1839/6 Modified Matron Head Cent. N-1. Rarity-3. VF-30 (PCGS). Handsome and highly desirable mid grade quality for this scarce and conditionally challenged overdate variety. Warmly and evenly toned in blended olive and autumn-brown patina, both sides exhibit a hard and tight satin texture. Ancient surface build up in the protected areas around the design elements is more prevalent on the reverse, both sides with a few trivial contact marks scattered about that hardly detract. Bold Choice VF detail overall, there is much to recommend this coin to the astute collector specializing in the Middle Date large cents. 1839 was a transitional year in the large cent series, as four different head styles appeared on the cents as the Matron Head style gave way to the Braided Hair design. To distinguish the four different intentional head styles, nicknames came into common use more than a century ago, producing the Head of 1838, Booby Head, Silly Head and Braided Hair types. As those portrait styles were deliberate, they may all be considered part of the transition. The Newcomb-1 overdate offered here was an inadvertent fifth head style. The obverse die was prepared earlier, intended to strike coins in 1836. The 1836 cents had a plain hair cord around Libertys hair bun, as here, a style that was abandoned in 1837 in favor of the beaded cord that is seen on the other 1839 cents. As such, this variety is distinctive for two reasons, the plain cord as well as the bold overdate.<p>The scarcity of this variety in an absolute sense is no doubt due to the early demise of the obverse die. The present example is the late state of this breakup, Noyes C/A, with sharp cracks extending into the center of the obverse from both the left and right borders. These break obviously forced the retirement of this obverse die after relatively few coins were struck, although the reverse die soldiered on and struck additional 1839-dated cents in the N-4 and N-9 pairings.
