Before 1968, nobody knew it existed.
That year, numismatist Jules Reiver discovered an apparently unique large cent that will be included among the varieties being offered by Heritage Numismatic Auctions at its Jan. 23-28 Signature Auction.
?Since Jules Reiver discovered this previously unknown variety in 1968,? said Mark Borckardt, senior cataloger for Heritage, ?not a single additional example has come to light ? and hundreds of specialists have been searching through thousands of coins. In fact, there has never even been a rumor of another. While there have been many discovery pieces in numismatics over time, they are typically followed by additional examples as numismatists closely examine every possible coin. Even more atypically, Mr. Reiver left us an extremely detailed description of the discovery and his thought process.?
The Jules Reiver Collection is featured in the auction, which is being held at Heritage?s world headquarters in Dallas, Texas. The Signature Auction will contain more than 4,000 varieties from Reiver?s collection, with thousands more offered in the accompanying online session.
Reiver?s detailed description of his discovery appeared in the November 1968 issue of Penny-Wise.
Reiver?s article was immediately followed by a complete discussion of the new variety by Walter Breen, who also revised the emission order for these coins based on this new discovery. He entered the specimen in his notes as NC-7, ? ... a unique and new variety of 1797,? wrote Reiver.
For more information about Heritage?s auctions, and a complete record of prices realized, along with photos , please visit Permanent Auction Archives at www.HeritageGalleries.com. To reserve a Heritage auction catalog, please contact Nicole Jewell at 1-800-872-6467, ext. 272, or visit HeritageGalleries.com to order by email.
