Walter Breen
(1) Johns Hopkins University, since 1942, by bequest of John Work Garrett, ex T. Harrison Garrett estate, 1921, ex Thomas Harrison Garrett. 1888, ex O. H. Berg collection, J. W. Haseltine, May 23, 1888; same to have come from Koch & Co., Vienna, about 1875, though more probably ultimately from William Idler. EF, former proof, marked die chatter; blundered edge lettering; rust spot on U small, sharp.
(2) Last owner of record Amon Carter, Jr., though said to have been sold by him in recent years; ex Amon Carter, Sr., estate, ex Percy A. Smith via Mehl "Golden Jubilee" sale of 1950: 804, ex F. C. C. Boyd, 1946, ex A. J. Allen, 1940, Col. E. H. R. Green probably via either Mehl or B. G. Johnson, ex Waldo Newcomer, about 1932 or '33, ex Lyman: 16 (1913), ex Henry Ahlborn, ca. 1880, ex Phineas Adams, 1880, Adams having obtained it privately from Haseltine in 1876. This is the dollar exhibited by Haseltine at the Jewett sale of January 24, 1876, with a supposed English pedigree, but more probably from Idler. EF or better, dark toned, formerly cleaned and obviously originally a proof; centers weak, some nicks and dents, edge lettering better than usual, very slight reverse die chatter, rust mark at U plain. The coin is not a true cylinder, it being somewhat dished, bent or buckled, evidently from the edgewise compression inflicted by the Castaing machine.
(3) Wolfson: 1394, published as having sold at $36,000, buyer unknown; ex "Fairbanks Collection": 576, December 10, 1960 at $28,000, ex Davis-Graves:1333, ex H. P. Graves estate, 1954 via Mrs. Fullerton (Graves's daughter), who bought it at the Parke-Bernet sale of R. H. Mull et al. material, May 11, 1950, that part of the catalogue prepared with the help of Charles M. Wormser; ex John N. Hale estate, Hale (d. 1897) having bought it at the 1890 sale of R. Coulton Davis coins. Davis, who had originally bought it from the ubiquitous J. W. Haseltine, October 23, 1877, reselling it to that dealer in 1883, bought it via J. Colvin Randall (longtime associate of Haseltine) from the G. M. Klein "Vicksburg Cabinet" sale of May 21, 1888. Klein had it of Haseltine in 1883. EF, former proof, weak at centers, cleaned and retoned; blundered edge lettering; rust spot on U smaller than on some others; less die chatter than on some others.
This dollar, though correctly described as a restrike in most of its auction appearances, was misdescribed as an original in the Davis-Graves catalogue, 1954, on the basis of a document reproduced there and in the Wolfson catalogue, consisting of a letter from William E. DuBois, Assayer and Curator of the Mint Cabinet, September 17, 1878, in which DuBois says "Upon comparison with the specimens in the Cabinet of the U.S. Mint, I have no doubt that this Dollar is one of the original issue -- and not a "restrike" from Mint dies." Presumably by 1878 the dollars had been transposed and DuBois had conveniently forgotten about the difference in edges. At the time of its1954 sale I was approached with threats of a $1,000,000 lawsuit should I publish anything adverse to this or any other "1804." Unfortunately, I could not find anyone who could get anything into print fast enough with the truth!
(4) Stolen (1967) from the Lammot duPont family, ex L. duPont estate, ex Ten Eyck: 394, 1922, Ten Eyck (d. 1910) having obtained it in 1888 at the Scott sale of the Linderman collection, February 28, 1888; Linderman, Director of the Mint 1873-78, had it of either Idler or some mint employee at some unknown date before that, probably during the late 1860's while he was Director at the Philadelphia Mint rather than during his Mint Bureau Directorship days in Washington. The price to him was high enough that he had to pay it in installments. Brilliant proof; blundered edge lettering; rust spot on U present but available illustrations do not permit judging its extent; die alignment unknown but probably like the rest.
