Ex Tom Bay, Sr., Robinson S. Brown, Jr. and Donald Parsley.An evenly worn, naturally toned example of this rarity. Smooth surfaces aside from a nick between 5 and 0 of the denomination. The soft strike is unavoidable. Both dies were well worn from prior use. With but 20 to 25 pieces known most die variety collectors await an opportunity to acquire a “137.” The O.137 is the 3rd rarest 1827, after the 1827 O.148 and O.149. BHNC pioneer Tom Bay Sr. found this coin when less than a half dozen were known. His collection was rife with rarities at the time I purchased it in 1991. Robbie Brown was at the ready, gobbling up most of Tom’s R.5 and R.6 die pairs. We concluded the transaction in his Beverly Hills hotel room, where Robbie and his son were visiting from Kentucky during one of Superior’s major bust half auctions. The coin next appeared in MB 15, lot 53, the third of my auctions to feature Robbie’s coins. Don Parsley prevailed at $5,390. Infrequent auction appearances of this variety are replete with problem coins. I count 8 such outcasts in Herrman’s most recent AMBPR. A darkly toned PCGS F.15 sold for $8,525 in August 2022 [Great Collect (D.S. Registry) lot 1149969].
Estimate: $3,500 and up
Auction Ended
High Bid
Maximum Bid
Total Price
$4,007
Reserve met
$4,007
$4,408
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Sheridan Downey, Numismatist 4400 Keller Ave.,
Suite 140, PMB 398 Oakland, California 94605 sdowney3@aol.com (510) 479-1585
