Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of United States and Colonial Proof Coins 1722-1989

Quarter Eagle. Only the one variety. (1) Smithsonian, from the Mint collection. (2) Eliasberg, ex Parmelee: 931, Woodin: 939, "Memorable": 86. (3) Mills: 337, choice, not later traced. (4) D.S. Wilson: 165 (1907), small curved planchet defect on jaw, convex to upper left. (5) Gable:368 (1914), small obv. scratch. (6) Dr. Clifford Smith: 1495. Possibly same as one of above. Occasion: probably the resumption of coinage with a new design. Cf. Gaylord: 100, Bell 1.

Half Eagle. Breen 3-A. Base of second 1 high, 13th star touches curl. (1) Smithsonian, from the Mint coll. (2) Randall: 927 (1885), Woodin, Newcomer, Green, B.G. Johnson, Farouk. Pictured in ANS 1914, plate 15.

Occasion for striking proof sets this year: probably celebration of Missouri's admission to the Union. Early sets might have had the large date dime if indeed this coin was a proof. There are so many more cents than any other denominations that the suspicion arises that a group of proof cents was made up at the outset, not all being used in presentation or sets, some being possibly later sold to collectors.

1822

Cent. N-10. Wide date, 22 slightly lower than 18; r. top of N in UNITED well above left top of 1. Traces of inner circle at border. Top obv. border generally narrow on the proofs. First variety of the year. (1) Smithsonian, from the Mint coll., boughtat the Benjamin Haines sale of January 1863. (2) Omaha City Library, ex Byron Reed estate, possibly Mackenzie:668. (3) Frothingham (5/29/83) - J.B. Wilson: 1057 (1908) - French:439 (?) - Frank Hussey - NN 54:1335 -Lester Merkin. (4) Philadelphia Estate, brilliant, source unknown. (5) Lester Greenwood, Coin Galleries (8/56): 2280. (6) McCoy: 703 (Woodward 5/64) -Zanoni -Cleneay:1859 (1890). (7) Philadelphia Estate, ex J.C. Morgenthau 444th sale (6/42): 349, bright red. At least three or four others seen,known to be different from any of the above. Walter F. Webb offered one to Homer Downing in July 1941, which may be one of these. Another is in a N.Y. State coll.. Obverse border is always narrow at top. (Emission sequence: N-10, 9, 8, 12, 7, "13" (obv. 7, rev. 11), 11, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. N-10 has an earlier sate of obv. of N-9; N-12 has rev. B of 1821, N-7 has rev. D of 1820.)

- N-12. Wide date, line joins top of ER in LIBERTY, base of large T low; faint crack, rim to 7th star to head. Rev. U slightly low; base of T below that of E in STATES. (1) Calif. Specialist, ex French (before 1914), Mehl6/45: 1750, "Dupont": 612, E. Taylor. (2) Beckwith: 61, W.F. Morgan: 201. Unverified.

- N-8. Calif. Specialist, ex Hines-Sheldon-T.J. Clarke.

- N-6. Wide date, curl begins left of center of first 2, E R apart, most stars double punched. (1) Philadelphia Estate, ex Newcomb: 550, possibly ex Mougey:136, and/or Dr. French: 436. (2) Calif.

Specialist, ex A.J. Fink, T.J. Clarke, reportedly ex Newcomb. Nick on jaw; doubling on rev.; has been doubted. The other Dr. French - T. James Clarke: 186 coin turned out not to be a proof.

- N-4. Wide date, low 8, first star much nearer 1 than 13th is to final 2, and points at top of 1. Only one seen, in a private collection in the early 1950's, not now traced.

- N-2. Philadelphia Estate, ex J.C. Morgenthau, 1/12/34.

- N-1. Closest date of the year; top leaf below middle of final S. Philadelphia Estate, ex Newcomb: 595, probably privately ex Dr. French; earlier recorded only in ANS 1914, Dr. French loan.

Dime. Second variety, the one usually seen, with the taller stronger 1 in 10 C. (compared to 1821 reverses). WGC :467, at an astonishing $200 back in 1945; worth possibly eighteen or twenty times as much today. I have seen one other and have a report of a third. Others claimed turned out to be reappearances of the WGC coin, or else first strikes or buffed pieces. There may be more than three around, though.

Quarter. B-1. Normal 25 C. (1) Newcomb 1:596, probably from Cleneay: 1323. Choice. (2) Davis-Graves: 331. (3) Clapp, Eliasberg. (4) Lohr: 529, badly cleaned. (5) S.W. Freeman: 1650. Wayte Raymond had seen at least six different ones, which mayor may not include all those here.

- B-2. The famous Blundered Die, 25 over 50. (1) Mougey:687, Clapp, Eliasberg. (2)V. Brand (?), James Aloysius Stack estate:21, $7500. (3) Virgil Brand estate, H.L.P. Brand, Miles:892. (4) Steve Ivy, 1976, no earlier pedigree. Supposedly the Brand estate owned as many as four of these, which would mean that at least two others are floating around; where are they? It is extraordinary that this naked-eye blundered die would have been used to make proofs. Possibly the other die had cracked and no third reverse was ready.

Half Dollar. Overton 106. 18 above 22. Ex Wayte Raymond.
-Overton 103? Exceptionally wide date. Cleneay: 1152; and cf. Lichtenfels I; 2755. The Cleneay plate is not clear enough to tell if these two are the same coin.

-Overton 109? Seventh star attached to cap. (1) R Bart Holmes, R T. McPherson, C.A. Cass, "Empire": 1313, Reed Hawn:63, $l400, called "Beistle 2-B," unverified. (2) Arnel:359, Scanlon: 1385, $1500. (3) Pvt. coli., possibly ex Newcomb I: 741.

No evidence that any half eagles were made in proof state; none of the three survivors of this date shows any sign of proof origin.

No evidence of manufacture of proof sets. If any were made, they contained only copper and silver, and extra cents were made on several occasions.