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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Insider, post: 4889019, member: 24314&quot;]Rexford, posted: &quot;I can understand approaching new discoveries with a grain of salt, but when would this have been done? It was photographed in a 1987 auction, engravings and all, as part of a collection that was amassed in Philadelphia circa 1891-1901 and sold posthumously almost a century later by the estate of the collector. [<i><span style="color: #660066">If we disregard the &quot;Grandmother Story&quot; we know the coin showed up in a 1987 auction</span></i>.]&nbsp; In that collection it took the spot of the 1843 Petite Head Small Letters type in a date/major variety set. It is also a proof of which only 15-20 were produced, so damaging it post-mint would be very unfortunate [<i><span style="color: #660066">that&#039;s a + and IMHO the <b><span style="color: #b30000">ONLY</span></b> valid reason this might be a special coin.&nbsp; But in 1843 it was just a Proof cent w/no known mintage.&nbsp; Perhaps done as a caprice.] -</span></i> and since it was neither sold by the collector who purchased it in the 1890s, nor apparently described by him to be anything other than a damaged proof, it would not make sense to do so. [<i><span style="color: #660066">So a collector described this coin in his collection in 1890?&nbsp; If so that dates when it was altered outside the Mint - if that&#039;s the case.&nbsp; Eighteenth Century and early Nineteenth Century engravers were much better than folks alive today.&nbsp; This piece is rather crude for their work.] </span></i>Additionally, the engraving is so expertly done [<img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie46" alt=":facepalm:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /><img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie96" alt=":vomit:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />] that the surfaces of the piece are otherwise undamaged and original, and it mimics known Mint processes as described above. There is also the fact that the engravings show observable stages in the development of the final design. In sum, all signs point to it being original.&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p>As I wrote, Jackpot!&nbsp; PCGS agrees.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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