1823 50C Ugly 3 AU53 认证号31720524, PCGS号6134

O.110a, R3, ex-CAC (different cert#). Ex-Troy Nelson (Allgood collection), ex-Dick Graham. Dirty, proof-like surfaces. A lot can be said about the troublesome 3 in the 1823 varieties. Four different varieties resulted but not all from the same WD. The broken 3 (O.101) came from a new 3 punch and the less than satisfactory result was not touched up as would normally have happened. The patched 3 (O.101a, O.102) was a botched repair attempt to the same die. And the ugly 3 (O.110a) was due to a die crack from the rim upward which simply broke away the right side of the numeral. The fourth 3 variety -- not a recognized major one, the tampered-with 3 (O.106a), was likely due to a simple die chip and not inept tampering. Not all researchers agree on the causes for the calamity. But collectors enjoy them and it brings some excitement to an otherwise drab year.

Ron Guth

Like the 1823 Patched 3, the Ugly 3 is a modification (or late state) of a die that resulted in a mal-formed 3.  In the case of the Ugly 3, the 3 started out acceptably, but some unknown mint engraver attempted to thicken the juncture between the top and lower curves of the 3, but the attempt was so crude and out-of-hand that the 3 became simply ugly.

This variety is more scarce than the Patched 3 and is actually rather difficult to locate in Mint State.  One of the nicest examples and certainly one of the most attractive is the PCGS MS65 from the D. Brent Pogue Collection.