An historic 1792 Silver Center Cent, MS61+ Brown NGC, ex: Norweb, an icon of American coinage for more than a century, brought $705,000 as the top lot in Heritage Auctions' $13.4 million Sept. 3-7 U.S. Coins Signature Auction at the Long Beach Convention Center.
The Silver Center cent was the first coin actually produced within the walls of the newly established United States Mint in 1792. It is probably the most famous of the important 1792 patterns (since the more numerous half dismes were actually circulation-strike pieces) and it always commands high premiums whenever an example is offered.
The coin obverse show liberty faces right with hair flowing behind and periphery reads LIBERTY PARENT OF SCIENCE & INDUSTRY, with 1792 just below the bust. The reverse has a wreath tied with a ribbon at the bottom; ONE CENT is within. Around the rim is UNITED STATES OF AMERICA with the fraction 1/100 below. Struck in copper with a silver plug in the center and a reeded edge. Medallic alignment. This coin was weighed and measured its precertification auction appearance in Stack's 65th Anniversary Sale. The weight was given at 72.8 grains, the diameter 22.5 millimeters.
"High grade, rare U.S. coins continue to sell well across the board as this auction amply demonstrated," said Greg Rohan, President of Heritage Auctions. "Gold continues to dominate the market, though quality examples of early U.S. coinage always create a stir with bidders."
The prooflike gem 1796 25C MS65 PCGS, Ex: Norweb, a bold example of this important issue, saw multiple bidders battling it out before the final price realized settled in at $411,250, while one of the finest known proof strikings of a 1907 $20 High Relief Wire Rim PR68 NGC, from the legendary Captain North and Bass Collections, was the top gold offering of the auction with a final price realized of $282,000.
An 1877 Half Union $50 Fifty Dollar gold piece PR63 PCGS, in copper gilt which drew significant collector attention prior to the auction, did not disappoint when it crossed the block, finishing the auction at $176, 250, a price matched by a 1915-S $50 Panama-Pacific 50 Dollar Round MS65 PCGS, a superb example of the scarcer round variant of the famous Pan-Pac.
A 1930-S Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle, MS65, from The Pannonia Collection, a major San Francisco rarity with exceptional visual appeal, brought spirited bidding and a final price realized of $164,500, while an 1851 $50 LE Humbert, Lettered Edge, MS61, also proved popular with collectors, finishing at $129,250.
Source: Heritage Auction
