Walter Breen
Silver Proof sets. [846] Formerly quite a few were available. Now most of them appear to have been dispersed owing to collector demands for the silver dollar. Others, as usual, have been assembled from individual coins. Wayte Raymond had quite a few of this and later sets, most of them though not all Similarly dispersed. Garrett's brought $2500.
Quarter Eagle. [150] Two varieties. B-l. Centered date, left base of lover r. edge.
B-2: Date slants up, left base of 1 r. of center, die file mark through TY, many others in first white stripe. Same comment as to 1898; not much date collector pressure here, though. Ullmer's was nicked but brought $1,300; Garrett: 539, $1,800. Many others lately offered have been cleaned to death.
Half Eagle. [99] Low date to left, 9 farther from border than 1. Rarer but unappreciated. Garrett: 538 brought $2,300. Wolfson's may have been a reappearance of Baldenhofer:1888. Almost a forgotten coin.
Eagle. [86] *B-5. Centered date, base of 1 (and, microscopically, also of 8) repunched; left base of 1 almost over r. edge of dentil. Breen II:281 brought $4,000; Garrett: 537, $4,500. Much rarer than commonly believed; seldom shows up.
Double Eagle. [84] Date low and placed to right. This one is practically the archetype of the golden elephant. Auction record $5,750 (slide marked on cheek) in Ullmer, trailed by $5,000 in Garrett: 536, $2,900 in 1964 ANA, $2,425 in PNG 10/65; and about eight other records 1956-65 in the $1,400 - $1,900 range. Most of these coins do not appear to have found even semi-permanent homes (what the Social Register calls "dilatory domiciles"); they show up again and again in bourses, or else their twin sisters do, moving if at all only to other dealers.
Gold proof sets. Probably about 80 made. Garrett's totalled $13,600. Col. Green had another (assembled?) which was dispersed after its half eagle turned out to bear an S mintmark (see Branch Mint Proofs, below). I have seen at least three others but am reasonably sure these too have been broken up.
Complete proof sets. As in 1894. Several were being offered as original sets back about 1951-53 but there was no documentation on them.
1900
Cent. [2062] No peculiarities. The figure of 2262 in standard references appears to be a typographical error originating with the Bureau of the Mint, but of this we cannot be absolutely certain.
Five Cents. [2062] Normal date. Coins in this decade too often come spotty, perhaps accounting for redoubled activity on the part of the scrub brush boys.
Minor proof sets. [2062] Same comment as to 1899. Dime. [912] Normal date, no recutting. Too often cleaned.
Quarter. [912] Same comment.
Half Dollar. [912] As in 1899. Minor positional varieties possible.
Silver Dollar. [912] YAM -: obv. VAM 7, low "very near" date, rev. C4 like 1901, large stars. At least the speculators have not bothered with this one, the only nineteen-hundred-and-anything Morgan dollar of which that can be said. (Now watch them start.) Silver proof sets. [912] As in 1899. Garrett's, $2,400. Quarter Eagle. [205] *B-1. Base of 1 and parts of 9 repunched; die file mark down from base of T; left base of 1 almost over r. edge. Usually available for a price. That used to be $275 to $300 but is now five to six times as much. Uncleaned ones are probably worth it: Ullmer's, "sensational," brought $1,900, and S. S. Forrest: 540 -Breen II: 668, $2,200. Compare "Cicero" : 345, Golden II: 1862, Wolfson: 243, Garrett: 543. Possibly the least rare proof of the design.
Half Eagle. [230] *B-1. Plainly doubled stars. Rare. Discovery coin: NN 51: 991.
- B-2. Normal stars and date. Ullmer:470 (nicked) at $1,350 may have been this variety; ditto those in KS 2/60, Wolfson, Stadiern, and Garrett's at $2,200.
Eagle. [120] B-4. Low date, to right; left base of 1 almost over r. edge. Less often seen than its mintage suggests, and might legitimately be called rare. Auction records, Ullmer: 506, $6,250, trailed by $4,400 in Garrett. Too many are impaired, e.g. Golden II, Merkin 9/74, and the ghastly eraser job in KS 2/60. Why do people do such things to coins?
Double Eagle. [124] New hub from now on through 1907: back of eagle's neck smooth. Date centered and placed too far to right. Same comment as to 1899 and more are available, though too many of them are nicked and scratched. Auction record $6,250 (cloudy, cleaned) in Ullmer: 538, probably the high water mark. Another was in the 1964 ANA Convention sale. Two were in the Feb. 1960 Schulman-Kreisberg sale, first with a cheek scratch, second choice. There are probably twenty floating around the bourses now, maybe 70 or 80 surviving in all.
Gold proof sets. Probably between 115 and 120 made, many of them broken up, e.g. Garrett's, totalling $13,650. These used to befairly often seen, and they are not unknown even now. Schulman's 1951 auction of material from the B. G. Johnson estate, etc., had such a four-piece set as lot 1389. Compare also that in the J. W. Schmandt offering of February 1956 and those in S 5/57:658; 1976 ANA:2917. This is entirely aside from Wayte Raymond's dispersed holdings and those included in the complete sets.
Complete proof sets. Same comment as to 1899. No Lafayette dollars known in proof.
1901
Cent. [1985] No special peculiarities.
Five Cents. [1985] Ditto. Several minuscule positional variants.
Minor proof sets. [1985] Same comment as to 1899. Dime. [813] New obverse hub; leaves longer, N in UNITED notably farther from ribbon. Really a type coin but not yet so recognized. Some proofs have bases of 01 plainly recut: "Gilhousen": 505.
Quarter. [813] New obverse hub: leaves longer, berries larger and in apparently higher relief; more details in ear and part of hair; same comment as to the dime. Now that I have publicized the design change, type collectors may eventually start looking for this relatively neglected date. Too often available only cleaned.