Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of Early United States Cents

F-12 Purchased unattributed in 1985 at a Roanoke, Virginia gun show by Dr. Gerald L. Schertz • Early American Coppers 3/1987: 99 $1,900 • Robert E. Matthews (Matthews Money Tree Co.).

F-12 Sharpness of VF-25 but tooling in hair. From Europe • Heritage Numismatic Auctions #1, 2/984: 1574 $770 • Joel Spingam • Michael ''Mickey'' Arconti.

F-12 Purchased unattributed on 1/6/1982 at the FUN convention by Tom Morley • Superior Galleries 5/1992: 188 $2,640 • Robinson S. Brown, Jr. • Superior Stamp & Coin Co. 1/1996: 52 $5,500 • Walter Husak.

F-12 Dr. Christian A. Allenburger • B. Max Mehl #111, 3/1948: 340 $15.75 • Willard C. Blaisdell.

VG-10 Sharpness of VF-25 but uniformly porous. Ray Chatham, 8/1958 • A. Kosoff • Herman Engelhardt (Montrose Coin Gallery) • Dorothy Paschal. John A. Schreuder, 4/1970 • Del Bland • Dr. Edward R. Bush. Early American Coppers 1/1979: 94 $525 • Tom Morley. DougWalcutt • Joel Spingam • Scott Jamison, 11/1996 • Chuck Heck.

VG-10 Sharpness of VF-20 but a severe edge dent which was repaired. Numismatic Gallery, 1949 • Adm. Worthington S. Bitler, 8/1960 • A. Kosoff • Dr. Hiram T. Ward, 7/ 1978 • Myles Z. Gerson, 8/1980 •• Richard V. Punchard • Bowers and Merena 3/1996: 38 $1,210 • W. M. "Jack' Wadlington. State II. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Elder-Gilbert. Obverse illustrated in Morley.

VG-10 Harry Budd • Dr. Charles L. Ruby, 12/1972 • Superior Stamp & Coin Co. • Superior Galleries 2/1974: 365 $220 • Gus Portman.

VG-10 Garry Fitzgerald, 11/24/1966 • Jackson C. Storm, 8/1/1984 • Robert E. Matthews • Superior Gal-leries 5/1989: 167 $2,090 • Larry Briggs Rare Coins.

VG-10 Howard R. Newcomb • J. C. Morgenthau & Co. #458, 2/1945: 47 $27.50 • Barney Bluestone • Charles J. Dupont. Stack's 9/1954: 52 $50 • Dorothy Paschal.

VG-10 Charles M. Williams. Numismatic Gallery #68, 11/1950: 38 $28.75.

VG-10 Henry C. Colvin • French's #80, 10/1962: 36 $37.50.

Obverse 15. In the date, 1 is over double its own width away from 7, 79 are closer than 94, and all numerals are low. These are close to the border, especially 19. Plain shoulder loop.

Reverse N.

Die states: I. Perfect obverse. Reverse as preceding. II. Obverse ground down. Hollows in the hair right of lower part of the cap and below.

Equivalents: Elder-Hays 59. McGirk 4M. Ross 38-U, 39-U. Chapman 16. Sheldon 37. EAC 23. Encyclopedia 1662.

High Rarity 6.

Remarks: Known as the Steigerwalt variety since its discovery by Charles Steigerwalt in the spring of 1900. It turned up in a "NY sale" as "Hays 44," and was returned as misattributed. (Steigerwalt, "1794 Cents," The Curio; reprint, Numismatist, July 1906, pp. 244-5. Another example was illustrated by T. L. Elder, Numismatist, November 1917, p. 482. Lapp and Silberman, United States Large Cents, Lawrence, MA, 1975, pp. 358-9,367.)

In layout and hair, this obverse is fairly similar to obverse 16 of numbers 29-30 and was probably copied on the latter. The heavy dentils at the lower left obverse bear a resemblance to number 51.

The obverse probably broke down at once. Obverse 10, already badly chipped in the field, was at once reworked and kept at press long after it would normally have been condemned, until Scot could make new obverse dies.

Condition Census:

EF-40 Consignor with initial "M" • S. H. Chapman.

S.H. Chapman 6/1913: 468 $80 • Dr. George P. French, 3/21/1929 • B. Max Mehl FPL, 1929: 86 as "unique" $350 • T. James Clarke, 1944. B. Max Mehl, 1944 • Dr. William H. Sheldon, 3/25/1945 • George H. Clapp. ANS. State 1. Obverse and reverse illustrated in the 1914 ANS Exhibition Catalogue, in Chapman, and in Noyes. Obverse illustrated in Early American Cents, in Penny Whimsy, and in Morley.

VF-30 Consigned unattributed, identified by Mark Borckardt, to Bowers and Merena 1/1993: 220 $26,400 • Anthony Terranova, Thomas D. Reynolds, and Chris Victor-McCawley(CVM). Tom Morley, 10/1993. Dr. Robert A. Schuman, 5/28/1994 • Dr. Allen Bennett.

F-15 Sharpness of VF-25 but surfaces not perfectly smooth and lightly buffed. Purchased unattributed in the 1950s from an old collector by G. G. Finnell, who sold it on 8/21/1978 at the ANA convention to Tom Morley, 1/1979 • Del Bland, 3/25/1984 George E. Ewing, Jr. • Robinson S. Brown, Jr. • Tom Morley • Superior Galleries 5/ 1992: 189 $28,600 • Tom Morley, 1/5/1996 • W. M. ''Jack'' Wadlington. Obverse illustrated in Morley.

F-15 Sharpness of VF-25 but minutely porous and lightly burnished. Howard R. Newcomb • J. C. Morgenthau & Co. #458, 2/1945: 74$57.50 • Barney Bluestone s Charles J. Dupont • Stack's 9/1954: 53 $400 • Dorothy Paschal, 12/1973 • Denis W. Loring, 12/1973 • Dr. Edward R. Bush, 12/1977 • Denis W. Loring, 5/7/1983 • Jack H. Robinson • Superior Galleries 1/1989: 61 $37,400 • Daniel W. Holmes, Jr. State I. Obverse illustrated in Morley.