1794 1C Short Bust, S-44, BN (Regular Strike)
Series: Liberty Cap Cents 1793-1796
PCGS MS63BN
PCGS MS63BN
PCGS AU58BN
- PCGS #:
- 35597
- Designer:
- Attributed to Robert Scot
- Edge:
- Lettered: ONE HUNDRED FOR A DOLLAR
- Diameter:
- 28.00 millimeters
- Weight:
- 13.48 grams
- Mintage:
- 918,521
- Mint:
- Philadelphia
- Metal:
- Copper
- Auction Record:
- $48,800 • MS63BN • 01-08-2026 • Heritage Auctions
Die Varieties
- 1794 1C Flat Pole, S-21, BN
- 1794 1C Bent Lock, S-22, BN
- 1794 1C S-23, Shattered Obverse, BN
- 1794 1C Apple Cheek, S-24, BN
- 1794 1C Head of '94, S-24, RB
- 1794 1C Severed Locks, S-25, BN
- 1794 1C Severed Locks, S-26, BN
- 1794 1C Head of '94, S-26, RB
- 1794 1C Egeria, S-27, BN
- 1794 1C Ornate Head, S-28, BN
- 1794 1C Ornate Head, S-29, BN
- 1794 1C Marred Field, S-30, BN
- 1794 1C Marred Field, S-31, BN
- 1794 1C Venus Marina, S-32, BN
- 1794 1C Wheel Spoke, S-33, BN
- 1794 1C Upturned Locks, S-34, BN
- 1794 1C Delicate Lower Lock, S-35, BN
- 1794 1C Low Head, S-36, BN
- 1794 1C Steigerwalt, S-37, BN
- 1794 1C Marred Field, S-38, BN
- 1794 1C Marred Field, S-39, BN
- 1794 1C Marred Field, S-40, BN
- 1794 1C Abrupt Hair, S-41, BN
- 1794 1C Abrupt Hair, S-42, BN
- 1794 1C Head of '94, S-42, RB
- 1794 1C Short Bust, S-43, BN
- 1794 1C Short Bust, S-44, BN
- 1794 1C The Plicae, S-45, BN
- 1794 1C Head of '94, S-45, RB
- 1794 1C Crossed E, S-46, BN
- 1794 1C Head of '94, S-46, RB
- 1794 1C Short Bust, S-47, BN
- 1794 1C Short Bust, S-49, BN
- 1794 1C S-49, RB
- 1794 1C Young Head, S-50, BN
- 1794 1C Long Locks, S-51, BN
- 1794 1C Coquette, S-52, BN
- 1794 1C Severed Locks, S-53, BN
- 1794 1C Slanting 7, S-54, BN
- 1794 1C Big Berries, S-55, BN
- 1794 1C Office Boy Reverse, S-56, BN
- 1794 1C Pyramidal Hair, S-57, BN
- 1794 1C Head of '94, S-57, RB
- 1794 1C Many-Haired, S-58, BN
- 1794 1C Many-Haired, S-59, BN
- 1794 1C Head of '94, S-59, RB
- 1794 1C Patagonian, S-60, BN
- 1794 1C Patagonian, S-61, BN
- 1794 1C Head of '94, S-61, RB
- 1794 1C Trephined Head, S-62, BN
- 1794 1C Fallen 4, S-63, BN
- 1794 1C Shielded Hair, S-65, BN
- 1794 1C Split Pole, S-66, BN
- 1794 1C NC-1, BN
- 1794 1C NC-2, BN
- 1794 1C NC-5, BN
- 1794 1C NC-6, BN
- 1794 1C NC-8, BN
- 1794 1C NC-9, BN
- 1794 1C NC-10, BN
- 1794 1C NC-11, BN
Condition Census What Is This?
