1799 Draped Bust Cent. S-189. Rarity-2. VF-30 (PCGS).<strong>Type:</strong> Draped Bust.<p><strong>Design:</strong> Obv: A draped bust of Liberty faces right with the word LIBERTY above and the date 1799 below. Libertys hair is tied with a ribbon, the ends of which are plainly evident at the back of the head. Rev: A wreath surrounds the denomination ONE CENT, the base of the wreath bound by a ribbon tied into a bow. The legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is around the border and another expression of the denomination 1/100 is below.<p><strong>Weight Standard:</strong> 10.89 grams.<p><strong>Diameter:</strong> 29 mm.<p><strong>Die Variety:</strong> Sheldon-189, Breen-3. Obv: The 1799 perfect date, and definitive for this obverse die, which only appears in the S-189 pairing. Rev: The letter F in OF is repunched, which is most readily evident at the crossbar. S-189 represents the only use of this reverse die.<p>S-189 is the only die marriage that corresponds to the perfect date <em>Guide Book</em> listing of the 1799 Draped Bust cent.<p><strong>Die State:</strong> Noyes A/B, Breen IV. Obv: Ostensibly perfect, although close examination with a loupe reveals a faint die crack at the top of Libertys bust to the border past 4 oclock. Rev: Prominent die chip in the field between the letters E in ONE and T in CENT, narrow breaks within the denticles between the words OF and AMERICA and above the letters AM in the latter word.<p><strong>Edge:</strong> Plain.<p><strong>Mintage:</strong> Although federal records indicate that 904,585 cents were delivered during calendar year 1799, the vast majority of those coins were struck from 1798-dated dies. A small percentage of that total is believed to represent the mintage for the S-188 and NC-1 overdate varieties; the S-189 perfect date coins are thought to have been struck in 1800 since most examples are on the same dark planchets as many of the 1800-dated varieties.<p><strong>Estimated Surviving Population for the Die Variety:</strong> Rarity-2: 751 to 1,000 coins in all grades.<p><strong>Strike: </strong>A well balanced mid grade example with uniformly bold definition throughout the design. Denticulation is scant on the obverse, only evident from 12 to 7 oclock on the reverse. The date is full and plenty of sharp detail remains within Libertys hair and drapery.<p><strong>Surfaces:</strong> The surfaces were lightly cleaned long ago and are now pleasingly retoned in medium and olive-brown patina, with faint golden-apricot undertones. Hard, tight and free of porosity, wispy handling marks are commensurate with the grade and inconspicuous to the unaided eye. There is a concentration of light marks in the central reverse field between the words ONE and CENT, and a few dull marks between the back of Libertys head and the letters LI in LIBERTY.<p><strong>Commentary:</strong> Thomas Elders description for this coin when offered as part of his September 1910 sale of the Peter Mougey Collection reads:<p><em>"41. 1799. Perfect date. Date unusually bold. Entire piece is well centered, all parts strongly struck up and uniform. Very Fine. A dark olive. Excessively rare. The finest 1799 I have ever offered for sale. Plate."</em><p>While surpassed by a number of coins in the Elder and Noyes census listings, this coin is still finer than most 1799 S-189 cents extant, most of which are well worn, if not also impaired. The Norweb provenance enhances the appeal of this impressive condition rarity from one of the most famous and eagerly sought issues in the entire large cent series of 1793 to 1857.PCGS# 1443. NGC ID: 2246.PCGS Population: 6; 6 finer, one of which is Mint State (MS-61 BN).From the ESM Collection. Earlier ex Thomas Elders sale of the Peter Mougey Collection, September 1910, lot 41; our (Bowers and Merenas) sale of the Norweb Collection, Part III, November 1988, lot 2782; Heritages sale of the Joshua and Ally Walsh Collection of United States Cents, January 2006 FUN Signature Auction, lot 3026.
