1818/5 Capped Bust Quarter Dollar, Mint State-66 (PCGS)
Browning 1, Ex James A. Stack - Reed Hawn, Finest Known

Browning 1 - 1818/5 Overdate, with remnants of a prior 5 visible, including the top flag of the 5 within the upper loop of the final 8. Lower left serifs of both 1s in date defective. Reverse with left end of scroll under upright of D, and 5 in denomination with long flag, unlike any other reverse of 1818. Reverse die clashed and cracked, with the most prominent crack from the rim through the T in UNITED, through the scroll just left of I, piercing the eagle's beak, down to the top left corner of the shield and along the left edge, finally thinning as it passes through the arrow feathers below.

Delicate, natural, iridescent toning of greenish-blue, gold, olive and violet nearly covers the surfaces, yet does not obscure the original frosty mint luster underneath. Liberty's central hair curls and the opposing eagle's neck feathers are bluntly struck, which is typical of this issue. Contact marks are both trivial and few, with none prominent enough to act as a pedigree marker. Overall, this is an exceptionally beautiful Capped Bust Quarter.

PCGS has long reported only two coins certified MS-66 and none finer. This is easily the Finest Known, and superior to the Eliasberg 1818/5 ("Eliasberg II", Bowers and Merena, 4/1997:1367 @ $18,700 as "MS-64"), which is the other MS-66 certified by PCGS.

Provenance:

• James A. Stack (Stack's 3/1975: lot 12 @ $2,700 as "Brilliant Uncirculated gem.")
• Reed Hawn (Stack's 3/1977: lot 266 @ $3,400 as "Brilliant Uncirculated gem.")
• Ed Milas (RARCOA)
• ONR Private Client