Heritage World Coin Auctions
Dallas Signature US Coin Sale 1260 1 & 3 Nov 2017
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Large Cents
1839 1C Silly Head, N-9, R.2, MS64+ Brown NGC. CAC. The terms Silly Head and Booby Head have been associated with the cents of 1839 for a century and a half since they were described by Ebenezer Mason in his article, "Peculiarities of American Coins" in the June 1868 issue of Mason's Coin and Stamp Collector's Magazine:
"The Silly head is more arched on the top than the last [Head of 1838]; has the lock over the forehead short, and the line under the word Cent on the reverse, but without the mint mark."
Mason's term "mint mark" is what we know today as a center dot. Apparently like always, this piece has a delicate bisecting obverse die crack from 11 o'clock across the head to 5 o'clock. An additional crack extends downward through Liberty's nose and chin. The dentilation on both sides is weak on this late die state piece.
This impressive near-Gem example has lustrous olive-brown surfaces with considerable original orange mint luster. Only a small patch of green corrosion on the hair strands below the inner hair bun prevents a Gem grade assessment. Our EAC grade MS63.
Ex: Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society.
HID02901242017
1839 1C Silly Head, N-9, R.2, MS64+ Brown NGC. CAC. The terms Silly Head and Booby Head have been associated with the cents of 1839 for a century and a half since they were described by Ebenezer Mason in his article, "Peculiarities of American Coins" in the June 1868 issue of Mason's Coin and Stamp Collector's Magazine:
"The Silly head is more arched on the top than the last [Head of 1838]; has the lock over the forehead short, and the line under the word Cent on the reverse, but without the mint mark."
Mason's term "mint mark" is what we know today as a center dot. Apparently like always, this piece has a delicate bisecting obverse die crack from 11 o'clock across the head to 5 o'clock. An additional crack extends downward through Liberty's nose and chin. The dentilation on both sides is weak on this late die state piece.
This impressive near-Gem example has lustrous olive-brown surfaces with considerable original orange mint luster. Only a small patch of green corrosion on the hair strands below the inner hair bun prevents a Gem grade assessment. Our EAC grade MS63.
Ex: Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society.
HID02901242017