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

Half Dime. V-6. Date lower than on most varieties, beginning about centrally and slanting up. Shield point above end of left arrow shaft, skirt pendant over left comer of 5, these positions usual for the date; left base of 1 about over r. edge of dentil. Hollow place in base above left arrow, concave downwards, evidently from excessive polishing of die. Rev. Rather thin letters. (Valentine says arrows are heavy, running into base, but this is usual for the date.) Not quite as rare as 1854. Compare D. S. Wilson:823; J. B. Wilson:819; Boyd, WGC:252; Newcomb 1:805; Newlin:131, Garrett: 112, $2500 to A.H.L.; Cass, "Empire":683, possibly to R. L. Miles, cleaned, Miles:453; 1958 N.Y. Metropolitan: 1417; MacMurray:l006; Delp:36; Morgenthau 1/43:485 to Phila. Estate.

Dime. *B-4. Double date, first punched too far to r., then corrected; parts of all eight digits discernible.

At most a couple of dozen survive, perhaps less. (1) SI ex Mint. (2) Mehl 11/15/38:533, Phila. Estate. (3) J. B. Wilson:715. (4) Boyd, WGC:554. (5) Dr. Green: 1188. (6) "Dupont": 1588. (7) Brand-Lichtenfels II:30l5. (8) Merkin 4/66:158, H. W., 1971 ANA: 675. (9) Miles:676.

Quarter. Date low, below center of exergual space; r. arrow almost touches border, left arrow more distant. It is not certain that all proofs are from the same dies. Slightly rarer than the dime. (1) SI ex Mint. (2) Phila. Estate. (3) Boyd, WGC: 188, possibly ex Woodin:455, Newcomer. (4) Lohr:560. (5) Brand-Lichtenfels II: 1437. (6) Delp:61. Cf. D. S. Wilson: 639. Possibly 15 to 20 survive in all.

Half Dollar. Normal date, fairly high, slants down to r., shield point above over left edge of 8, left bak of 1 central; 2 lower arrowheads touch, space between heads filled, polish in only 2 small circle in upper left white stripes. Less than a dozen seen in all. Few auction records, some doubtless overdates (below). Lohr:755; T. L. Smith estate:542; Cass, "Empire": 1403; Brand-Lichtenfels 1:1840; Miles: 1326; Delp:606; Reed Hawn: 185, $6,250.

-1855/54. Date slants down to r., placed similarly. Crossbar of 4 shows within lower part of 5, not complete. Nothing within 8 (unlike business strikes of either die of 1855/4). Tiny rust pit on 1 of date, r. of upper left serif. Full drapery at elbow. Rev. Scattered horizonal die file marks in white stripes (which marks fade); die file marks between wing and leaves; other wing touches shaft (may not be constant if die repolished). (1) Ex Bowers. (2) Ted Clarke (the overdate specialist), impaired. (3) Julian Leidman, possibly same as (1). Others probably exist, mistaken for normal dates, but as even the latter are of great rarity there is not likely to be much price difference once the coins are identified as such. The overdate was discovered by this writer on business strikes, early 1971, the discovery piece (a cleaned EF) appearing in one of the Merkin auctions. Since then many others have been identified, mostly showing only faint traces of 4 within 5.

Silver Dollar. Slanting 5's. *B-1. Heavy date, rev. of 1854 proofs. Much more often seen than smaller silver; possibly 50 - 60 survive. Most great collections have had one: Boyd, WGC: 149, Baldenhofer, Ostheimer, LM 9/68: 352, LM 6/ 7l : 806; Olsen, Geiss:352; Neil:651; Dr. Green:1993; Fairbanks-Wolfson: 1412; Randall, Garrett: 273, $4500; Landau:628; 1973 NASC, $7500, 1974 ANA:26; etc. Most other auction records do not permit comprehensive pedigree tracing as many survivors were cleaned, obscuring photographic matching. Prooflike business strikes (B-3) have same obv., first four rev. white stripes clear except at tops and bases; stria through NE.

- *B-2. Same obv. Rev. First white stripe clear, rest filled, stria from rim to E of UNITED. Ex Dr. Ruby, privately sold; 1977 ANA.

Silver-minor proof sets. Mintage unknown, guesses range from 50 to 150; my estimate is nearer to 50, most broken up. As more copper proofs are known than silver, individual coins were evidently sold to souvenir hunters. Cf. Mint -Stickney: 1796; D. S. Wilson: 1034; McCoy:386 -Ten Eyck; SI in its complete set. Col. Green had others, mostly broken up around World War II.

Gold Dollar. Low date, thinner letters than on 1854 II proofs. (1) J. P. Morgan, ANS, probably from Brock. (2) Garrett, Johns Hopkins Univ. (3) Woodin:852, Newcomer, Boyd, WGC:9, "Memorable":9. (4) Roach, Neil:2303. (5) G. H. Hall: 1678, probably ex Bell I. (6) Mocatta Metals, cost $50,000, early 1975, probably one of above. One of above, with nick on bust point, is ex Jenks 5822. Another (no. 3?) reappeared as Melish: 1743, to the "Statue of Liberty" -the N. Y. state specialist, who stood in that pose while these dollars were being offered. Number extant estimated 6 -10. I am unable to confirm the existence of any others.

Quarter Eagle. Exceedingly rare, its very existence controversial. Wayte Raymond knew of one and had heard of others but could not trace any. A somewhat off-center example was in the Yale University collection, and was stolen in the great robbery of the Yale coins. It would be immediately identifiable and therefore may not appear on the market again. The badly impaired piece in the Dr. Conway Bolt sale has been doubted.

Three Dollars. Second design: large DOLLARS (through 1889). Polish shows in hollow areas of r. wreath, 2:00 - 2:30, between corn leaves, etc. The apparent traces of recutting at and near knob of final 5 show on business strikes and may even be in the date logotype. (1) Eliasberg. Possibly ex Woodin: 1138, perhaps via "Golden Jubilee":188. (2) Garrett:393, $35,000. A third is reported.

Half Eagle, Eagle. Known only from Wayte Raymond's records which appear to indicate the existence of at least one each; untraced.

Double Eagle. Unknown, existence doubtful. Complete proof sets. No record.