1837 Large Cent - 1837 1C, Head of 1838, PCGS MS66BN CAC, N-9. This Superb Gem 1837 Large Cent comes with the provenance of the famous Naftzger Collection. It is tied for the finest known at PCGS, NGC, and CAC. The coin is a light chocolate brown with highlights of blue, orange, and gold. These colors prove the coins originality. The surfaces are hard, glossy, and pristine, as expected for a coin of this magnitude. Other than die cracks, which do not diminish the grade, the surfaces are immaculate even with the aid of magnification. The vibrancy of this piece cannot be overstated. It sparkles with the lovely sheen of bright mint luster. The strike is incredible with full details on all but one of the stars, Libertys hair, and leaves of the wreath. The dentils are strong on both sides. The CAC sticker confirms that the coin is of premium quality and fully deserves the assigned grade.

The 1837 N-9 variety is identified by beaded hair cords. The date is close with a tall 1 that is near the bust. There are several die cracks on the obverse. One is from the field to the left of 1 in the date across the bust and hair to Star 8. A second goes from the rim to Star 1 to Libertys nose, forehead, and the bases between L and I in LIBERTY. A forked crack is seen between Stars 7 and 8. Another is seen from Star 12 to the rim near Star 11. The reverse uses small letters. The first S in STATES is very low. There is a die crack from the rim that touches the top of the A in STATES to the wreath below the T and then to the first A in AMERICA. A faint crack joins the bases of AM and RI in AMERICA.    

Designed by Christian Gobrecht, the coin shows Liberty facing left in profile. She wears a LIBERTY inscribed coronet and her hair is tied in beads. She is surrounded by thirteen six-pointed stars with the date below. The reverse shows a closed wreath of laurel within which is the denomination written on two lines as ONE CENT. Around the wreath is the inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Dentils are on both sides of the coin, and the edge is plain.

Gobrecht was the third Chief Engraver at the United States Mint. He was born in Hanover, Pennsylvania in 1785. His father was a German immigrant, and his mother traced her ancestry to the early settlers of Plymouth, Massachusetts. Gobrecht married Mary Hewes in 1818. One of his early positions was as an engraver of clocks in Baltimore. Later he went to Philadelphia where he became a banknote engraver. He invented a machine that allowed one to convert a three-dimensional medal into an illustration. This was an excellent job and Gobrecht was understandably reluctant to work for the Mint for less money than he was making at the engraving firm. In order to persuade him to leave, Mint Director Robert Patterson prevailed upon Chief Engraver William Kneass, who had had a stroke, to take less in salary so more money would be available to hire Gobrecht on a permanent basis. In 1826 Gobrecht did his first work for the Mint as an assistant to Kneass. After Kneass stroke, Gobrecht did all the die and pattern work for the Mint. He became Chief Engraver in 1840 and served until his death in 1844. He was famous for his Liberty Seated motif, which was used for all denominations of silver coinage including the half-dime, dime, quarter dollar, half dollar and silver dollar. He also designed the Liberty Head gold eagle, a motif that was also used on the half-cent, the cent, the gold quarter eagle, and the gold half eagle. 

Naftzger was considered the King of United States Large Cents. According to the PCGS Registry, his collection of Large Cents was the result of a five decade scholarly and relentless pursuit of the best. He kept meticulous notes on all the cents in his collection and any other high grade specimens that he encountered. The Naftzger large cent collection was one of the greatest collecting accomplishments in numismatic history. He was able to achieve this feat by purchasing several important collections in the 1950s and 1960s and then auctioning the lesser duplicates.

In its population report, PCGS shows the present coin, the 1837 N-9 and two others in MSBN66 condition with none finer. At NGC there is only 1 in MSBN66 condition. These numbers do not account for crossovers and resubmissions. At CAC, as of June 2013, there are 4 Head of 1738 Large Cents confirmed in MSBN66 condition; however, CAC does not distinguish among die varieties for Large Cents.