Description
This is a VERY RARE GEORGE WASHINGTON PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURAL BUTTON-1789 LIBERTY CAP/POLE! SOLD BY STACK’S JANUARY 21, 2003 (AND OFF OF THE MARKET EVER SINCE), IN THE QUINTESSENTIAL COBB COLLECTION, MOST CERTAINLY THE FINEST AND MOST COMPLETE COLLECTION OF WASHINGTON BUTTONS EVER ASSEMBLED, THIS BUTTON WAS DESCRIBED BY STACK’S AS FOLLOWS: MAGNIFICENT 1789 LIBERTY CAP BUTTON-OF THE HIGHEST RARITY. 1789 AND LIBERTY CAP. COBB-1, WIIB UNLISTED (UNKNOWN TO ALBERT IN 1949) RAU-WI-26 (INCORRECTLY PLATED AS WI-270, DeW.GW1789.42, R/F-UNLISTED. EXTREMELY FINE. BRASS 105.1 gns, 33.8mm, ORIGINAL SHANK. SINGLE PIECE. MAGNIFICENT RICH GOLDEN YELLOW ORANGE IN COLOR WITH IRIDESCENT PURPLE HIGHLIGHTS IN PLACES. BACK DARK AS EXPECTED. A GORGEOUS PIECE OF UNDOUBTED MUSEUM QUALITY. COBB’S DESCRIPTIVE LABEL ON THE BACK. LIBERTY CAP ON A POLE LIKE THE TYPE OF THE HALF CENTS AND LARGE CENTS, THE POLE 1789 IN THE MIDDLE. LOVELY ENGRAVING WORK WITH A WONDERFUL ANTIQUE FEEL. OF THE HIGHEST RARITY: ALBERT DID NOT RATE IT IN 1976. COBB KNEW OF ONLY ONE IN 1963, BUT ADDED A SCEOND IN HIS 1964 UPDATE, WHICH HAD BEEN BOUGHT BY MASSACHUSETTES COLLECTOR HELEN RICHMOND FROM A FLORIDA BUTTON DEALER. COBB BELIEVED IT DATED TO 1789. ALBERT LISTED IN 1976 UNDER “UNAUTHENTICATED SPECIMENS”, PROBABLY BECAUSE HE HAD NEVER SEEN ONE. THE PIECE HE PLATED DOES NOT LOOK LIKE COBB’S AND MAY HAVE BEEN RICHMOND’S. HIS ONLY COMMENT AT THE TIME WAS, “THE DEVICE IS ENGRAVED ON A PLAIN COLONIAL BUTTON”, INDICATING THAT HE THOUGHT THE BUTTON, AT LEAST, WAS OF THE 1789 PERIOD. WE NOTE THAT ALBERT ALSO LISTED THE UNIQUE 1789 WASHINGTON PROFILE PIECE IN THE SMITHSONIAN AS “UNAUTHENTICATED”, EVEN THOUGH IT HAD BEEN PUT INTO THE MINT COLLECTION BY ADAM ECKFELDT IN 1838 AND DESCRIBED BY SNOWDEN IN 1861. COBB RECORDED THE FOLLOWING COMMENTS ABOUT THIS PIECE: “ALBERT: PROBABLY THE ONLY ONE KNOWN LIKE IT. IN A CLASS WITH THE PROFILED WITH DATE (SMITHSONIAN) whb NO. 1 IN THE SMITHSONIAN COLLECTION; DeWITT: I REALLY THINK IT IS A TREMENDOUS ITEM.”
THIS BUTTON WAS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE GREATEST WASHINGTON INAUGURAL BUTTONS WITHIN THE GREATEST SUCH COLLECTION EVER ASSEMBELD. COBB, WHO TO THIS DATE, IS CONSIDERED THE PREEMINENT EXPERT OF WASHINGTON INAUGURALS, CONSIDERED IT ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT AND RAREST WASHINGTON INAUGURAL BUTTONS HE EVER BORE WITNESS TO. TO HAVE THIS COMBINATION OF RARITY, CONDITION AND PEDIGREE IN AN AREA OF HISTORICAL MEMORABILIA WITH RAPIDLY GROWING INTEREST, SPEAKS VOLUMES OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS WASHINGTON BUTTON. A PRIZE WHEN IT SOLD 23 YEARS AGO FOR THE THEN SEEMINGLY LARGE SUM OF $19,550. OBVIOUSLY, IN TODAY’S CLIMATE, GIVEN THE ALMOST FRENZIED APPEAL OF GREAT WASHINGTONIA, THAT NUMBER REPRESENTS A MISSED OPPORTUNITY.
THERE ARE NOT MANY POLITICAL/EXONUMIA ITEMS THAT WE WOULD CALL “BLUE CHIP STOCK” WITH TREMENDOUS UPSIDE POTENTIAL, BUT GIVEN ALL THE BOXES THAT THIS ITEM CHECKS, IT IS CERTAINLY ONE! THIS IS A TREMENDOUSLY IMPORTANT EARLY AMERICAN HISTORICAL POLITICAL PIECE, WITH CONTEMPORARY COIN DESIGN ELEMENTS PROVIDING NUMISMATIC CROSSOVER. IT IS FRESH AS A DAISY WITH A 3 OWNER PEDIGREE, AND A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE ASTUTE COLLECTOR.
Our commitment is to provide you with quality coins and collectibles at the best possible prices. This piece is no exception. Please note, the coin and collectibles markets do fluctuate, and prices occasionally will change. In this rare circumstance, we will contact you first to verify your order.
