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

Half Dimes. *V-8. Date rather low and slanting slightly down; 8's have a rather soft, indefinite appearance, as does lower part of the 5. Shield point above serif of 1, slightly r. of tip; skirt pendant over r. tip of 5; left base of 1 above left edge of denticle. Rev.: Die file mark between IC. Lettering is comparatively light. ANS ex Morgan, Brock proof set; MacMurray: 1011-12; Holmes: 2642; Cass - "Empire": 688, Golden II :2681; Scanlon: 592 : 1975 ANA: 177 ex Delp:764; LM9/68:192, DGP, etc.

- *V-4A. Date higher, about central in exergual space; shield point well to left of tip of 1, skirt pendant left of tip of 5, left base of 1 r. of center of dentil. Rev. File mark or crack (?) from second T of STATES to rim. Much rarer, one of these seen for every 5 or 6 of the V-8. (1) Eliasberg. (2) Bullowa, May 1952. (3) Garrett: 114, $850, S.B.Y. The Newcomb coin, exhibited at ANS 1914, may have been from these dies.

Total population of 1858 half dime proofs probably about equal to that of trimes; in fact, there is little difference among any of these silver denominations except for the dollar.

Dime. *Low date, die lapped between elbow of pole arm and body, second 8 heavy. Rev. Die scratch from r. corner of left top of M of AMERICA to border. (1) Brock, Morgan, ANS. (2) LM 4/66:164, H.W., 1971 ANA:681, Reed Hawn: 722. (3, 4) MacMurray: 1192-3. (5) "Dupont": 1596. (6) Scanlon:696. (7) Essex Institute: 503. (8) Aulick (Cogan 4/12/83) :201, Garrett: 139, $900, A. F. L.; others. Many survivors have been poorly cleaned. Same comment as in preceding paragraph about rarity.

Quarter. *Base of 1 double (fades); polish at lower part of elbow drapery and near shield, traces of rust. Rev. Very faint striae slant slightly up to r., die file marks at ED IC. About as rare as the dime. (1) Brock, Morgan, ANS. (2) Dr. Conway Bolt:528. (3) Wolfson:821. (4) Copeland - Scanlon: 992. (5) Ruby I: 1192, late state. (6) Garrett: 166, $1300; others. Also found poorly cleaned. Most survivors show lint marks (die poorly wiped or full of static electricity).

Half Dollar. Level date, called "low date," slightly below center of exergual space; left base of 1 slightly r. of left edge of dentil and slightly nearer to it than top of 1 is to rocky base. Full drapery, foot supported, toe lightly enclosed; small unfinished area between chin and nearest part of shoulder. Rev. No clash mark in shield; fairly lightly impressed lettering, adjacent letters do not [oin, beak thin and wide open (lapped die?), bottom of 3rd stripe incomplete, two spurs from r. edge of 5th, etc. Many survivors have been poorly cleaned. Most show lint marks, as made. Somewhat fewer auction records of this denomination than of the dollar of the smaller silver. Cf. "Gilhousen":1022; 1974 GENA:1586; Garrett: 228, $1900, E. E. Many other records but mostly unattributed.

-Two or three seen with clashmark in shield, normal stripes, but same obverse die. Cf. Reed Hawn: 197 at $900, Miles: 1335 -Scanlon: 1464, hairlined; S 5/68: 1475.

-High date, 5 almost touches base, shield point slightly r. of left edge of 8, left base of 1 as on last; foot not supported. Rev.: File marks slant up in pairs in left two white stripes. 1975 ANA: 607.

*Silver Dollar. Only the one obverse. *B-1: Rev. of 1857 B-2 (1975 ANA: 1082, others).

- *B-2. Rev. of 1859. Traces of inner circle at beads above UNI. Claws touch, two lower arrowheads touch shafts; often, depressed mark (from foreign matter on die) in field near beak -thought a restrike by Stuart Mosher, though evidence in incomplete. This reverse remained rusting in the mint until 1876! 1975 ANA: 1083, many others. Long estimated to have been about 80 struck, this estimate originating apparently with the Chapman brothers of Philadelphia, who had it supposedly from mint sources (Patterson DuBois?). As the Chapmans began in 1877 as teen-age dealers under the tutelage of Capt. John W. Haseltine, knowing DuBois and presumably remaining in close contact with Haseltine's father-in-law (and silent liaison with the surreptitious element at the mint) William Idler, I take this estimate slightly more seriously than I would later ones, as it is close in time and place to the source. The majority of the 80, if that be the correct number, still survive, many of them cleaned, some drastically so, a few quite seriously impaired.

Silver-minor proof sets. Quite a few of these are in existence, but the suspicion is always present that they were assembled later. Many were broken up at auction, even as with the complete proof sets. Probably 60 to 70 were originally made, with extras of the silver dollar and - oddly, as mentioned - the cent. Cf. Scanlon: 1290 at$8,500, cent with large letters; Chapman 3/1/30, Phila. Estate, likewise.

Gold Dollar. *B-4: date very heavy, low, near bows; second 8 and adjacent leaf normal, not recut. Less than 12 known today - a liberal estimate; several of these are impaired, usually nicked or scratched rather than merely cleaned. (1) Smithsonian, from Mint proof set. (2) ANS, ex Morgan, ex Brock proof set. (3) Eliasberg, ex Clapp, 1942. (4) WGC: 13, probably from Woodin: 863. This may have reappeared as "Memorable": 13 and Lohr: 97l or Melish: 1762, latter to N. Y. Specialist. Modern pedigrees are all but untraceable on these proofs. (5) Philadelphia Estate, ex Mehl sale 12/12/39: 667. (6) Brock, University of Pennsylvania, P. H. Ward. (7) Jay: 224-Scanlon: 1950 at $4,500. This, and/or nos. 4 or 6 reappeared as Ullmer: 365 at $22,000; "Huge wire edge", border spots at lower r. (8) T. James Clarke, ca. 1944, Geiss: 1338, possibly same as last.