1799 Draped Bust Cent - 1799/8 Overdate

Coin Details

Auction Record

Description

This is the 1799/8 overdate variety of the 1799 Draped Bust Cent. Dies were expensive, and a serviceable die left over at the end of a year was often kept and re-dated rather than destroyed: the new digits were punched directly over the old ones. The earlier date survives underneath wherever its strokes fall outside the digits punched over it, which is why an overdate is read from the shapes that do not belong to the date as printed. The effect is in the die, so every coin struck from it carries the same remnant in the same position. Any mintage given below counts the entire issue for this date and mint, not this variety: a variety comes from one die or a few, and how many coins they struck was never separately recorded. The 1799 Draped Bust Cent - 1799/8 Overdate represents a Philadelphia Mint issue from the Draped Bust Cents 1796-1807 series. The obverse features Liberty facing right with draped bust and ribbon-bound hair, designed after a Gilbert Stuart portrait and the reverse displays a wreath enclosing ONE CENT and fraction 1/100. How many coins carry this variety is unknown, and any figure for the 1799 Draped Bust Cent counts the whole issue rather than this variety. Two of the three 1799 die marriages have the 1799/8 overdate. Struck in copper, weighing 10.89 grams, 28 mm in diameter, with a plain edge. Cataloged as PCGS #1446.