IRVINE, Calif – Stack’s Bowers Galleries is set to auction the newly discovered 1808/7 C-1 half cent, the second finest known of the variety in the grade of Fine-12 (PCGS) CAC at their Official ANA sale later this summer. This rare die pairing was first discovered by Roger S. Cohen, Jr. in 1952 and over the last 60 years only nine examples, including this one, have turned up in the numismatic community.
Most of the known examples of the C-1 variety are worn and exhibit the usual problems attendant to early copper, like surface pitting or corrosion, spots or outright damage. However, the surfaces of this new discovery coin are simply outstanding, a fact attested to by the green CAC designation on the holder. The coin displays smooth, satiny copper surfaces that are free of any traces of corrosion or dark olive toning. Handling marks are average to light, with no heavy or detracting circulation marks present. This early half cent would be perfectly suitable to any advanced collector even if it was a common variety!
With only nine known examples, the 1808/7 C-1 half cent has turned up with great infrequency over the years, leaving specialists frustrated with so few opportunities to complete their collections. Stack’s Bowers is eager to present this coin for public sale, which will give at least one more collector the chance to obtain the rarest die pairing in the entire half cent series. When the discovery coin for the variety was offered at auction 20 years ago, it was graded Good-4 and realized $18,150. The present specimen is the second finest known example in Fine-12 (PCGS) (CAC) and combined with increased demand and interest, we expect a hefty price tag for this rarity.
The 1808/7 C-1 half cent will be offered as part of the Rarities Night session, scheduled for Thursday, August 9, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. Complete catalogs for the Official August 2012 ANA World’s Fair of Money auction are available by request by calling 800.458.4646, and online at www.stacksbowers.com. Auction and lot viewing will take place in the Stack’s Bowers offices in New York and California by appointment, and at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia August 2-10, 2012 – visit the Stack’s Bowers website for current schedule information.
About Stack’s Bowers Galleries
Stack’s Bowers Galleries, a division of Fortune 500 Company Spectrum Group International Inc., was launched in January 2011, combining the extraordinary histories of Stack’s, the oldest rare coin auction and retail company in America, with Bowers and Merena Auctions, one of the world’s pre-eminent auctioneers of rare coins and paper money. The two companies unite to share a combined legacy that spans more than 100 years, and includes the cataloging and sale of many of the most valuable collections to ever cross an auction block – the John. J. Ford, Jr. and Louis E. Eliasberg collections, the Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection, and the Norweb Collection, to name just a few. Topping off this amazing numismatic history is the inclusion of the world record for the highest price ever realized at auction for a rare coin, the legendary 1933 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle which realized an astounding $7.59 million (sold in partnership with Sotheby’s). The company is headquartered in Irvine, California, with offices in New York, New Hampshire and Hong Kong. Stack’s Bowers Galleries is the Official Auctioneer for several important numismatic conventions, including the ANA World’s Fair of Money pre-show and convention auctions, and the Whitman Coin and Collectibles Expos in Baltimore, three times yearly, and Philadelphia.