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#1 PCGS MS63BN
Virgil M. Brand; Carl Wurtzbach, 1938; Dr. William H. Sheldon, April 1972; R.E. “Ted” Naftzger, Jr., February 1992; Eric Streiner; Anthony Terranova; Dr. Allen Bennett, 1999; As PCGS MS-63BN #13457909. “The Walter J. Husak Collection,” Heritage, February 2008, Lot 2046 – $40,250. Husak Collection on insert; William Mitchell; Heritage Auctions, January 10, 2019, Lot 4327 – $45,600; "The Walter J. Husak and the Liberty Cap Foundation," Heritage Auctions, January 4, 2024, Lot 2038 - $43,200; "The Colonel Steven K. Ellsworth Collection," Heritage Auctions, January 8, 2026, Lot 2049 - $48,800; Terry S. Denman. S-44. Die State IV. |
|
#1 PCGS MS63BN
As "Uncirculated." "The Clarence S. Bement Collection," Henry Chapman, May 1916, Lot 293 - $23. As "Uncirculated." "The Arthur L. Gray Collection," J.C. Morgenthau, February 1939, Lot 560 - $24. As "MS60." "The Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection," Bowers & Merena, May 1996, Lot 496 - $20,900. As PCGS MS63BN #32788981. "The Tom Reynolds Collection," Goldberg Auctioneers, January 30, 2016, Lot 28 - $20,562.50; Chris Victor-McCawley; Michael S. Gasvoda. As PCGS MS63BN #25611798. "The Arizona Collection," Heritage Auctions, January 12, 2022, Lot 3008 - $30,000. As PCGS MS63BN #43829162. Byron Milstead. S-44. Die State V. |
#3 PCGS AU58BN
S-44. Die State V. |
|
#3 PCGS AU58BN
S-44. Die State V. |
#3 PCGS AU58BN
"The Édouard Frossard Collection," Édouard Frossard, October 1884, Lot 875 - $420 (sold as set of lots 850 to 900); T. Harrison Garrett , 1888; Robert Garrett, 1919; John Work Garrett, 1942; Johns Hopkins University; "The Garrett Collection," Bowers and Ruddy, November 1979, Lot 65; Tom Morley, September 1980; John W. Adams; Bowers and Ruddy Galleries, Fixed Price List 1982, Lot 38; Anthony Terranova; "The Herman Halpern Collection," Stack's, March 1988, Lot 60; Dr. George E. Ewing, Jr. As "AU50." "The Tom Morley Collection," Superior Galleries, February 1, 1994, Lot 781; Jeff Isaac; Chris Victor-McCawley; "The Dr. Wallace Lee Collection," Superior Galleries, May 25, 2003, Lot 375; As PCGS AU58BN #81233606. "The Jon Alan Boka Collection of 1794 Large Cents," Heritage Auctions, September 7, 2016, Lot 5329 - $20,562.50. S-44. Die State III. |
#3 PCGS AU58BN
Bowers and Merena, December 2005, Lot 1038; Chris Victor-McCawley, February 2006; "The Haig Koshkarian Collection," Goldberg Auctioneers, February 2017, Lot 9 - $10,575; Chris Victor-McCawley; Heritage Auctions, January 15, 2025, Lot 3818 - $10,200. S-44. Die State V. |
#7 PCGS AU55BN
"The Richard August Collection," Stack's Bowers, April 1, 2025, Lot 3006 - $8,400; Thomas A. Evert. S-44. Die State IV. |
#7 PCGS AU55BN
As PCGS AU55BN #10783342. "The Hill Country Collection," Heritage Auctions, January 3, 2007, Lot 356 - $7,475. As PCGS AU55BN #36048761. S-44. |
#7 PCGS AU55BN
S-44. |
#7 PCGS AU55BN
S-44. Die State V. |
The 1794 Liberty Cap Cent, Sheldon 44, Short Bust
The Sheldon 44 (#35597) is one of the most frequently encountered 1794 Liberty Cap Cent die marriages. It is the more common of the two marriages utilizing Obverse Die 19, the "Short Bust" die. As this was the second deployment of the die, every example shows an obverse die crack that extends up to and along the cap to the rim. As the die deteriorated, a branch crack extended through the cap, followed by various ancillary failures.
Identifying Characteristics
Obverse 19
Dr. Edward Maris famously designated this variety the "Short Bust" because the loop under the bust truncation—present on all other 1794 varieties—is notably missing. Other diagnostics specific to this hand-cut die include:
- Date Alignment: The tips of the numerals 1 and 4 touch the bust above.
- Hair Detail: Liberty’s hair is wavy with short, distinct locks.
Reverse S
Sheldon 44 represents the sole use of Reverse S. Two prominent features easily differentiate it from the other "Short Bust" marriage, Sheldon 43 (#35594)). The Reverse S die features seven berries, including a large, pronounced "naked-eye" berry to the left of the C in CENT.
Die State
On Sheldon 44, the obverse is almost universally found in a cracked state, with cracks extending through the left side of Liberty’s cap and bisecting the 1 and 7 of the date. While the reverse can be found both with and without failures, it most frequently exhibits a prominent crack running from the border (to the left of the O in OF) down to the N in ONE.
As a common R-1 variety, the S-44 is the most frequently encountered marriage utilizing Obverse 19. It serves as an excellent representative example for collectors specializing in 1794 copper varieties.
Collecting the 1794 S-44 Cent
Even though the S-44 is a common variety by 1794 cent standards, the existence of so few Mint State examples speaks to the challenge advanced Type Set collectors face in building out their early copper sections. While the finest known examples of many varieties are held in the collection of the American Numismatic Society (ANS), that is not the case for the S-44, due to the presence of corrosion on the reverse of the Clapp coin. Instead, the two finest known specimens are the Virgil Brand and Clarence S. Bement coins, both graded PCGS MS63BN. A number of beautiful examples are also noted in the high AU grades.
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Regency XIX Preview | Legend Rare Coin Auctions | December 15, 2016
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