(5) Chase Manhattan Bank Money Museum, ex Farran Zerbe, 1929, via Guttag Bros., ex Wayte Raymond, 1925, ex Col. James W. Ellsworth, 1923, ex Isaac Rosenthal (Joseph Rosenthal's Sons), via O. C. Bosbyshell (late Mint Director), 1894; said to be ex W. Julius Driefus of Alexandria, Virginia, allegedly from a freed slave, but more probably from some disreputable source like Haseltine or Idler. Accompanied by a document from C. E. Barber, Engraver of the Mint, and R. A. McClure, Curator of the Mint Cabinet, 1894, attesting to its genuineness; Bosbyshell, then Mint Superintendent, had been for long Coiner. VF, former proof, rubbed and scrubbed, with some nicks; probably carried at some time as a pocket piece; blundered edge lettering; plain die chattter; die alignment same as on others; rust mark at U small and sharp; "dished" like the Amon Carter coin.
(6) Last owner of record Edwin Hydeman, offered with the Hydeman collection at the NASC Convention, Statler Hilton Hotel, Los Angeles, March 3, 1961, and reportedly sold at $29,000; reoffered with the Dr. J. Hewitt Judd material: 45b, "Illustrated History," with confused pedigrees and no indication of restrike status, 1962; ex Neil: 31, ex Atwater: 214, ex William H. Woodin via unknown intermediaries (Edgar Adams? Wayte Raymond?), ex H. O. Granberg. Granberg had bought it in 1908from J. W. Haseltine at the dispersal of part of the William Idler holdings. EF, former proof, weak in centers, rubbed and scratched, excellent edge lettering, dished like the Amon Carter and Chase Bank coins; rust mark at U present, extent not ascertainable from available photographs; die alignment like the rest.
The 1804 reverse die of first issue appears to have been destroyed in 1858, though the obv. was not then recovered. (Were the 1801-2-3 dies destroyed at the same time? It would seem likely as this reverse was doubtless kept with them.) The 1804 obverse was not traced until 1860, well after the 1858 scandal and any subsequent strikings. No reverse was found with it, but this particular dated die was included in a box sealed up by J. R. Snowden, Mint Director, July 30, 1860, later opened up and resealed May 18, 1867 by his successor H. R. Linderman. The inventory of dies in this box was found in the Archives by the late Walter Thompson in 1961; it is quoted in the Newman-Bressett book, p.85. These dies, together with the pattern dies 1836-55 in a box sealed by Snowden July 8, 1859 and reopened and resealed by Linderman May 18, 1867, were destroyed -after impressions were taken of some of them -in 1868. Newman points out that no more 1804 dollars were made at that time (probably to the distress of Linderman) as there was no reverse in this group. The list of dies (all called "experimental" by Linderman, which is pure whitewash) is partly reproduced here in order to give some interpretation. I suspect that Thompson read some of the dates wrongly, handwriting at that period especially on sand-blotted copies being sometimes very difficult, but as I had not seen the document during my own visits to the Archives, I cannot guarantee the correct readings as yet.
Dollar Die ... 1804. = Obverse only.
Silver Dollar Dies ... 1838.= Probably obv. and starless rev.
Silver Dollar Dies ... 1836.= Probably two obverses, name on & name below base.
Silver Dollar Dies ... 1839.= Probably obv. and starred rev.
Dollar Dies (Silver) ... 1851 & 1852. = Obvs. only. The rev. was of the 1858-59 proofs, retained in the Coiner's Department presumably with knowledge of Chief Coiner George K. Childs; this die was still in use as late as 1876.
Half Cent Dies ... 1836, 51 [40?], 52 [42?], 44, 46, 47, 48,42 [49?] , 52 (Obverse). The 1841 was missing because it had broken; the 1843 and 1845 for reasons unknown. Presumably the three reverses were not recovered.
Quarter Dollar Die ... 1827. = No mention of reverse, which had broken. It follows that all the known restrikes of the above coins, where only obverses were in the inventory, must have been made before July 30, 1860; some Gobrechts may have been made at the final strikings in 1868.