Heritage World Coin Auctions
FUN Signature US Coin Sale 1251 4-6 & 8-9 Jan 2017
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Early Dollars
1800 $1 B-20, BB-185, R.6, VF20 PCGS Secure. Bowers Die State II. The BB-185 variety is generally considered to be the rarest variety of the year, with approximately 20 to 40 examples extant in all grades. Far fewer than that have been certified or traced in the early dollar references. The obverse is distinctive with star 8 almost touching Y with the top and bottom star points -- similar to the obverse of the 1804 dollars. (Indeed, two examples of the BB-185 are known to have been altered at the last digit of the date in a futile attempt to impersonate an 1804.) The surfaces of the present coin display pleasing silver-gray surfaces with rich brownish-gray accents and traces of gold patina in protected areas. Some light, hair-thin lines are visible with a lens beneath the toning but marks from circulation are small and sharp definition remains on the devices. This example has a small planchet flaw on the rim near star 3, a pedigree marker that confirms this is the former H. Roland Willasch specimen, a ranking example in the Bowers list of Notable Specimens and a piece that resides near the low end of the Condition Census for the BB-185 variety.
Ex: H. Roland Willasch Collection, Boys Town Sale (Superior, 5/1990), lot 577.
1800 $1 B-20, BB-185, R.6, VF20 PCGS Secure. Bowers Die State II. The BB-185 variety is generally considered to be the rarest variety of the year, with approximately 20 to 40 examples extant in all grades. Far fewer than that have been certified or traced in the early dollar references. The obverse is distinctive with star 8 almost touching Y with the top and bottom star points -- similar to the obverse of the 1804 dollars. (Indeed, two examples of the BB-185 are known to have been altered at the last digit of the date in a futile attempt to impersonate an 1804.) The surfaces of the present coin display pleasing silver-gray surfaces with rich brownish-gray accents and traces of gold patina in protected areas. Some light, hair-thin lines are visible with a lens beneath the toning but marks from circulation are small and sharp definition remains on the devices. This example has a small planchet flaw on the rim near star 3, a pedigree marker that confirms this is the former H. Roland Willasch specimen, a ranking example in the Bowers list of Notable Specimens and a piece that resides near the low end of the Condition Census for the BB-185 variety.
Ex: H. Roland Willasch Collection, Boys Town Sale (Superior, 5/1990), lot 577.