Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of Early United States Cents

Obverse 1. Repolished to remove clash marks. The bulge at 1, mark below the bust point, and chips between the 7 and 9 are all fainter. Head,lettering, and date are always bolder than with the AMERI reverse, and more evenly struck. Evidently, the dies were more accurately aligned than in variety 1.

Reverse B. AMERICA. The chain was made by repeated entries from a single link punch with one link below N doubled. Left end of the fraction bar points to E. Bases of M and R are above those of adjacent A and E.

Die states: I. As noted.

II. Bulge at the bases of 793. Clash marks are visible before the face and below the truncation. Surface of the field in front of the face is wavy. No reverse clash marks: most likely they were polished off the die.

Equivalents: Crosby-Levick IB. Frossard 1.2. Proskey 2.Doughty 2. Crosby 1-C. McGirk IB. Sheldon 2. EAC 2. Encyclopedia 1633.

Rarity 4. Distinctly scarcer than the AMERI.

Remarks: The number coined is probably about 4,850, from the March 1, 1793 delivery.

One example has been reported with a rim break joining S O. (John D. Wright, "The Design Cud," Penny-Wise, no. 68, 9/15/1978, p. 215.) If this exists as described, it would have had to follow variety 5 rendering the emission sequence obsolete. Such a situation would indicate an interruption in the 1-B die marriage. Another is reported with a plain edge: a blank went to press without having gone through the edge marking process. Any such specimen should be authenticated, to exclude casts and electrotype copies. See "Oops!" chapter.

In the American Numismatic Society, there is one ("Crosby I-B") in which CA was fraudulently removed and replaced by a period, to make a different AMERI variety. This was previously in The United States Coin Company sale of May 19, 1915, lot 61.
Discoverer uncertain: possibly Crosby or Levick.

Condition Census:

MS-61 (Editor's note: Opinions differ regarding the grade of this coin. Del Bland assigns a grade of MS-61. Some other observers, including Denis Loring, feel the color may be artificial and the grade should be as low as AU-50.) With blunt striking on hair around ear and on letters of the legend. F. C. C. Boyd, 1957 • New Netherlands Coin Co. • New Netherlands Coin Co. #50, 121 1957: 881 $1,350 • Corrado Romano • Stack's 6/1987: 145 $31,900 • Martin Paul (The Rarities Group) • Superior Galleries 1/1988: 50 $50,600 • Martin Paul (The Rarities Group) • Dr. Kenneth Baer • Auction '89 (David W. Akers): 1003 $88,000 • American Rare Coin Fund, LP (Hugh Sconyers, manager) • Auction '90 (Superior Stamp & Coin Co.): 1007 $132,000 • Martin Haber (South Miami Rare Coins) • Heritage Numismatic Auctions 10/1990: 453, reserved at $62,700 • unknown • Bowers and Merena 1/1993: 217 not sold • unknown • Superior Stamp & Coin Co., privately • Spectrum Numismatics, 9/20/1996 • Walter Husak. State I.

AU-55 (Denis Loring grades this coin, and the next AU-55 listed, each fully M5-60 and considers them to be tied for finest known for the variety.) With blunt striking on hair around ear. Purchased in 8/1891 from F. W. Lincoln (W. S. Lincoln & Son, London) by Benjamin H. Collins, 1/30/1919 • Dr. Henry W. Beckwith • S. H. Chapman 4/1923: 1 $430 • Henry Chapman. Dr. George P. French, 3/21/1929 • B. Max Mehl FPL, 1929: 1 $850 • Henry A. Sternberg • J. c. Morgenthau & Co. #305,4/1933: 2 $300 • B. Max Mehl Collection • T. James Clarke • John H. Payne, 1953 • Dr. William H. Sheldon, 4/19/1972 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr., 12/11/1986 • Herman Halpern • Stack's 3/1988: 2 $82,500 • Anthony Terranova • Andrew P. Lustig • Donald H. Kagin (Marin Numismatics), 11/16/1992 • Gilbert Steinberg • Superior Stamp & Coin Co. 9/1996: 1560 $88,000 • Anthony Terranova and Chris Victor-McCawley (CVM), 4/21/1997 • Walter Husak • Norman Newblom. State II.

