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SELECTIONS FROM THE POGUE COLLECTION, PART I
My Stack's Bowers Pogue sale catalog (Part I) arrived the other day, and here are a few items that caught my eye (not like that aren't ALL worthy of attention, but I've picked a few).
-Editor
Lot 1002: 1794 Flowing Hair Half Dime 
1794 Flowing Hair Half Dime. Logan McCloskey-3. While the definition of what constitutes a Specimen has changed over time, the fact remains that a handful of special coins exists among coins struck at the Philadelphia Mint in the 18th century. They are distinctive not just for their grade, or their eye appeal, but for their method of manufacture and the care with which they were struck. Many, though not all, of these special coins happen to be from the first years of their design type. The reason they were produced was never recorded, and they rarely meet the modern definitions of what a “Proof coin” should be. However, experienced numismatists have long focused on these coins and elevated them, knowing that a scant few are just so clearly different from their ilk that particular forethought must have been involved in their creation. This is one such coin, a first-year half dime of the Flowing Hair type that represents the birth of the denomination and the design type as coined within the Philadelphia Mint. Enough high grade 1794 half dimes have survived to identify this specimen as unlike the others. Rather than the cool, rolling, frosty luster of a typical Mint State 1794 half dime (prize coins in their own right), this example is boldly and undeniably prooflike. While many early strikes show some level of reflectivity, this coin displays purposeful polishing of the planchet that reflects both planning and a high level of interest of this particular specimen’s aesthetics from before the die faces met its surfaces. Further, the strike is far in excess of what even a boldly struck Mint State coin exhibits, with full details in all feathers, every star center, every denticle, and every strand of hair. A lint mark is noted over the left wreath end, near U of UNITED. The die state is exceptionally early, as evidenced by the lack of the thin die crack that runs between stars 5 and 6 to the back of Liberty’s head on a diagonal through E of LIBERTY on the vast majority of coins.
To read the complete lot description, see:
Lot 1034: 1796 Draped Bust Dime 
1796 Draped Bust Dime. John Reich-4. Rarity-4. Mint State-66+ (PCGS). The finest example of a coin may not always be the prettiest, but this Superb Gem JR-4 1796 dime is almost certainly both... Pedigree: Provenance: The Malcolm N. Jackson Collection; United States Coin Company’s sale of the Malcolm N. Jackson Collection, May 1913, lot 1000; Hank Rogers Collection, likely acquired in the 1940s; Hank Rogers to Jimmy Hayes at the American Numismatic Association Convention in New Orleans, by sale, August 1972; Jimmy Hayes Collection; Stack’s sale of April 1983, lot 1139; Paramount’s session of Auction ’84, July 1984, lot 612; Foxfire Collection (Claude E. Davis, MD); acquired with the Foxfire Collection, en bloc, by sale, October 5, 2004.
To read the complete lot description, see:
Lot 1128: 1808 Capped Bust Left Quarter Eagle 
1808 Capped Bust Left Quarter Eagle. Bass Dannreuther-1. Celebrated by numismatists for over a century, this coin has been lavished with an embarrassing array of superlatives. Abe Kosoff called it “a dream coin, out of the famous Col. Green Collection,” further saying “to own this gem is to own a prize, indeed.” Its virtues have been sung by David Akers, Jimmy Hayes, and John Dannreuther (who broke his arm while accompanying Jimmy Hayes to buy this coin in 1983; luckily, the seller, Dr. Herbert Ketterman, was capable of setting the fracture). David Akers kept a framed photograph of this coin on his office wall. Provenance: Lorin G. Parmelee Collection, before 1890; New York Coin and Stamp Company’s sale of the Lorin G. Parmelee Collection, June 1890, lot 856; John Story Jenks Collection; Henry Chapman’s sale of the John Story Jenks Collection; December 1921, lot 5792 (plated); Col. E.H.R. Green Collection; Col. E.H.R. Green estate to Burdette G. Johnson, via Eric P. Newman; B. Max Mehl’s Golden Jubilee sale (Jerome Kern), May 1950, lot 11; Dr. J. Hewitt Judd to Dr. Herbert Ketterman; Dr. Ketterman to Jimmy Hayes in Kansas City, Missouri, via sale, 1982; Stack’s session of Auction ’84, July 1984, lot 1372; David W. Akers Inc.’s session of Auction ’89, July 1989, lot 1361.
To read the complete lot description, see:
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