Extremely Rare NGC-certified Silver Continental Dollar Offered in April Partrick Collection Sale

An extremely rare Silver Continental Dollar is among the exceptional coins and medals certified by Numismatic Guaranty Corporation® (NGC®) that are being offered from the incomparable collection of Donald G. Partrick this month. Bidding is already underway for the Heritage Auctions sale, being held April 22-25, 2021.

The 1776 Continental Dollars comprise a highly prized niche of early American numismatics. They were struck in silver, brass and pewter, with a sundial design and various spellings of CONTINENTAL CURRENCY on the obverse. The reverse shows 13 linked circles representing the 13 colonies, surrounding the words WE ARE ONE.

1776 Silver Continental Dollar graded NGC VF 35 and pedigreed to the Romano and Partrick Collections Click images to enlarge

Only four are known to be struck in silver, including the two Newman 1-C examples, which are distinguished by the CURENCY spelling on the obverse, among other design variations. The Newman 1-C in this sale is graded NGC VF 35 and also pedigreed to the Romano Collection (lot 3034).

The other Newman 1-C, which has a slightly higher grade of NGC XF 40, was also once part of the Partrick Collection. In January 2015, it realized $1,527,500 — tied with a silver Newman 3-D example for the highest price among a dozen Continental Dollars from the Partrick Collection offered in that sale. The final silver example, also a Newman 3-D, realized $1.4 million in a 2014 sale of the Newman Collection.

In a series of sales that will soon conclude, thousands of coins, tokens and medals from the NGC-certified Partrick Collection have been offered to the public. These include the centerpiece of the collection, which is another highly sought-after rarity in early American numismatics: a Brasher Doubloon. The 1787 'EB' on Wing example graded NGC MS 65★ realized $9.36 million at a January 2021 sale, setting the record for a gold coin at auction. A 1786 Lima Style Brasher Doubloon graded NGC MS 61 realized $2.1 million in the same Heritage Auctions sale.

The Partrick Collection is also renowned for rarities dating to the earliest years of the US Mint. The current sale includes a 1796 No Pole Half Cent graded NGC MS 63+ BN and pedigreed to the Whitney Collection (lot 3621). It is one of only four known in Mint State, according to Heritage Auctions.

1796 No Pole Half Cent graded NGC MS 63+ BN and pedigreed to the Whitney and Partrick Collections Click images to enlarge

With a mintage of a mere 1,390, the 1796 Half Cents are by far the scarcest of the five-year Liberty Cap series, the inaugural Half Cent issued by the Mint. Of the two varieties of 1796 Half Cents, the No Pole variety is more elusive.

The 1796 No Pole Half Cents are notable both for a die crack bisecting the obverse and for the omission of the pole that should have started at the cap to the left of Liberty's head and then re-emerged into view to the right of her neck.

The sale includes another 1796 Half Cent pedigreed to Whitney — this one a With Pole variety graded NGC MS 65 RB (lot 3624). Bidding for it had already reached $145,000 two weeks before the auction.

1796 With Pole Half Cent graded NGC MS 65 RB and pedigreed to the Whitney and Partrick Collections Click images to enlarge

About a dozen of the 1796 With Pole Half Cents exist in Mint State, according to a Heritage Auctions estimate. They also include an example graded NGC MS 62 BN pedigreed to Brand (lot 3265) that will be offered moments after the higher-graded one. This auction is the first in over two decades to feature three Mint State 1796 Half Cents.

The sale also includes a more-modern rarity: a 1943 Bronze Cent graded NGC AU 55 BN, which was struck on a previous year's planchet rather than the expected zinc-coated steel. Only a handful of examples of this famous Transitional Error are known, and they typically command six-figure sums at auction. (To learn more about this error, click here.)

Other NGC-certified highlights from the Partrick Collection in this sale include:

• a 1776 Pewter Continental Dollar (Newman 1-B) graded NGC MS 63 and pedigreed to the Picker Collection (lot 3032)
• a 1792 Eagles and Stars Silver Washington President Pattern graded NGC XF 40 and pedigreed to the Parmelee and Green Collections (lot 3043)
• a 1792-dated Silver Oval George Washington Peace Medal certified by NGC as Genuine and pedigreed to the Brand and Partrick Collections (lot 3056)
• a 1793 Half Cent graded NGC MS 64+ BN (lot 3592)
• a 1795 Plain Edge Half Cent graded NGC MS 62 BN and pedigreed as the Alvord Discovery Coin (lot 3611)
• an (1800) Gold Washington Funeral Medal graded NGC AU Details and pedigreed to the Garrett Collection (lot 3051)
• a circa 1817 Beaver Club of Montreal Medal certified by NGC as Genuine (lot 3060)
• an 1818 New York Washington Market Chowder Club Medal graded NGC MS 64 and pedigreed to the Garrett Collection (lot 3053)
• an 1842 Original Half Cent graded NGC PF 66★ RD and pedigreed to the Norweb Collection (lot 3739)
• an 1861 Confederate States of America Original Cent graded NGC PF 62 and pedigreed to the Hanson Collection (lot 3065)

Related Links:

• NGC Coin Explorer: Continental Dollars
• Partrick Collection Image Gallery: Continental Dollars
• NGC Coin Explorer: Liberty Cap Half Cents