Struck in silver with a plain edge. Medium to deep slate gray with highly reflective surfaces and varied blue and silver highlights. Struck from the heavily rusted and shattered obverse die, the reverse also heavily rusted with die breaks there. A rare prize, the only silver 1823 restrike cent called MS63 by PCGS, with none certified finer by that organization. The uspatterns.com website notes the following: "These are believed to have been struck originally by or for Joseph Mickley from dies sold by the Mint as scrap. The obverse is from Newcomb 2 dies and the reverse is from 1813 Sheldon 293 and were struck over several years, probably beginning in the early 1860s, as a copper example was in W.E. Woodward's November 1862 sale of the Finotti collection. About a dozen silver examples...were believed to have been struck by John Haseltine in the late 1870s. Both dies show extensive cracks and rust although the reverse die is not in the terminal die state known for the very last copper examples." Other numismatic opinions indicate there is not a shred of evidence linking the evidence of these to famous Philadelphia numismatist Mickley. They seem to have been issued by someone in or around Philadelphia, whose identity is unknown today. Such are the interesting mysteries of restrikes. An eagerly sought item by advanced specialists in the large cent discipline as well as advanced pattern collectors. Population: 1 in 63, none finer. (PCGS 12202)