1803 Draped Bust Cent - Brunk S-335 J.L. Shaw Boston
Strike Type
Coin Details
Value Estimates
Values as of May 2026 — estimates reflect typical grades (G-4 through MS-67). Coins in lower or exceptional grades may fall outside this range.
Auction Record
$60 FR2BN 02-03-2022 Stack's Bowers
Description
This 1803 Draped Bust Cent bears a merchant counterstamp attributed to J.L. Shaw Boston, cataloged as Brunk S-335. Counterstamps were applied to circulating coins by merchants, silversmiths, and tradesmen as a form of portable advertising — the business card of early America. The J.L. Shaw Boston stamp identifies a business operating in Shaw Boston, one of many merchants who used coin counterstamping to advertise their trade. The host coin is a 1803 cent from the Draped Bust Cents 1796-1807 series. The host coin's original mintage was 398,000, though counterstamped examples represent only a tiny fraction of survivors. Struck in copper, 23.5 mm in diameter. Cataloged as PCGS #843963. Counterstamped coins documented in Gregory G. Brunk's "American and Canadian Countermarked Coins" sit at the intersection of numismatics and Americana — each piece is a primary-source historical document of early American commerce. The counterstamp adds a unique layer of provenance that distinguishes this coin from all other examples of its type.
