What the heck... I'm on a roll. Here's another consignment coin which looks like we won't have for long. Thought I would post it up as a good segue into some interesting trivia about Chain cents.
What's really thrilling is it's a Sheldon-2. This is the rarest of the Sheldon chain cents at r.4+, encountered far less frequently than the more sought-after S-1 AMERI. This obverse die was used on the first two varieties of Chain cents. The first, S-1, is the famous "AMERI" cent. It's the very first circulation strike coin made by the US Mint, and the first in the new mint building. This obverse die is characterized by the "widest date" of the Chain cents. One give-away is the space 'twixt the 7 and 9 is wider than the 9. Another key to attribution - check the R in LIBERTY. If it's rotated clockwise (leaning to right), it's a Sheldon-3, the most common of the chain cents at r.3.
Yep. Along with wider even spacing of both the LIBERTY and 1 7 93. It is the best engraved Chain of the 4. S-1 Ameri. S-3 Uneven spacing S-4 Periods That S-2 is the best of the bunch.
Interesting piece of trivia right there. Henry Voigt is credited with engraving these dies. Problem is, he was a coiner, not an engraver; those skill sets are quite different. Since an engraver could not be found, Voigt was pressed into service. For obvious reasons, the design had to as simple as possible. And here's the really amazing part - there was no master hub or die of any kind. The design was first sketched directly onto the die face and engraved right there. For this reason, the portrait of Liberty is quite different on each die.
I will keep my eyes peeled ! I would love to add a third coin to the NC-1 population... until then, I got nuthin' !!! "...and when ya got nuthin, ya got nuthin' to l-o-s-e..." - Bob Dylan
