Pre-Long Beach Auction #84

1804 C-2 R6 AG3. Off-Center Tab Strike. Slightly sharper, especially on the reverse, but there is an area of roughness left of the hair ribbon. No verdigris and only minor contact marks, including several tiny pinpricks in the field above the bust. Recolored a mostly glossy chocolate brown with bluish steel overtones. The date is weak but easily readable and the legends are complete except for the I in UNITED, which is gone (the left edge of the reverse is always weakly struck on this variety). This piece appears to have been struck normally and then struck a second time way off center creating a tab on the rim left of the lower curls. The die struck the obverse rim while the opposing reverse rim was pressed into a new planchet. E-MDS, Manley state 1.0 late. There is a die crack through the top of IBERTY to the rim over the Y, and the area over TY is just starting to sink. The reverse is rotated 20 degrees CW, which is typical for the variety. About 25 examples are known of this very rare variety, and most of those are in low grade.
Estimated Value $6,000-UP.