Finest Known 1799 B-11 Dollar Being Offered in Heritage's 2007 Charlotte ANA Signature Auction

Dallas, TX: A lustrous 1799 "No Berries" Bust Dollar, certified by PCGS as MS66 and quite possibly the finest survivor of the entire annual mintage, is being offered by Heritage Auction Galleries in its 35th Official ANA Auction in Charlotte, March 15-17, 2007. The variety has been attributed as a Bolender-11, BB-161 with an R.3 rarity rating, and will be sold as Lot 889. The auction is currently available online at www.HA.com.

"This is a stunning Premium Gem," noted Heritage President Greg Rohan, "possibly tied for finest known with just one other 1799 of a different variety. It is extraordinary for its quality and aesthetic appeal, and while the Population Report shows two examples, it is difficult to image that any coin could be finer than this superlative example. For sheer aesthetics, one is tempted to extend the description as one of the finest known Bust dollars period! The strike from the Mint's screw-press is sharp and nicely centered, with full and complete dentils around the entire circumference of both sides. On the obverse, every star is fully detailed, and all hair strands - including the tiny secondary strands between the main locks - are complete and sharp. On the reverse, all of the stars are full including complete centers; this specimen clearly demonstrates the engraver's shallow punch of star 1 at the left end of the top row. Every feather in the eagle's wings is fully delineated, the breast feathers are complete and clear, and the tail feathers are fully present."

The reverse on the Bolender-11 variety is known as "No Berries," lacking any trace of berries in the olive branch. One berry stem is visible, but despite Bolender's contention that one tiny berry could be seen, there is no evidence of any berries on this superbly struck example. It is known that when this reverse die was first engraved, it evidenced the berries seen in its earlier uses for BB-158 and 159. Lapping of the die afterwards apparently removed the berries and weakened other details.

The B-11 variety is common, with a total known population of about 400 coins, but it is extremely difficult to locate in the highest grades. Dave Bowers listed only four Mint State examples under the "Notable Specimens" section of his 1993 Silver Dollar Encyclopedia. These included the F.C.C. Boyd specimen (Numismatic Gallery, 1945) that later appeared in the Harold Bareford sale; the Davis-Graves example (Stack's, 1954) that went to A.J. Ostheimer; the S.S. Forest, Jr. Collection coin (Stack's, 1972); and an example sold by Hollinbeck-Kagin in their June 1970 sale. The Boyd specimen was listed as MS63 and the others each as MS60. This example does not match the plates for any of those pieces, and it is easily the finest known example of this die variety, and may be the finest known 1799 silver dollar of any variety.

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