The conventional obverse strike is slightly off-center towards 3 oclock but is well defined. Clashmarks behind Libertys hair and die swelling at TY of LIBERTY are both diagnostic characteristics of this S-209 variety. The reverse side shows an incuse, intaglio impression of this same obverse die. It is also somewhat drawn towards 9 oclock and is accompanied by an extraneous lump of metal in the field at 3 oclock. An intriguing specimen to examine in-hand but also quite attractive, painted in a rich medley of chocolate-brown hues. While this may technically be a Reverse Brockage to some, most collectors will recognize this type of error as an Obverse Brockage, resulting in an intaglio impression of the obverse die on the reverse side of the planchet. As a class, Brockages are quite rare on large cents and are typically limited to the Classic and Matron Head types struck from 1808 through 1835. Just a handful of Brockages from the Draped Bust series are known, and this is the unique example from the Sheldon-209 die(s). The Condition Census for conventional S-209s spans from the height of a single Mint State example, the MS-65 RB (PCGS) Pogue specimen, followed by two AU coins and closing out on a trio of EF examples tied for fourth place. With impressive AU-50 sharpness, this piece is surely among these finest few. It can be traced back to our historic May 1989 sale of the Richard Picker Collection of Brockages, where it was described as "Extremely Fine, or nearly so...with excellent glossy surfaces." More recently, it was illustrated in Walter Breens large cent <em>Encyclopedia </em>(2000) in the Mint Errors section titled "Oops." It is a significant survivor from these dies and one of the very finest errors of this type from the Draped Bust series. Ex our (Coin Galleries) sale of the Richard Picker Collection of Brockages, May 1989, lot 1057. Plated in the Mint Error section of Breens large cent Encyclopedia (2000) on page 844.