AU-55 George F. Seavey • William H. Strobridge, 1873: 205 • Lorin G. Parmelee • New York Coin & Stamp Co. 6/1890: 669 $80 • Harlan P. Smith • M. A. Brown • S. H. & H. Chapman 4/1897: 739 $110 • George H. Earle, Jr. • Henry Chapman 6/1912: 3353 $135 • S. H. Chapman • Allison W. Jackman • Henry Chapman 6/1918: 684 $300 • Wayte Raymond (The United States Coin Co.) • Howard R. Newcomb • J. C. Morgenthau & Co. #458, 211945: 2 $430 • James Kelly FPL #21,1945 and #22, 1946 $600 • Dr. James O. Sloss, 9/1958 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • A. Kosoff 10/1959: 2 $5,500 • Stack's • Dorothy Nelson • Stack's 2/1976: 2 $15,000 • Julian Leidman • Joe Flynn Rare Coins, 4/1977 • R. Tettenhorst, 10/1995 • Jay Parrino (The Mint) • Superior Stamp & Coin 9/1997: 29 $110,000. State I. Obverse illustrated in the 1879 Frossard Monograph.

AU-55 H. W. Taffs • Glendining & Co., Ltd. (London) #10, 11/1956: 506 • Spink & Sons, Ltd. (London) • New Netherlands Coin Co. #50, 12/1957: 880 $1,275 • Floyd T. Starr • Stack's 6/1984: 2 $46,200 • Herman Halpern, 12/ 11/1986 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr., 2/23/1992 • Eric Streiner • Jay Parrino (The Mint), 4/16/1996 • W. M. "Jack" Wadlington. State II. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Noyes.

AU-55 From England • Maj. Charles Cole, 8/1969 • Dr. Peter G. Anderson.

AU-55 With some blunt striking in the hair. From an old lady who carried the coin in her purse • Sotheby's (London) #LN5588, 10/1995: 1392 £31,050 • William P. Paul (American Heritage Minting), 8/16/1996 • Denis W. Loring.

AU-50 Hollinbeck Stamp and Coin Co. #94, 1/1951: 375 $385 • Willard C. Blaisdell • Kenneth M. Goldman • Dennis R. Heller (International Coin) • Norman W. Pullen • Bowers and Merena 6/1985: 461 $19,800 • Kenneth M. Goldman and Anthony Terranova • Norman Stack Collection • Eric Streiner • Mark Yaffe (National Gold Exchange), Ron Karp (New York Gold Mart), and Martin Paul (The Rarities Group).

EF-45 Rodney T. Grove • Robert Nofal and Lewis Kling • Superior Stamp & Coin Co. • Auction '81 (Superior Stamp & Coin Co.): 507 $21,000 • Douglas F. Bird • Michael Kramer, 10/25/1996 • Dennis Mendelson, 12/1996 • John B. MacDonald. State II.

EF-45 With blunt striking on highest points of the hair. From England • Kenneth M. Goldman, 6/1977 • Dennis R. Heller (International Coin) • Kagin's Numismatic Auctions #311, 5/1978: 17 $11,000 • Dennis R. Heller (International Coin) • Kenneth Kaminski • Walter Pergiel, 6/1990 • Denis W. Loring • lost on 8/22/1990 at the ANA convention.

EF-40 Robert Coulton Davis • New York Coin & Stamp Co. 1/1890: 2505 $28 • Chas. Steigerwalt • Maj. Richard Lambert • S. H. Chapman 10/1910: 578 $55 • Carl Wurtzbach, 1919 • Virgil M. Brand, 2/7/1941 • B. G. Johnson (St. Louis Stamp & Coin Co.) 4/30/1942 $200 • George H. Clapp • ANS • (no longer in ANS).