1794 C5a R4+ Liberty Cap Half Cent PCGS EF40 Jim McGuigan collection

Description

Welcome to Earlycoppercoins!  I am the owner, Shawn A. Yancey, and I am a member of ANA and Early American Coppers, EAC #4647.  I am pleased to offer the following item:
Heritage 08/28/22 lot 3169 from the incredible Jim McGuigan collection, where it was described as: "1794 B-3b, C-5a Half Cent, XF40, Rare Late Die State.  1794 Normal Head, Small Edge Letters, B-3b, C-5a, High R.4, XF40 PCGS. Our EAC Grade VF30. Please refer to lot 3023 for equivalents, rarity, die, and edge descriptions.  Surfaces. Pleasing olive-brown surfaces exhibit scattered, grade-consistent marks with a microscopic vertical scratch along Liberty's upper hairline.  Die State. Manley Die State 2.0. The obverse shows clash marks in the usual locations with small defects at B and E of LIBERTY. The usual die state encountered for this variety is Manley's state 1.0 without clash marks. He describes this late die state as "Very rare."  Appearances. Illustrated at PCGS Coin Facts.  PCGS Population (6/2022). For all nine 1794 die pairs, PCGS has certified 44 examples in XF40, and 149 higher grade coins. However, among those attributed as B-3b, C-5a, this coin is the only XF40, with just two finer coins that grade MS63 Brown (also included in the McGuigan Collection) and MS64+ Brown.  Commentary. Finest known of the variety is the Missouri Cabinet coin that grades MS64+ PCGS. The other McGuigan Collection coin is the second finest known, followed by one or two coins in the XF45 to AU55 grade range.  McGuigan Commentary. Choice glossy dark brown surfaces. Late die state (M2.0) with clash marks around the portrait and with lump-like die defects between "BE" and at the lower left of "B" in LIBERTY.  Provenance. Ex: Gene Braig (4/29/1993); Michael Demling (5/2/2014).    Personality. Architect Michael Demling operates Michael Demling Associates, specialists in casino design for 30 years. Demling attended Kansas State University, earning a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1974. A collector and dealer in colonial coinage, Demling has provided bourse floor layouts for many of the annual Early American Coppers conventions. He is the author of important references including attribution guides for New Jersey coppers and U.S. half cents. From The James R. McGuigan Half Cent Collection."  I bid on several coins in the McGuigan sale but unfortunately this is the only prize I was able to claim!  One of the nicest 1794 C5a half cents that I have ever offered.  The C-5a Small Edge Letters attribution and McGuigan pedigree are each listed on the PCGS label.
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