NNP

1840 Proof Original Breen 1-A R5+. PCGS graded Proof 66 Brown. Attractive bluish steel brown with iridescent rose overtones and hints of very faded mint red in protected areas on both sides. The fields are reflective with moderately deep mirrors on both sides and no spots or notable hairlines. The only defects are a tick below the buns and over star 10, a tiny struck-through line in the field left of star 10 near the hair bun, and a tiny rim nick at the U in UNITED. There is some edge reeding still visible even with star 12 (see the Breen comments about experimental reeded edge planchet stock being used for these Original proofs, page 386 in his encyclopedia). Existence of the edge reeding on these Originals was not known until it was discovered by Richard Picker more than a century after they were struck. Plated on page 386 in the Breen reference to illustrate the Original strike. Weight 85.0 grains. Our grade is Proof-63. The attribution and Missouri Cabinet provenance are shown on the PCGS label. PCGS population 1; the finest graded. (PCGS # 1248) Estimate Value $7,500 - UP Ex Sylvester S. Crosby-Lorin G. Parmelee, John W. Haseltine #70 6/1883:1692-Lorin G. Parmelee, New York Coin & Stamp Co. 6/1890:1121 ($18)-E. W. Ropes, New York Coin & Stamp Co. 12/1893:438 ($19)-to New York Stamp & Coin Co. for Virgil M. Brand-unknown-Philip M. Showers, Stack's 1969 (privately)-Willis Harrington duPont-Fred S."Freddy" Werner 2/1976-Superior Stamp and Coin Company, Inc., 2/1976-Joe Flynn and Son Rare Coins, Inc. (Joseph S. Flynn, Jr.) 4/20/1976-R. Tettenhorst-EPNNES-Missouri Cabinet (Mocab 40.1.1).

Price Realized: $33350

Images and description courtesy of Ira and Larry Goldberg Coins and Collectibles, Los Angeles, CA.

From Goldberg's sale of the Missouri Cabinet Collection, 1/26/2014, lot 148.