Walter Breen
1829
Half Cent. Only one variety of the date. Four reported, one of them a piece I saw at the Boston ANA Convention in 1948. A second was offered with the Brobston collection at $550 over fifteen years ago but I do not recall seeing it in Brobston's collection.
Some of the cents, and not impossibly the half cents, of this date and 1831, occur with the new "bronzed" finish, apparently first used by Boulton & Watt's Soho Mint, then experimentally used in Philadelphia after samples of bronzing powder had been sent there from Birmingham; bronzing was regularly used on some copper pattern eagles 1861-63 (GOD OUR TRUST in field or on scroll) and on some other pieces of that period as well as on numerous medals. The surface is uniformly matte and usually reddish brown - apparently an artificial protective patina. Neophytes are advised to look at the 1861-63 patterns to recognize the finish.
Cent. Large letters. N-6. High wide date, IE join, tall. (1) Eliasberg, bronzed. Believed ex Mackenzie: 675, Winsor: 931, Mougey: 161, Bement: 359. (2) Philadelphia Estate, believed ex McCoy: 711, Zanoni, Cleneay: 1872, Beckwith: 76, Elmer Sears, Barney Bluestone (1942). (3) Standish Hall, C. David Pierce, Kagin 47: 600 (6/5/47), Kagin fixed pricelist 25: 116 (1948), Kagin 270: 1400 (4/67), 294:58 (7/7l). (4) "Dupont": 677, TAD: 101, couple of obv. and rev. spots, Denis Loring, later cleaned. (5) Roebling, NN 54: 1543, C. Douglas Smith, L. Helfenstein: 129, 'R.Z.R.' Any of the last three could be Winsor: 932 and/or French: 488. (6) W. F. Morgan: 233. (7) Brand, Landau: 139, Emanuel Taylor, Schwartz: 608, Gene Reale (thought by some to be ex Beckwith?). Several others seen, almost indistinguishable.
- N-1. Complete inner circle, ER touch at tops and bases; rev. E's in ONE CENT recut. H. Bareford. Unverified.
- N-8. Short 1, first star close to bust. Reported: French: 490, in Dr. French loan at ANS 1914; untraced since, doubtful, but not impossible.
It is uncertain which variety came first. The tall 1 obvs. appear to use the same date punches as 1828 small date, the N-8 has an 1828 reverse. Both N-6 and N-8 are singletons, apparently separated by a mulinggroup including the other seven varieties of the year.
Half Dime. Triple vertical stripes (first eagle puncheon, this year only):
- V-3. Faint recutting on 8; IT joined at bases, top of same I double. (1) Eliasberg. (2) SI ex Mint, probably one of the first coined July 4, 1829, saved by Adam Eckfeldt for historical purposes. (3) One formerly owned by this writer. (4) Ex Brand, New Netherlands. (5) Grant Pierce: 429. (6) Neil: 1525, Lichtenfels II: 2834. Others probably exist.
- V-2. Recut 9, recut C's in 5 C. and AMERICA.(1) ANS. (2) "Dupont": 1360. (3) Dr. Angus Black, NN 61: 214, impaired. (4) Mehl 3/22/1938, Phila. Estate. (5) Merkin 6/68:220, 6/71 :691. (6) Newcomb's, exhibited at ANS 1914, was probably this variety.
- V-7. Scroll begins under E of UNITED, not T as in the others. Only one seen: the former Brand, New Netherlands coin.
The triple stripes coins appear to have been struck in proof to memorialize the resumption of coinage of this denomination, a resumption marked by use of the new style beaded border (introduced on the dimes in 1828), and of a close collar. Cf. letter of August 8, 1829, from Mint Director Samuel Moore to Secretary of the Treasury S. D. Ingham, Mint Letter Book #2 (1824-31), p.80, Record Group 104, National Archives.
- "B-13." Double stripes in shield. Not in Valentine: obv. V-2, rev. V-6. Recut 9, unusually short wedge-shaped top to 5, recutting on bases of 5 C. Eliasberg.
- V-6. Top of 1 recut; rev. as last. Eliasberg; Valentine, in ANS 1914 Exhibition.
- V-8. Obv. as last; rev. S above s and space right, final S low. Eagle's beak filled. (1) Shown me by David M. Bullowa, May 1952. (2) Lester Merkin auction, April 1966: 63 at $310, later H.W., 1971 ANA: 609, Reed Hawn: 561 at $550. The double stripes type, representing a second eagle puncheon differing slightly in other details (shape of leaves and shield, etc.), was continued into later years.
-"B-14." Obv. V-9 (top of 9 recut), rev. 1830 V-3. Scroll ends under center of M. M-R above A-E. Merkin 2/71: 557.
Dime. Extra large 10C., fine beads (die of 1828).
Breen I-A. Lohr: 391, obv. proof, rev. unc. Exceedingly rare type even in nonproof.
- Small 10 C., round o. B. 2-C: widest date, curl begins between 29. (1) Landau: 426, impaired. (2) Winsor: 683 may be this variety. I have seen at least two others.
- Same type. B. 3-D. Wide date, A joins arrow. Norweb.
- Same type. B. 4-D. Close date, same rev. One seen some years ago. Winsor: 684 may be this or preceding;
- Same type. High 9, widest AMERICA. Cleneay: 1502; two seen during the 1950's. One of these is possibly Reed Hawn: 691 at $2000, the other (?) Miles: 626. Newcomb 1:552, Atwater: 918, Parmelee: 992 have not been identified, nor has the impaired piece which went as NN 36: 104.
Half Dollar. Small letters. Large 50 C. Overton 107=Beistle 11-A: largest C (of 50 C.) in the series, its serif and tail nearly touching .. NN 50: 388, ex Elder (1912), Hillyer Ryder, Wayte Raymond estate.
- Overton 105=Beistle 6-H. Similar. RIC A far apart, C large but not quite the size of preceding, the serif and tail normally spaced apart. D and first T in STATES slightly high. Philip G. Straus estate, sold privately as it did not appear in either of the auctions. Straus had shown it to me in 1951.
- Overton 112=Beistle 12-Q, possibly Haseltine 5. Similar, the reverse almost identical; obv. mouth open (lapped die). Known from the Col. Green coin mentioned by Beistle.
- Small 50 C. Apparently Overton 111, Beistle 3-L, Haseltine 3. One seen many years ago; Winsor: 517 may be the same piece, possibly ex McCoy: 451, Levick.
Other varieties probably exist, and various specimens have been seen or reported without attribution: (1) Newcomb 1: 744. (2) Woodin: 173, "broad 8, large 50 c." (3) Reed Hawn: 91 at $2000. (4) "Dupont": 2088, to Kagin. (5) 1829/7. Claimed by Wayte Raymond, unverified.
Quarter Eagle. Only the one variety; new style border, struck in close collar, modified design by Kneass. (1) SI, ex Mint collection. (2) Eliasberg. (3) Cohen: 196 - Parmelee: 990 - Woodin - F.C.C. Boyd -WGC: 95 -"Memorable": 89, possibly same as last. (4) Winsor: 330 - T. L. Gaskill- NN 48: 196, to a dealer. Slightly impaired. (5) J. H. Clapp - Eliasberg -"H. R. Lee": 1000 (1947) - NN 49:573. Slightly impaired. (6) Adolphe Menjou: 1175, impaired. (7) "Cicero" collection, NN 55 :263, EF but obviously had been a proof. (8) Possibly another handled by the Kagins, 214: 1011 (10/57), 218:122 (5/58), 293:1386 (4/71) . Occasion for striking the unusually large number of proofs: new design.