Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of Early United States Cents

Obverse 12. Always with the rim break above u. Reverse M. Single berry left of the bow. The lowest right leaf pair droops (not horizontal), the lowest leaf points to A (not C), and a berry is below the center of R (not the upright). These latter two characteristics will distinguish even a worn specimen of this reverse from reverse N, which is the only other 1794 die with a single berry left of the bow. Ribbon bows arise from a point well left of the knot. Incomplete leaves above and left of O(N). Inner leaf of the triplet at OF is incomplete. Left stem ends in a long spine. Five berries left and six right. Letters successively lower in ONE and ENT. In UNITED, N is high and T is low. The fraction is skewed to the right and has a long bar; 1 is above the adjacent 00.

Die states: 1. Obverse crack as state VI above. No reverse clash marks.

II. Reverse clash marks from hair and truncation.

III. Obverse crack heavier and extends left from the rim break through cap to rim, later looking like a retained cud (area between it and edge is in a different plane from rest of the die).

IV. The crack of state III has become a rim break. Jack Collins referred to this as the "terminal state" with 11 examples known. (Van Cleave Collection sale, Kagin's Numismatic Auctions, #340, 1/1986: 5038.) Denis Loring estimates that perhaps six to eight examples of this die state are known.

Equivalents: Maris 19. Frossard 25.2. Doughty 40. Hays 28. McGirk lB. Ross 17-T. Chapman 13. Sheldon 34. EAC 19. Encyclopedia 1662.

High Rarity 5.

Remarks: Often porous, evidently from the poor quality of copper used for much of this press run.

Condition Census:

EF-40 A. E. L. Keese • Dr. Geo. W. Massamore #44, 11/ 1895: 351 $10.50 • W. W. Hays, 1900 • Chas. Steigerwalt, 1906 • Charles G. Zug • Lyman H. Low 3/1907: 28 $15.50 • W. B. Guy • Henry Chapman 11/1911: 398 $34 • Dr. George P. French, 3/21/1929 • B. Max Mehl FPL, 1929: 51 $300 • T. James Clarke, 1944 • B. Max Mehl • Dr. William H. Sheldon, 3/25/1945 • George H. Clapp • ANS • Dr. William H. Sheldon. Obverse and reverse illus-trated in Chapman and in Noyes.

VF-30 Dr. Thomas Hall • W. W. Hays • Dr. Thomas Hall, 9/7/1909 • Virgil M. Brand, 2/7/1941 • B. G. Johnson (St. Louis Stamp & Coin Co.), 9/28/1943 $50 • Thomas L. Elder • Oscar J. Pearl s Numismatic Gallery FPL, 1944: 45 $95 • Dr. William H. Sheldon • ANS. State III. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Frossard-Hays. Obverse illustrated in Morley.

VF-25 Sharpness of VF-35 but surfaces are minutely porous. Coins & Currency 4/1969: 1759 $900 • C. E. Bullowa (Coinhunter) • Abner Kreisberg Corp. • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. •New Netherlands Coin Co. 11/1973: 356 $1,100 • John W. Adams, 6/1975 • Denis W. Loring, 5/7/1983 • Jack H. Robinson • Del Bland, 3/5/1985 • Fred H. Borcherdt. Obverse illustrated in Morley.

F-12 Charles M. Williams • Numismatic Gallery #68, 11/1950: 36 $98 • Christian M, Petersen • Hollinbeck Coin Co .• Hollinbeck Coin Co. #184, 8/1954: 7 • Dorothy Paschal, 1972 • Robinson S. Brown, Jr. • Superior Galleries 9/1986: 45 $3,960 • Frank H. Stillinger. State III. Obverse illustrated in Elder-Gilbert.

F-12 W. Morris • Frank Allen • George Decker, 1/ 18/1970 • C. F. Gordon, Jr., 1/1979 • Del Bland • Jack H. Robinson • Superior Galleries 1/1989: 55 $5,280 • Daniel W. Holmes, Jr. State I.

F-12 Purchased unattributed by Dr. Robert J. Shalowitz • Darwin B. Palmer, Jr .• Dr. Edward R. Bush • George E. Ewing, Jr., 10/1979 • G. Lee Kuntz • Superior Galleries 10/1991: 41 $6,600 • Robinson S. Brown, Jr. • SuperiorStamp & Coin Co. 1/1996: 49$6,050 • W. M. ''Jack'' Wadlington.

VG-10 Numismatic Gallery, 1/2/1948 • Willard C. Blaisdell • Del Bland • Dr. Robert J. Shalowitz • Dr. C. R. Chambers • Jack H. Robinson • Superior Galleries 1/1989: 56 $3,520 • Daniel W. Holmes, Jr. State III.

VG-10 Sharpness ofVF-25 but finely porous. Purchased unattributed on 10/21/1983 by James Young, Jr.

VG-7 Sharpness of VF-20 but pitted on obverse and burnished. Purchased unattributed circa 1972 by Doug Walcutt, 12/15/1990 • Joel Spingarn • Butler "Biro" Gander.

VG-7 Sharpness of VG-10 but pits on face and edge nicks. Worth Brown, 1/8/1972 • Herbert A. Silberman, 11/1977 • Chuck Furjanic • John D. Wright.

VG-7 Sharpness of VF-25 but porous and black. George Ramont, 3/21/1972 • an unidentified eastern collector.

VG-7 Sharpness of VF-20 but nicks, pit marks, and edge dents. D. C. Wismer • New Netherlands Coin Co. #33, 4/1951: 580 $35 • John Pawling • New Netherlands Coin Co. #39,11/1952: 411 $75 • Dr. Charles L. Ruby, 12/1972 • Superior Stamp & Coin Co. • Superior Galleries 2/1974: 362 $330 • Tom Morley • Cape Kennedy Medals 12, 1975: 25 $350 • Dr. Robert J. Shalowitz • Charles Gifford • Dr. Robert J. Shalowitz • Frank Simon • Del Bland, 5/1978 • George E. Ewing, Jr.

VG-7 Henry C. Colvin • French's #80, 10/1962: 34 $47.50 • C. Douglas Smith, 1965 • Alfred Bonard.