Walter Breen
Double Eagle. [78] Date begins about centered between bust and border, but too far right; left base of 1 above left of center of dentil; rust on neck above first 8; r. tail feather broken. Seen less often than the 1882, 1883 or 1884; unappreciated compared to these, though under intense date collector pressure as only about 8 or 9 survive of the 750 business strikes made - far fewer than the proofs (cf. Melish 1005). (1) S1. (2)ANS. (3) Eliasberg. (4) Garrett: 488, $25,000. (5) Ullmer:529, $40,000. This and Garrett's both have tiny mark above head below 8th star, from foreign matter adhering to die. (6) Atwater:1277, Dr. Green:754. (7) Boyd, WGC:887. (8) "Memorable":705, cleaned. (9) Neil:2689, possibly same as one of foregoing. (10) Menjou: 1824, ditto. (11) Wolfson: 940, dull, nicked behind nostril (barely noticeable). (12) Bell 11:926, much impaired. (13) "Gilhousen":934. (14) S 6/73. There may be a few duplications. At least one of these is ex Dunham: 2328, spots top obv. edge and on rev.
The far rarer business strikes have date lower, not so far r., left base of 1 nearly over r. edge, tail feathers normal. Finest of these is probably Melish:1005, S 10/64, S 5/68:993, sold at least once as a proof.
Mintage: Quarterly, 35, 5, 3, 35, total 78, the first group including 30 in sets.
Gold proof sets. All 30 made Jan. 17, all long since broken up; Garrett's totalled $43,850. Demand for all higher denominations accounts for the breakups.
Complete sets. SI, from Mint, from Coiner Jan. 21 (!); other ANS, ex Brock, Morgan. It is obvious enough why the rest were broken up.
1886
Cent. [All kinds 4290] Proofs are known of both types; minor positional varieties probably exist in both. No special difference in rarity; available for a price.
Type I: Hub of 1864L -1886, by Longacre. Final A close to curl, lowest feather points to C (Redbook says between IC). Garrett's set, from mint 2/2/86, has this type.
Type II: Hub of 1886-1909, by C. E. Barber after Longacre. Final A distant from curl, lowest feather points to A (Redbook: between CA). Time of change unknown.
*Three Cents. [4290] Two minute positional die varieties, no difference in rarity noted. One later shows a crack from rim to wreath at 10:00. Hirt:l092, others. A. M. Smith's hoard included 27. Occasional dull proofs are offered as "unlisted rare business strikes. "
Five Cents. [4290] At least three varieties.
- Normal date. ANS, many others; majority variety. Positional varieties possible.
- Second 8 partly recut. Recutting fairly plain.
Scarce. LM 11/65:204-5. The original set inLM 3/68:306 has this variety with a Type I cent and "second variety" half dollar.
-Left side of second 8 and 6 (within loop and knob) repunched. Rare. Garrett set, 1973 GENA:604, "Gilhousen" :92, others.
Date collector and speculator demand for the 1886 has been nearly as intense as for the 1885; reason unknown aside from That Five Letter Word ("Gimme a G! - Gimme an R! - Gimme an E! E! D!"), as the coin is in no sense rare (3.33 million made). Some have been heard to claim that the 1886 is rarer than the 1885; we may take this as presumptive evidence that they are hoarding 1886's, like A. M. Smith (who had 21 outside his sets). As in 1885, many show iridescence or bluish tone, others have been cleaned to death, many are carelessly made with rounded rims. I have also seen buffed pieces brazenly offered as proofs by ignoramuses or - to be charitable - by people who may have been trying to finance the purchase of badly needed new eyeglasses.
Minor proof sets. [4290] Formerly available and hoarded (A. M. Smith had 17), but mostly long since broken up by collectors wanting the 5¢. Many have more recently been reassembled for inclusion in silver-minor proof sets. "Everything that goes down must come up", or something like that.
Dime. [886] No notable peculiarities. Too many of these have been cleaned to near unrecognizability. Many also come with flat heads, apparently from careless manufacture involving only one blow from the press. This makes easier their simulation by business strikes from dies retaining polish.
Mintage: 420, 139, l36 and 231 in the four quarters, total 926, of which 886 went in the proof sets and the other 40 in the melting pot.
Quarter. [886] Base of 1 minutely recut, 6 about closed, shield point over center of 1, left base of 1 over space. Subject to hysterical trumpetings of "rare", to some date collector pressure, and to far too much speculator activity based on the low mintage of 5000 regulars. As with the last few years, too many of the few surviving business strikes simulate proofs (though 1 is not recut, 6 is wide open, shield point over r. edge of upright, left base of 1 over center). For further confusion, too mary of the proofs were carelessly made, or have been scrubbed and chemically bathed, to simulate the rare business strikes! Cleanliness may be next to godliness in one sense anyway - too vigorous cleaning can send the creatures altogether out of this world, but the perpetrators hardly deserve heaven. (I would recommend for them a dose of their own medicines instead.)
Mintage: 390, 177,98 and 221 in the four quarters, all of them going into the 886 proof sets.
Half Dollars. [886] First variety: Without more than microscopic doubling on stars; date a little above center, shield paint over r. foot, left base of 1 a little r. of center, rev. of 1885. Rarer than the other variety.
Second variety: High date, slanting down minutely, closed 6, all stars with extra outlines except 6th, 8th and 9th, shield point minutely r. of upright, left base of 1 almost over r. edge. Rev. of 1885 (?)repolished; feathers later partly detached from outer edge of left leg. Beistle I-A. Garrett set, Feb. 2, 1886. Business strikes are from these dies after they clashed. Same comment as to the quarter. Possibly the most heavily speculated in, and most eagerly hoarded, silver coin of the decade, since most survivors of the 5,000 business strikes appear to be spending much of their time trying to join the chorus line of proofs. There is as little individuality in these as among the Rockettes.