| Description: |
A bright and lustrous golden brown specimen with iridescent rose highlights on satiny
surfaces, and with some prooflike reflectivity in the protected areas. A fairly new and
rare variety; few specimens are currently known in any grade. The obverse displays two
very interesting features. A retained cud die break at the center, resembling a tiny
boomerang, is prominently displayed on the eagle’s wing. The presence of the cud makes
for an interesting variety in its own right (and coins bearing the cud were, indeed,
considered a separate variety for some time before a specimen was carefully re-examined;
see note below). Upon careful examination of the present high-grade specimen, lo and
behold, it was found that there were date numerals scattered in the eagle’s neck
feathers as well; that salient feature was first pointed out by the coin’s owner, Larry
Steve! We suspect the present coin may be the finest known example of the variety, though
it may well be that others will be discovered after this sale. We are pleased to present a
truly lovely Flying Eagle cent, a double variety if you will, and a coin with a tale to
tell about mid 19th-century minting technology.Obverse: 16: as described above, with date
numerals in neck and retained die cud. Reverse: V: no salient marks of note.This variety
was not listed in Snow’s reference in 1992, nor was it listed in the 1998 update of the
reference. Now listed as Snow-16 in The Flying Eagle & Indian Cent Attribution Guide
(2001; Second Edition; Volume I, 1856-1858), author Snow notes: "This variety was
initially listed because of the die cud in the center of the coin. Later, in the 1998
Fly-In Club attribution guide, this variety was delisted as cuds on their own were chosen
not to be listed as die varieties. Later, the misplaced digits were discovered by Larry
Steve. Some specialists are unsure if there are actually digits in the feathers because
the digits are well hidden amongst the feathers. The overlays presented should dispel the
critics.” Snow then presents photographic evidence using overlays of the date numerals
placed against the neck feathers of the eagle. The evidence is overwhelmingly convincing
(at least to this writer) that there are date numerals misplaced in the eagle’s neck
feathers. |
