1799 Draped Bust Cent. S-189. Rarity-2. VF-20 BN (NGC). Desirable mid grade quality for this fabled key date issue in the early copper series. Deep, rich steely-copper patina blankets both sides, the reverse with tinges of olive as the coin rotates under a light. The impression is quite well centered on the obverse, although the tops of the letters in the word LIBERTY and the bottoms of the digits in the date are a tad soft. The reverse is drawn toward the lower left with more pronounced softness in that area. The entire design is readily appreciable, however, and most features are bold for the grade, especially those in the protected areas of Libertys portrait. Smooth in hand, we note only small, well scattered marks that hardly detract.<p>The rarest date in the entire large cent series of 1793 to 1857, the 1799 was produced in small, albeit unknown numbers. We can discount the Mints reported delivery of 904,585 cents for calendar year 1799 since most 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, as here, are on the same dark planchets as many of the 1800 varieties. These planchets are attributed to two shipments of copper that the Mint received from Boulton in England during July of 1799. The present example retains far more detail than many 1799/8 and 1799 cents, and it is sure to find its way into an advanced early copper collection. PCGS# 1443. NGC ID: 2246. From the Abernathy Collection.
