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

- 1849/48. *New. Obv. V-4, rev. different. Parts of both loops of 8 visible within and to r. of 9, clearer than on business strikes, the 8 much larger than the 9. Rev. Without the break through first S and wreath of business strikes. This obv. also used on experimental billon trimes, like the preceding. (1) Norweb. (2) Bluestone 4/22/47:1704, Phila. Estate. (3), (4) Pvt. colls., reported. Parmelee: 1204, Cleneay: 1706 have not been identified.

Dime. Normal date. (1) Wolfson: 564, possibly ex Parmelee: 1023? (2) Dr. Green: 1183, not choice. (3) Norweb, rev. unc., probably ex Cleneay:1559.

- *1849/48. The 1848 date slanting down, clear, the 1849 level. J. C. Morgenthau 1/43:413, Phila. Estate.The "normal date" coins must be rechecked. Not to be confused with the usual heavy 9 with knob touching loop; traces of 8 are plain.

Quarter. Rarest denomination of this difficult date. Shield point about over r. foot of 1, date a little above center and well to left, base of 9 much farther from border than 1. (1) J. Colvin Randall, Woodward 7/85:623, Garrett: 160, $3000, Steve Ivy. (2) Kern:1440, N. Y. state specialist. (3) Parmelee: 1202, impaired. Wayte Raymond knew only two.
Half Dollar. Normal date, high, to left similar to last; shield point about over left edge of 8. (1) Randall:409, Garrett: 214, $4000. (2) Boyd, WGC:296, Phila. Estate, believed ex Parmelee: 1201, Earle: 2997. (3)W. L. Carson. (4) J. A. Stack: 453, $5250. (5) A badly impaired piece I turned down about 1955. One of these is ex John Haigh:448 (Boston, C.F. Libbie, 10/27-8/1901).

Brand-Lichtenfels:2829, "obv. unc., rev. proof, BA-D," is unverified.

Silver Dollar. *B-2. Imperfection on 4; rust marks (?) near border, especially in exergue; look at three dentils below and left of 1 of date. Rev. of previous forties. (1) Geiss: 344, Phila. Estate. (2) Randall: 73 (9/85?), Garrett: 266, $7500, T. D. (3) Brand estate ca. 1956. (4) Lohr:859. (5) Amon Carter Sr. & Jr. (6) Col. Green, Roe:445, Golding:241, impaired. (7) Kern:820. (8) Rovensky:36. One of above ex Cleneay:984 another ex Parmelee: 1200, Frossard; one later to W. L. Carson; one to NY state specialist.
Silver-minor proof sets. (1) Stickney: 1793. Half cent with small date, large berries; all denominations are proofs. Ex the Mint in 1849, which is conclusive with respect to the half cent - but I would much like to examine the other denominations. (2) H. P. Smith, also complete, but with large date half cent. This must have been made at year's end; the large date die was cut only to fill an unexpected order for half cents (business strikes), then repolished afterwards for a few proofs. Presumably the small date die had been hidden away, with the other proof-only obverses (see below, Restrikes and Fantasy Pieces, under 1804 Dollar, where the inventory of these dies is given) by Franklin Peale in the meantime, and he could not retrieve it in time when the very late proof orders came in. Reports recur from reliable sources (including Wayte Raymond) that Col. E.H.R. Green owned various more or less complete proof sets from 1840 through 1848-9 (possibly 1850 as well) and that on the breakup of his estate during World War II many of these proof sets were dispersed, the individual coins being sold in date sequences of their denomination, rather than as proof sets. Some of these sets may have been the original Stickney, Cleneay and Winsor sets, and an excuse for their breakup would have been the mixture of proof and uncirculated pieces forming them, or the mixture of restrikes and originals in a few. Wayte Raymond knew of these sets and his own listings appear to have included some of the coins from them, but no complete inventory is at present known to me. Unfortunately, Raymond also knew of mixed sets, mixed date sequences and individual coins in which some of these pieces claimed to be proofs and so believed by their owners turned out on later examination to be early strikes intended for circulation. The actual rarity level of proofs is probably a grade or two higher than indicated in my original monograph (1954), once the dubious pieces have been excluded. The set in N.Y. State Specialist coll. is possibly one of those ex Col. Green, or may have been assembled. McCoy:377, to Levick, apparently lacked the copper.

Gold Dollar. Type 1. Breen 1-2. Small head, without L on truncation; coronet point midway two stars; obv. field concave (the die was convex in a nearly spherical surface), two stars below head double punched. Perfect reverse die, die file mark through T (ED), no recutting on (A)R. Proofs minted May 7, 1849 and possibly early on May 8, before the 1000 business strikes. (1) Smithsonian, from Mint Cabinet collection via Jacob Reese Eckfeldt (curator), from Franklin Peale, coiner. (2) ANS, ex J. P. Morgan, ex R. C. W. Brock. (3) Philadelphia Estate, ex Bell 1:1. (4) S 5/15/41, Philadelphia Estate. (5) One formerly owned by the writer, obtained in England about 1959, later in Lester Merkin's hands; this has excellent surfaces but a few scratches. (6) Stack's, privately handled ca. 1966. (7) Pine Tree Auctions, "Breen I" (3/74): 1 at $2,160 limit. A possible 8th: S 6/73: 1052, long obv. tarnish streak. Two were in the J. B. Longacre estate in 1870; a third was sent by Longacre to J. C. Calhoun as a token of grateful remembrance -it appears that Longacre had obtained the Engravership through political influence exerted on his behalf by Calhoun. One or more went as presentation pieces from the Mint Director to various government officials; these are presumably all included in the above enumeration.

_ Type IV. Large head, with L, coronet point nearer r. star; closed wreath; *B. IV-I, date very thin, no recutting, base of 8 weak, delicate wreath and berry stems. (1) Landau: 682. (2) Texas private collection, ex Grant Pierce: 990. (3) Kagin 5/13/46, Phila. Estate, carelessly made, cleaned.

Quarter Eagle, Half Eagle, Eagle. Unknown.