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

Half Dollar. [930] Only one variety seen, without the doubling on stars encountered on some business strikes. Centered date, shield point just left of r. upright, left base of 1 left of center of a dentil. Later, elbow drapery almost gone (die repolished). Rev. of last 1884 proofs. There may be another minute positional variant. Same comment as to the quarter and as to the halves of the last couple of years. Date collector demand and speculator hoarding pressure have been fairly heavy on the 1885; 5200 business strikes, mostly surviving as prooflike first strikes, most of them having doubling on stars (Beistle la-A), have not done much more than whet the profiteers' appetites.

Mintage: 450, 108, 60 and 320 in the four quarters, total 938, of which 930 went into the proof sets and the other 8 into the melting pot.

Silver Dollar. [930] 1) VAM 5, bases of 85 double (plainest at 5). 2) VAM 2, top of 5 recut, LM 9/68: 386. Which is rarer? Dangerously deceptive first strikes abound. Many of the proofs have been scrubbed so badly as to be nearly unrecognizable; a human being treated that way would be hospital bait. Much speculated in of late.

Mintage: 475, 120, 40 and 298 in the four quarters, total 933, of which 930 went into the sets and remaining 3 into the melting pot - or the Coiner's pocket?

*Trade Dollar. See Restrikes and Fantasy Pieces.

Silver Proof sets. [930] Some 400, 150, 50 and 330 of these were delivered in the four quarters. Most of them appear to have been broken up on behalf of the quarter, half dollar and - more recently also -the dollar. None of the sets contained the trade dollar. Garrett's brought $2800. Most of the sets I have seen appear to have been assembled in recent years - of late an expensive pastime owing to speculator activity in several denominations.

Gold Dollar. [1105] Proofs are known of all four varieties of the date, as are business strikes -many deceptively prooflike. Many of the proof survivors are carelessly made, others have been poorly cleaned or impaired in other ways. Few collectors appear to have taken gold dollars seriously in those days as worth holding on to. Record $1,400 in "Rio Rancho": 67, ex "Gilhousen": 88.

Mintage: 248, 106, III and 640 in the four quarters, of which some 30 were intended for sets (January 17), total 1105.

Quarter Eagle. [87] *B-1. Open 5 (knob free of corner), top of 1 very close to bust. Left base of lover center of dentil. Rev. Nearly horizontal die file marks near tops of white stripes. Very rare, subject to extreme date collector pressure as only 800 business strikes were coined, most long since having vanished, a few still masquerading as proofs. These are from B-2 dies, with 1 nearly touching bust, its left base r. of center; round "hole" in ear with vertical line through it. Certainly less than 30 proofs survive, many impaired; for some reason, the proofs of this date usually change hands not by auction but by private treaty. We have only three recent auction records: Scanlon:2133 at $4,250 ex Van Roden:789; Garrett:492 at $4,000; S 9/75.

Mintage: 41, 11, 4 and 31 in the four quarters, total 87; of these 30 were intended for sets, Jan. 17.

Three Dollars. [110] Obv. Recutting on upper surfaces on AM. Small faint line from dentils above ED. Rev. Only the one die for proofs and business strikes; on early proofs (54, Jan. - March), leaf left of date is normally strong; cf. Breen 1:130, 75 ANA:1486. On the 56 proofs coined from June through December, die was repolished, leaf left of date very thin: ANS, others. The 800 business strikes were coined in March; the obverse die lacks the stigmata of that described above. As more proofs have survived than business strikes, date collector pressure has been intense. (There are too few around for speculators to do much with, which is just as well.) Unfortunately, some few business strikes are deceptively prooflike, e.g. Neumoyer:2466-7 or that in LM 11/65. Auction record for unquestioned proofs: $6,000 for the Pierce-Jay-Ullmer coin, $5,750 for Garrett's.

Mintage: January 17, 30 for the sets; Jan. 31, 8; March, 16 with the 800 business strikes; June, 15; September, 4; October, 1; December, 36 - not very many stocking stuffers. Total, 110. No record of meltage.

Half Eagle. [66] Date placed to left, peak of 1 much nearer to bust point than tip of 5 is to r. end of truncation; closed 5; left base of lover left edge. Extremely rare, more so than its mintage suggests; enough so as to be almost a forgotten coin. Auction record, Ullmer:458, $4,000; the Garrett and 1971 ANA coins were not even close, let alone Melish: 2202. If anything, this is rarer than the quarter eagle. I have seen only two even moderately deceptive first strikes.

Mintage: Quarterly, 35, 1, 1, 29, total 66; no meltage.

Eagle. [67] Date about central, left base of 1 barely left of r. edge. Rev. Incomplete feathers below second white stripe, die file marks within first two white stripes near top. Rarest denomination of the year; same comments as to the half eagle. (1) S1. (2) ANS. (3) Eliasberg. (4) Amon Carter. (5) Garrett: 489, nicked, $5,250. (6) Beck I: 534. Probably under 9 survivors in all.

Mintage: 33 in first quarter, of which 30 went with the sets; 5 in third, 29 in fourth, total 67, none recorded as melted.