1831 Matron Head Cent. N-12. Rarity-1. Large Letters. MS-64 BN (NGC).

Deep chocolate-brown evenly and equally overlays both the obverse and reverse. Lustrous and very attractive, the strike is boldly detailed, especially at the centers. The obverse cracks have noticeably thickened around nearly the entire periphery, including the radial crack connecting star 4 to the rim. Near star 13, the leftmost branching radial crack connects solidly to the rim, the rightmost, extending off the lower right point of the star itself, like-wise extends fully to the rim. The area these cracks outline has begun to sink in this state, forming a low plateau. The pebbly texture through the portrait is well pronounced on this choice piece. A partial double profile is seen at the forehead, tip of the nose, lips and upper chin. Seemingly missing from the Noyes Census data, but likely among the best dozen or so examples of the variety. This die state, however, is quite scarce. Just three coins are listed in the Census, and this one would easily be the second finest.

PCGS# 36988. NGC ID: 225M.

From the Birdwatcher Type Set, with a portion of the proceeds to benefit The Nature Conservancy. Earlier from our (Bowers and Ruddy's) Roy Harte Collection sale, January 1983, lot 607; Heritage's sale of the Wes Rasmussen Collection, January 2005 FUN Signature Sale, lot 3596.