J-1 1C 1792 SILVER CENTER CENT PCGS MS67BN GARRETT-SIMPSON

Legend Numismatics is honored and humbled to offer the FINEST example of this extremely rare pattern issue from the earliest days of the U.S. Mint. This is coin is a real tangible link to the famous founders of our great nation, men whose names are familiar and well recognized: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, Henry Voigt, and David Rittenhouse. The silver center cent planchet is made of copper with an intrinsic value of ¼ of a cent, with a silver plug in the center with the intrinsic value of ¾ of a cent. The act of Congress that created the Mint also provided for the weight standards of each denomination. Struck in medal turn, with a reeded edge, as usually seen. This coin has a chiseled strike, each hair curl, dentil and vast majority of leaves full rendered by the pressure from the newly installed screw press. For a coin, struck during the earliest days of the mint, the planchet was carefully prepared, dies polished, and given a precision strike. The surfaces are distinctly reflective copper brown, showing a clear, semi-prooflike texture. There are a few, very minor inclusions in the planchet, as made, otherwise the surfaces are of exceptional color and quality! This gorgeous coin ranks up there with the Rittenhouse-Cardinal MS68 half disme and Floyd Starr SP67 half disme for the absolute finest survivor of the 1792 pattern coins. Exceptionally rare, there are fourteen traced examples, of which this, the Col. Ellsworth-John W. Garrett-intermediaries-Bob Simpson, is the absolute top of the census. This coin has not sold publicly since March 1981. At the 2012 FUN convention, Legend Numismatics sold this coin to Mr. Simpson for $5 million! The next finest is the Norweb-Jung coin which is now graded MS65 that was reportedly “bought back” by the consignor for $2 million in the August 2014 Heritage auction. The Silver Center Cent is one of the most famous and historic pieces of the 1792 issues, a concept that was conceived by Thomas Paine in a letter to Thomas Jefferson in 1790, and struck in limited numbers within the confines of the first U.S. Mint in Philadelphia, on December 17, 1792. Jefferson sent a note with two examples to President Washington which said, “Th. Jefferson has the honor to send the President 2 cents maid on Voigt’s plan, by putting a plug of silver worth ¾ of a cent into a copper worth ¼ of a cent. Mr. Rittenhouse is to make a few by mixing the same plug by fusion with the same quantity of copper. He will then make a copper alone of the same size and lastly he will make the real cent, as ordered by congress, four times as big. Specimens of these several ways of making the cent will be delivered to the Committee of Congress now having that subject before them.” This superlative Judd-1 Silver Center Cent PCGS MS67 BN CAC is a true American Numismatic treasure of museum quality. With the impressive Colonel Ellsworth, Garrett, Simpson pedigree and stunning eye appeal, this coin will serve as a centerpiece to any major collection, just as it has throughout its history. To have a true tangible link to such luminaries as Jefferson, Washington, Paine, and Rittenhouse transcends numismatic rarity and is desirable to anyone with an interest in early federal history. Unquestionabley, this specimen is the FINEST of ALL the 1792 coinage that exists! No question it was carefully passed down and safely stored for its 224 year survival. This piece  is more then worthy of being designated an M67. It really puts more “modern” coins from the 1890’s to shame. Both sides are a totally original even brown with faint hints of red by the features. You never ever see that on coins from 1792! The silver cent plug looks fabulous and almost 3-D. The eye appeal of this coin is incredible! If there ever were to be a coin that could talk, we wish it was this one. No question this piece was made a presentation for the likes of Washington, Jefferson, etc. A person with scientific knowledge pointed out to us Washington and Jefferson’s DNA are probably on this coin! HOW FREAKIN COOL!!!! Here is the ultimate once in a life time opportunity to own a TRUE museum piece if there ever was one (one of the first US coins ever struck)! No other coin even comes close to this coins quality, rarity, or prestige.We consider its stature to be even greater in significance then ANY 1804 $!