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

- B-2. Normal date, no variety data. (1) WGC:136. (2) SI ex Mint. (3) Geiss: 340, probably Amon Carter Sr. & Jr. (4) Ex Dr. Judd set (see below). (5) One other impaired example examined about 1954. Wayte Raymond also mentioned a partly and slightly doubled date in proof, different from either of foregoing varieties; I have not seen this.

Silver-minor proof sets. (1) Stickney: 1790, from the mint in the year of issue. Complete, original half cent to silver dollar, the dollar from the blundered die above described, proving that at least some impressions from this obverse are originals. If the Stickney dollar can be identified and proves to have the usual reverse, that will settle matters. However, doubt remains whether all such impressions are originals, owing to the set next to be described. (2) Cleneay:839. Later broken up, this had a restrike half cent, both small and tall date cents, the latter going to Mougey and Beckwith (see above), but the silver dollar is also of the blundered variety. I personally suspect that the tall date cent was added later, and that the half cent was put in to replace the original which had been removed for a date sequence, but that the silver coins were as they came from the mint in 1846. In neither of the above was the half dollar specified as to medium or tall date. (3) Dr. Judd also had a set, lately broken up, which might have been a reappearance of the Cleneay set, minus the extra cent and with an original half cent put in; but I suspect instead that it is actually different from either. Cf. "Ill. Hist.": 139A. Its B-2 dollar had been replaced about 1972 by a blundered die coin. Rumored to have come from London via B. H. Collins. (4) Mehl estate, Ken Nichols, A. Kosoff, a Balboa (Calif.) bank, RARCOA, Brownlee, A-Mark, Allen Harriman, Ruby 1:1623 at $17,500, Julian Leidman, a midwest dealer; either partly assembled or upgraded, as the half dime was earlier in S 6/73 (see above); is this the Stickney set? Original half cent, small date cent, medium date half dollar, blundered die dollar. See also Complete Sets, below.

Quarter Eagle. Oddly recut date like an overdate, slanting down to r. (1) SI ex Mint. (2) Cased set below. (3) Ex Wetmore, Jenks: 5810, seen by Wayte Raymond, not now located.

- Normal date. Brock, Morgan, ANS, from a broken set.

Half Eagle. Large date, placed to left. (1) SI ex Mint. (2) Cased set below. (3) Reported by Wayte Raymond. (4) ANS.

Eagle. Small date as on cents. *B-1. No die file marks in shield. (1) SI ex Mint. (2) Cased set below. (3) Woodin, exhibited at ANS 1914, no since traced.

Complete proof sets. (1) SI ex Mint. (2) N.Y. State specialist, in original case. Others were evidently made, as the Brock, Morgan, ANS group testifies. Occasion for the earlier sets - which mayor may not have included the gold - with small date coins, probably the admission of Texas. Occasion for the latest sets, with tall date coins, probably the admission of Iowa, Dec. 28, 1846.

1847

*Half Cent. Only the one obverse. Rev. Large berry die of 1840-48. Two in museums (SI, ANS), and possibly 14 collectible specimens, two of them circulated ("Dupont": 1143; Parsons, Ryder, Hutcheson, Ruby I: 296) plus a couple of restrikes with large berries. Brobston's was offered at $800 thirteen years ago; later auction records were lower until about 1973. The date now goes in four figures; 1976 ANA, $2,100.

Cent. N-1. Perfect dies; blundered die, date first obliquely punched to left of its correct position, bases plainest, then mostly effaced and relogotyped correctly. Die file marks through RTY. Known only from the mention in Newcomb, probably covering a Hines coin.

- *B-46. Obv. of N-4:18 double punched, the recutting atop upper serif and below base of 1 and below 8; roughness at border near all stars. Die file marks r. of 7. This is a much earlier die state than that recognized as Newcomb 4. Rev. Roughness joins E of ONE to wreath; roughness at left ribbon, above UNITED and various parts of wreath. May not be the same die as N-4; certainly different from N-27 and the die of "Dupont" :878. Warfield collection (1955) ex Bullowa, May 1952. Note: The half dimes credited to Bullowa, May 1952 are retained in a single collection and have not been publicly available.

- *N-25. Obv. is supposedly an earlier die state of N-24? Curl point midway r. curves of 8, and very close; left serifs of 1 in line with end of truncation, top of 1 very close to bust; no roughness near border. Rev.: Same as 1844 B-8. (1) ANS, probably the coin described by Newcomb. (2) (?) T. James Clarke: 340, ex Beckwith: 107, Morgan: 361, B. Max Mehl as "Andrews 13", not seen as it was out to a mail bidder when I was examining the Clarke cents. 1 am reasonably certain of the ANS piece, though I question Newcomb's conclusion that this die is the same as N-24 , or as N-9 (crack from base of 4 to border). I strongly question the Clarke attribution, in view of the next coin to be described.

- *B-41. Similar to last but curl point nearer r. than center of curve of 8; end of truncation r. of left edge of upright of 1 (date a little wider spaced); small die file marks down from several back curls, lacking on N-25. Rev. Same as last. Newcomb described the N-25 reverse as having delicate wreath; this is from the die having been lapped or vigorously polished and repolished for proofs. (1) Smithsonian, from Mint's proof set. (2) Philadelphia Estate. (3) Calif. Specialist, ex C. David Pierce, 1947. (3) 1958 ANA :506, ex French. (4) "Dupont":898, to N.Y. state specialist. (5) Ryder:925, Kagin, from Wayte Raymond sale 4/14/1911. (6) T. James Clarke:341. A couple of others reported; cf. Mougey:248-9, former to Sleicher.