Lot 722
1844/81 N-2 R2 1844 over Inverted 1844 (44 over 81). NGC graded MS-64 Brown. Frosty bluish steel and olive brown with ample lighter brown toning peeking through on the obverse and generous traces of faded mint color remaining on the reverse. The only marks are a small spot of very fine carbon nestled inside the top of the R in LIBERTY and another on the rim at star 11.5, plus a few extremely faint ticks on the cheek. The strike is decent for this variety, which never comes fully impressed, but there is still some weakness on the coronet over LIB and at the top of the ear making it difficult to determine if there is any friction in those places. For that reason, our grade on this cent is AU58 rather than MS60, but the reverse is clearly mint state. MDS, die state b. Thanks to the high grade of this piece, evidence of the initially inverted date is visible on all 4 digits, clearest on the 44 where the inverted 18 appears as "81." Regardless of the moniker commonly used to identify the variety, this is an important cent for the collector of "Redbook" varieties. The attribution and 44 over 81 feature are noted on the NGC label.
Estimated Value $1,000-UP.
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| Realized $2,875 |
