1795 Large Cent - 1795 1C Plain Edge PCGS AU58 CAC. 1795 Large Cent, Plain Edge, S-78. This eye-appealing near-Mint State, Plain Edge, Liberty Cap 1795 Large Cent comes with the provenance of the Paul Gerrie Collection. The coin is chocolate brown with mint luster remaining within its devices. The surfaces are hard, original, and clean with no individual abrasion marks worthy of mention or other distractions. The strike is strong with complete strands of hair and strong leaf details. The CAC sticker tells us that this is a premium quality piece that fully merits the assigned grade.

The S-78, a Plain Edge variety, is identified by the top of the 5 barely touching the bust. The full curve of its upper part is visible. The pole is long and reaches the border. LIBERTY is closely spaced. The left foot of the Y is over the juncture of the hair and forehead. The reverse shows ONE CENT central within the wreath. There are 3 berries on the right branch and 4 on the left. Both branches terminate in a single leaf.

The Liberty Cap Large Cent was designed by Joseph Wright and modified by John Smith Gardner. It was minted from 1793 to 1796. It shows a head of Liberty in profile facing left. Her hair falls in separated strands behind her shoulder. The wavy hair from her forehead is brushed back. A Phrygian or Liberty cap is in on a pole over her left shoulder. The end of the pole is visible alongside of the bust. The reverse shows an open wreath of laurel tied with a bow. Within the wreath, on two lines, is the denomination, ONE CENT. The legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA surrounds the wreath at the periphery. At the bottom, between the ribbon ends is the fraction 1/100. There are dentils on both sides of the coin, and the edge is plain.

Joseph Wright was a skilled engraver, painter, and sculptor. He painted several portraits of Benjamin Franklin that were lost at sea when a ship he was on ran aground during his return voyage to America from France. When he returned home, he created a bronze bust of George Washington. Later he moved to Philadelphia where he began working at the Mint in 1792. He was commissioned as a draughtsman and die sinker; although, everyone considered him to be the Chief Engraver. Unfortunately both he and his wife died in September 1793 as a result of the yellow fever epidemic that annually plagued Philadelphia.

John Smith Gardner was an Assistant Mint Engraver from 1794 to 1796. Very little is known about his personal life. He was never fully commissioned, and it is not known how much engraving work was done by Gardner and how much was Robert Scots. Some researchers feel that Gardner did most of the work during this time. Gardner resigned from the Mint in March 1796 and was rehired for a short time in the summer.

The Paul Gerrie Large Cent Collection was auctioned in February 2013. The auctioneers said that, Mr. Gerrie is a true connoisseur of old copper, and the coins in his collection reflect his passion for originality and high-quality early large cents.The results of the Gerrie Collection sale helped prove two facts: (1)The market for early-date large cents is as strong as ever. (2)High quality and good eye appeal inevitably lead to strong sale prices for copper coins.

In its population report, PCGS shows 1 1795 S-78 Large Cent in AU58 condition with only 3 theoretically higher. At CAC, as of June 2013, there are 5 1795 Plain Edge Large Cents confirmed at the AU58 grade level with only 2 higher. This is a very rare early American copper and among the nicest of the survivors.