Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of Early United States Cents

At the 1975 ANA Convention, a British source turned up a hand-engraved, silvered copper membership badge (illustrated above) enclosing a specimen of this variety. The edge is lettered: TH. DANFORTH III PHILADELPHIA. Danforth was a pewtersmith in Philadelphia. (Ralph M. and Terry H. Koval, A Directory of American Silver, Pewter and Silver Plate, New York: Crown Publishers, 1961. 12th printing, 1979. listed are many members of the Danforth family as 18th- and 19th-century pewtersmiths. Included are Thomas Danforth, his son Thomas Danforth II, grandson Thomas Danforth ill, and great-grandson Thomas Danforth Iv. This family resided in Philadelphia and Connecticut) Perkins remains unidentified. (D.W. Perkins, Perkins Families in the United States in 1790, Utica, N.Y.: the author, 1911. According to the 1790 census, 588 families resided in the United States with the household name Perkins. Of these, 17 were in Pennsylvania yet none had the initials H. E.) Mere, is apparently an abbreviation for mercator (merchant). Phil. is short for Philadelphia and was probably neo latin Philadelphiensis (at Philadelphia). Ed Hilbert (Madison Coin Box) displayed it at his bourse table. (John D. Wright, "An Encased 1793 Large Cent," Penny-Wise, no. 54, 5/15/1976, p, 147; Kagin's 1977 ANA: 226, $1,200.)

Condition Census:

MS-67 With a thin line-like planchet defect left of the date. From an old Philadelphia family who obtained the coin at the time of issue and preserved it in a custom chamois bag, finally selling it to S. K. Harzfeld, 1879 • S. H. & H. Chapman • Ed. Frossard $100 • George M. Parsons • Ed. Frossard #38, 10/1884: 984 $200 • Richard B. Winsor • S. H. & H. Chapman 12/1895: 826 $160 • S. H. & H. Chapman. George H. Earle, Jr. Henry Chapman 6/1912: 3357 $220 • Clarence S. Bement • Henry Chapman 5/1916: 287 $520 • Henry Chapman • Col. James W. Ellsworth, 3/1923 • Wayte Raymond • William Cutler Atwater • B. Max Mehl #108, 6/1946: 11 $1,050 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr., 2/23/1992• Eric Streiner • Jay Parrino (The Mint). State 1. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Breen's Proof Encyclopedia :(1977), Complete Encyclopedia (1988) and in Noyes.

MS-61 W. E Johnson, 6/1892 • Dr. Thomas Hall • W. S. Sisson • Henry Chapman 4/1916: 988 $375 • Wayte Raymond (The United States Coin Co.) • Henry C. Hines, 1945 • Dr. William H. Sheldon, 4/19/1972 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • New Netherlands Coin Co. 11/1973: 326 $16,000 • Stack's • unknown • Stack's 10/1990: 1591 $44,000 • Anthony Terranova • Stack's. State I. Reverse Illustrated in The United States Coinage of 1793 by Sylvester S. Crosby (1897).

MS-61 Charles J. Dupont • Stack's 9/1954: 7 $1,200 • Gene Reale. Sotheby's (New York) #7083, 1/1998: 19 $93,500 • Anthony Terranova. State I.

MS-60 George ESeavey • William H. Strobridge, 1873:207. Lorin G, Parmelee • New York Coin & Stamp Co. 6/1890: 675 $75 • Harlan P. Smith • M. A. Brown • S. H. & H. Chapman 4/1897: 747 $105 • S. H. & H. Chapman • George H. Earle, Jr. • Henry Chapman 6/1912: 3358 $100 • Dr. George P. French • Col. James W. Ellsworth, 3/1923 • Wayte Raymond, 4/1923 • George H. Clapp. ANS. State III. Obverse illustrated on the Crosby Levick plate and in Noyes. Obverse and reverse illustrated in the 1879 Frossard Monograph.

MS-60 Henry C. Miller • Thomas L. Elder 4/1917: 648 $350 • Howard R. Newcomb • J. C. Morgenthau & Co. #458, 2/1945: 5 $525 • T. James Clarke, 10/1954 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • A. Kosoff 4/1956: 6 $1,650 • Dr. James O. Sloss, 9/1958 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • A. Kosoff 10/1959: 5 $2,500 • Stack's • Dorothy Nelson • Stack's 2/1976: 4 $7,500 • Jerry A. Bobbe • Del Bland • Alfred K. Nippert, Jr. State II.

AU-50 John P. Lyman • S. H. Chapman 11/1913: 390 $112 • Elmer S. Sears • Virgil M. Brand, 2/7/1941 • B. G. Johnson (St. Louis Stamp & Coin Co.) • Oscar J. Pearl • Numismatic Gallery FPL, 1944: 4 $1,400 • Charles M. Williams • Numismatic Gallery #68, 11/1950: 7 $710 • Harold Bareford, 9/13/1985. Herman Halpern, 12/26/ 1986 • C. Douglas Smith. State I. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Early American Cents and in Penny Whimsy.

AU-50 Dr. Thomas Hall, 9/7/1909 • Virgil M. Brand • New Netherlands Coin Co., privately • Richard Picker, 1954 • Mrs. R. Henry Norweb • Bowers and Merena 11/1988: 2689 $15,400. State I.

AU-50 Herman Halpern • Stack's 3/1988: 5 $11,550. State I.

EF-45 Dr. Charles Clay (England) • William H. Strobridge 12/1871: 700 $25 • W. Elliot Woodward • Lorin G. Parmelee • William H. Strobridge 6/1873: 130 $26 • Wm. Festus Morgan • J. C. Morgenthau & Co. #287, 6/1932: 7 $47 • unknown .Wayte Raymond • J. C. Morgenthau & Co. #384,12/1937: 335 $205 • Frank Hussey • New Netherlands Coin Co. #54, 4/1960: 1337 $490 • Corrado Romano (Worthy Coin Co.) • unknown • 1976 ANA (Stack's): 221 $2,200 • Mike Follett Rare Coin Co. • Manfra, Tordella & Brookes. State II.

EF-45 James B. Wilson • Thomas L. Elder #21, 101 1908: 974 $81 • Thomas L. Elder • Allison W. Jackman. Henry Chapman 6/1918: 687 $85 • Dr. George P. French, 3/21/1929 • B. Max Mehl FPL, 1929: 4$525 • H. A. Stoddard, 1934 • B. Max Mehl.

EF-45 Bowers and Ruddy Galleries, privately • Del Bland • Michael Oppenheim.

EF-40 With a very small planchet clip and laminations. Sharpness of AU-50 but edge dents on both sides. Albert S. Elwell S. H. & H. Chapman 12/1897:516 $34. John Story Jenks • Henry Chapman 12/1921: 6099 $42 • Carl Wurtzbach. Henry A. Sternberg • J. C. Morgenthau & Co. #278, 4/1932: 435 • George H. Clapp • ANS.

EF-40 With a line-like planchet defect on obverse. Pierre-Edouard LeGras (Paris) • Ed. Frossard • Ed. Frossard #25, 11/1882: 145 $12.50 • unknown • French's #90, 31 1967: 531 $925 • C. Douglas Smith • unknown • MidAmerican Rare Coin Auctions 5/1990: 9 $5,900.