1795 1C S-76b, Plain Edge, BN AU55BN Certification #50062636, PCGS #35723
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Expert Comments
Charles Morgan
The 1795 Liberty Cap Cent, Sheldon-76b
The Sheldon-76 die marriage (combining Obverse 3 and Reverse C) was used to strike both lettered-edge cents (Sheldon-76a, BN #35720) and plain-edge cents (Sheldon-76b, BN #35723). The lettered-edge variety is the scarcest die marriage among 1795 Lettered Edge cents, whereas the plain-edge version is the most common among Plain Edges. This is a classic early-date variety that knowledgeable copper collectors loved cherrypicking from unsuspecting coin shops in the 1950s and 1960s.
The obverse die features the flag of the "5" tucked into Liberty's bust truncation (a feature also shared Sheldon-73 (BN #35711)), alongside a shifted placement of LIBERTY over the head. However, the true giveaway for this variety is the high placement of ONE CENT on the reverse: ONE is tucked high, just below the upper inner leaves, with the left serif of the "N" in CENT positioned near the center point. Normally, ONE CENT is centered symmetrically within the wreath.
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Condition Census Learn More
#1 PCGS MS66BN
Rodney T. Grove; Robert Nofal and Lewis Kling; “Auction '81,” Superior Galleries, July 1981, Lot 511; Heritage, June 1989, Lot 959;' Anthony Terranova; William Shamhart, sold privately in June 2005; "The Thomas D. Reynolds Collection," Goldberg Auctioneers, June 2016, Lot 55 - $79,312.50. S-76b. |
#2 PCGS MS65BN
Allison W. Jackman; Allison W. Jackman Estate, 1917; “The Allison W. Jackman Collection,” Henry Chapman, June 1918, Lot 703 – $29; Henry Chapman; Dr. George P. French; French Collection to B. Max Mehl, by sale en bloc, 1929; “The Dr. George P. French Collection,” B. Max Mehl, Fixed Price List, 1930, Lot 88 – $75; Henry A. Sternberg; J.C. Morgenthau & Company, April 1933, Lot 12 – $17; T. James Clarke; Dr. William H. Sheldon; R.E. “Ted” Naftzger, Jr.; The R.E. ‘Ted’ Naftzger, Jr. Collection, by sale en bloc, April 1972; Eric Streiner, by sale en bloc via Stack’s, February 1992; Jay Parrino; W.M. “Jack” Wadlington, April 1996; Richard Burdick, by sale, December 2008. As PCGS MS65BN #32189854. “The D. Brent Pogue Family Collection, Part V,” Stack’s Bowers / Sotheby’s March 31, 2017, Lot 5102 – $51,700. S-76b. |
#3 PCGS MS64BN
As ANACS MS63BN. "The Medio and Da Costa Gomez Collections," Stack's, June 2004, Lot 2161; "The Johnson-Blue Collection," Stack's, August 8, 2010, Lot 198 - $10,350. As PCGS MS64BN #06623056. Heritage Auctions, August 12, 2015, Lot 3924 – $22,325. As PCGS MS64BN #25644762. Heritage Auctions, December 3, 2015, Lot 3014 – $24,686.75. S-76b. Sheldon number not attributed on the holder. |
#4 PCGS MS63+BN
Goldberg Auctioneers, February 1, 2016, Lot 56 - $16,450. S-76b. |
#5 PCGS MS63BN
Heritage Auctions, March 30, 1989, Lot 14 - $3190; Heritage Rare Coin Galleries; Heritage Auctions, October 5, 1989, Lot 31 - $3850; Del N. Bland, October 1989; "The G. Lee Kuntz Collection," Superior Galleries, October 6, 1991, Lot 86 - $5,500; "The Robinson S. "Robbie" Brown, Jr. Collection," Superior Galleries, Janaury 27, 1996, Lot 107 - $8,250; Chris Kromer; Superior Galleries, February 18, 2001, Lot 2154 - $7,187.50. As PCGS MS63BN #15004993. "The Colonel Steven Ellsworth Collection of U.S. Large Cents, 1793-1796," Heritage Auctions, Janaury 8, 2026, Lot 2083 - $16,470; "The Kirby Major US Coin Design Set" (PCGS Set Registry). S-76b. |