1839 Modified Matron Head Cent. N-13. Rarity-2. Booby Head. MS-66 RB (PCGS). Here is a gorgeous and conditionally rare example of the popular Booby Head emGuide Book/em variety. Frosty surfaces retain considerable original color in vivid pinkish-rose and reddish-orange. Both sides also display intermingled toning in olive-brown. The striking detail is razor sharp to full in the centers, yet a bit softer around the peripheries with some of the stars on the obverse lacking full radial lines and the letters in the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA on the reverse a tad weak. Denticulation is complete and uniform on both sides, if a bit light in isolated areas on the reverse. Surface quality is outstanding, as would be expected at the premium Gem grade assigned by PCGS. The appearance is overall smooth and close to pristine. A thin, faint scuff in the left obverse field off Libertys nose is the only worthwhile provenance marker. Noyes Die State A/B. EAC grade MS-63.It would be interesting to know the origin of the terms "Silly Head" and "Booby Head" that are applied to certain die varieties of the 1839 issue. They were in use by the late 1850s, when Jeremiah Colburn of Boston, one of the great early figures within the large cent specialty, used the designations. As for Colburn, he may have been the most erudite of all numismatic writers of his time, as W. Elliot Woodward did not begin his memorable catalog descriptions until a few years later. From Heritages Long Beach Signature Auction of September 2009, lot 69; Heritages sale of the Joseph D. Osborne Collection, January 2020 FUN Signature Auction, lot 3138.
