Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of Early United States Cents

VG-7 Sharpness of F-15 but burnished. Hollinbeck Kagin Coin Co. • Leo A. Young 2/1959: 1299 $650 • Hollinbeck Kagin Coin Co. • Philip E. Benedetti (Pickwick Stamp & Coin Co.) offered in Numismatic Scrapbook, 3/1961, at $3,000. Hollinbeck Kagin Coin Co. • Art Kagin - Heritage Numismatic Auctions 9/1996: 5020 not sold. Art Kagin.

VG-7 John P. Young • Barney Bluestone #88, 7/1945: 648 $157.50.

G-6 James G. Macallister - Charles J. Dupont. Slack's 9/1954: 20 $160 • Dr. Charles L. Ruby, 12/1972 • Superior Stamp & Coin Co. • Superior Galleries 2/1975: 13 $1,000 • an eastern collector.

G-6 Sharpness of VG-8 but the surfaces are rough.

Howard R. Newcomb • J. C. Morgenthau & Co. #458, 2/1945: 15 $75 • Christian M. Petersen, 10/1948 • Homer K. Downing • 1952 ANA (New Netherlands Coin Co. #38): 1628 $140 • Willard C. Blaisdell • Del Bland • Jack H. Beymer • Jack H. Robinson • Superior Galleries 1/1989: 16 $2,860 • Robinson S. Brown, Jr. • Superior Stamp & Coin Co. 1/1996: 16 $4,180 • Jack H. Beymer. State II.

G-6 Clarence Denton.

G-6 Howard R. Newcomb, privately • Dr. William H. Sheldon • Dorothy Paschal.

G-5 Pine Tree Auction Galleries 1/1978: 85 $1,100 • John D. Wright.

G-5 Dr. George P. French • Henry Chapman 12/1927: 954 $100 • Floyd T. Starr • Stack's 6/1984: 20 $2,640.

G-5 Sharpness of F-12 but porous. Purchased unattributed from a flea market dealer by David Wilson (Dave's Coins). Surina Auction Galleries 6/1992: 186. William C. Tiedgen, Jr.

Obverse 14.

Reverse K.

Die states. Obverse as variety 19, state I; the bulge from the rim to lowest curl is very faint. Reverse as variety 21, state III.

Equivalents: Crosby-Levick 12K. Frossard 13.2. Proskey 16. Doughty 16. Crosby 14-K. McGirk 3D. Sheldon 15. EAC 22. Encyclopedia 1647.

Low Rarity 7. Twelve known. One more will make it R-6.

Remarks: Discovered by J. N. T. Levick before 1869. Sheldon called this variety "the aristocrat of the Liberty Cap cents and therefore an aristocrat of aristocrats among the large cents." Considering the low condition of most survivors, these are hard times for aristocrats. Planchets are often mottled or flawed, as mentioned for the previous variety. See "Oops!" chapter.

Probably 300 to 400 were struck between the earliest and latest of number 19. Usually 29 millimeters.

McGirk 3D3 describes one in the G. Kraft collection (1920) with plain edge. I have not seen this coin. Beware of electrotypes. The Jack H. Robinson collection (lot 20) was struck from misaligned dies.

In American Journal of Numismatics, someone mentioned Edward Groh's alleged 1793 Liberty Cap with error LIBERTY. This piece has remained unlocated, though its obverse is reproduced in Joseph N. T. Levick's book of rubbings (in the American Numismatic Society). The configuration of hair is more like several of Scot's 1794 ob-verses; letters and numerals differ from anything in the series. It was most likely made by drastic alteration of a 1794, similar to the Smith Counterfeits of 1793. Why Crosby did not mention it is uncertain; possibly he thought nobody else would be deceived by this concoction.

Condition Census:

F-15 Sharpness of VF-25 but finely porous. A. C. Gies, 2/1938 • George H. Clapp • ANS. Obverse illustrated in Early American Cents, and in Penny Whimsy. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Noyes.

F-12 Dr. G. F. E. Wilharm. B. Max Mehl #59, 2/1921: 1321 $174 • Henry C. Hines • Carl Wurtzbach, 12/1944 • Dr. William H. Sheldon, 4/19/1972 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr., 2/23/1992 • Eric Streiner, 4/2/1992 • Joel Spingam • L. Michael Lawrence.

VG-8 Jeff Bender • Stack's 6/1960: 12 $1,400 • Dorothy Nelson • Slack's 2/1976: 10 $2,300. William R. T. Smith • Dr. Edward R. Bush, 4/1979. G. Lee Kuntz • Superior Galleries 10/1991: 18 $13,750 • John R. Frankenfield.

VG-7 With planchet defects in central area of reverse. Sharpness of F-12 but initials scratched in obverse fields, porous and pitted at N in UNITED. Discovered unattributed by Walter Breen circa 1959 at a Columbus, Ohio coin convention • Art Kagin (Hollinbeck Kagin Coin Co.) • A. Kosoff 10/1961: 17 $4,200 • Hollinbeck Kagin Coin Co. • Hollinbeck Kagin Coin Co. #250 Part 1, 6/1963: 349.