Walter Breen
This period is notable for at least a dozen variations on the French matte or sandblast proof finishes, first on gold, then on copper, though not on publicly sold silver.
1907
Cent. [1475] No peculiarities.
Five Cents. [1475] Lowest proof mintage of thedesign. In the middle 1960's it was much hoarded, several hundred specimens (temporarily?) off the market. The syndicatedrove the price up to $70-$82 1/2, then very high, but other dates have since caught up. The coin is not in any sense rare.
Minor proof sets. [1475] Mostly broken up in the 1960's by nickel speculators. Dime. [575] Many of these are the so-called "whisker" variety, showing a spine from junction of chin and neck into field, e.g. LM 11/65:281. The 7 is free of truncation, but may exist touching truncation also as on some nonproofs.
Quarter. [575] No special peculiarities. Very minor hoarding activity on this date and 1908 owing. to the comparatively low proof mintage.
Half Dollar. [575] Ditto.
Silver proof sets. [575] Many formerly available; most of them now believed to have been broken up on behalf of collectors wanting the half dollar. Those lately seen are all apparently assembled sets.
Quarter Eagle. [154] *B-1. Date slants up, 1 and 7 just free of border and device. Rev. Two horizontal lines in second white stripe. Final year of the design and therefore lately in demand. Many survivors have been impaired.
Half Eagle. [92] Ditto. Auction record $3,750, May 1974. Rare but not prohibitively so. Eagle. Liberty Head. [74] Date high to left, floating curls behind neck, polish at IBERTY. Rev. End of scroll below ST vague. Popular final year of the design. Rare and now becoming appreciated as such. Record $4,000, May 1974, Ullmer sale, "borderline gem". Cf. also that in 1964 ANA sale; Wolfson: 813; Golden II:2128; S 5/68; 866; KS 2/60: 2831 (choice); NN 47:1411; "Memorable":728, etc., etc., some of these doubtless current appearances of the same coins.
-St. Gaudens "Indian Princess" design. So rare in proof as to be controversial. As proofs are claimed of all three types it is necessary to deal with the claims in detail.
I. First design, "Wire edge, periods." [50] Wave of hair partly covers BE, truncation nearly straight, soft feathers, LIBERTY closely spaced, plain raised rim of extreme narrowness culminating in a knife-rim or "wire edge." Rev. Small triangular periods before UNITED, after AMERICA, before TEN, after DOLLARS, and before and after all three words in Latin motto; two small leaves just above claw at left. The 500 originally minted were uncirculated pieces but they usually show not mint bloom but a peculiar reticulated surface. (1) Col. Green supposedly owned one in proof; not traced. (2) Wayte Raymond said he had seen one in satin finish proof, similar to the double eagle with Roman numerals (mentioned below); this mayor may not be the same as following. (3) A satin finish proof was described as being G. H. Hall: 2223 (1945). I have not seen this piece and cannot verify it. Possibly same as following. (4) A "satin finish proof" was offered with the S. A. Tanenbaum collection, January 3D, 1958: 381 at $625. The price makes me doubt the coin, though I did not see it and Tanenbaum did have a considerable number of matte proof gold pieces. (5) In the cased St. Gaudens 1908 set. One offered in the February 1960 Schulman-Kreisberg sale, lot 2934, alleged to have come from F.C.C. Boyd, I did examine; this was regrettably no different from the other wire edge pieces commonly offered as unc. Real proofs, of course, should have a great deal more sharpness in central curls, central feathers of wings and breast, arrows, headdress feathers, etc. A letter of Mint Superintendent Frank Landis, September 25, 1907, cited in Taxay, U.S. Mint and Coinage, 316, alludes to 50 such roofs. What happened to the rest?
II. Second issue. Same type, now altered in the borders. So-called "rolled edge, periods." [1+] Borders fairly broad, raised with sharp inner and outer edges, similar to those on matte proof cents and nickels of later years. As the 42 specimens released (of which 2 are in the Smithsonian) were presentation coins, claims have been made that many are proofs. I have examined at least nine different ones and the striking characteristics are not at all improved over the foregoing; they show no evidence of more than one blow from the dies, though their relief detail would have been much improved thereby. At least two do qualify as proofs: Harry Bass's ex 1972 ANA: 2585 (the documented first one struck, Sept. 13, 1907) and that in the cased 1908 St. Gaudens et.
III. Second design. "No periods." By C. E. Barber after st. Gaudens. Regularly accepted design without motto. Truncation much more prominently curved, wave of hair below IBE free of E, feathers more clearly defined, LIBERTY wider spaced; rev. without periods before or after legends or Latin motto words; feathers sharper, branch with narrower leaves (none above claw), arrows longer, etc., many niggling alterations to no artistic purpose, merely impressing Barber's personality on the coins. Border rounded -a plain raised lip as in 1793 Chain cents and 1909 Lincoln cents. Business strikes are more vague and indefinite in centers than previous types, which disposes of the official claim that hese modifications were to improve striking quality.
Proofs are of two types, both with very broad (1+ mm) flat borders:
- Satin finish, higher relief than later issues.
DiBello: 1170. Unique? Is there another one in the cased St. Gaudens set?
- Matte finish, like 1908, lower relief. DiBello:1170. Unique? Melish:2601 was offered as another, but I examined it and found it to be another of those eraser jobs. At least one other such coin has been around in recent years.