Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of Early United States Cents

Small Dates

Flat Top to 4

Obverse 17. "Short Bust." The head is lower in the field with the bust point blunted. The lowest curl is exceptionally short and thin, unlike most other obverse dies of this year. Hair waves are shorter and tighter than on previous dies and the shoulder loop is not present. The date is closely spaced with 1 almost touching the hair and 4 touching the bust.

Obverse 16. LIBERTY is unusually close to the border, distant from the cap and head. Date is low, close to the border and spaced 1 794. Where the cap meets the hair, one lock is cut off short. Just below the pole, its three neighbors are similarly chopped, with a distinct space between them and the locks coming left from the upper temple. The uppermost of these is fragmented. There are several other incomplete places in the hair, opposite the jaw and neck above 1. Most curl ends are thick and multiple. Center dot is on a lock left of the earlobe. The shoulder loop is thin.

Reverse R. Six berries on each branch, that left of O(N) is on an unusually thick curving stem. A small spine extends from the leaf right of the foot of (N)E, just below its tip. The left stem ends in a long point. Legend is well spaced with AM farther apart than other letters. The right top of u is irregular, O(N) leans right, and the leaf below I(c) is normal (in number 32, it is hollow). Always weak at OF.

Die states: I. Perfect dies.

II. Very faint triple clash marks between the cap and hair below LI, These may not show on worn coins. See Remarks.

For later obverse states see number 30; for later reverse states see 32.

Equivalents: Maris 46. Hays 20. McGirk 3B. Ross 13-M. Chapman 10. Sheldon 42. EAC 28. Encyclopedia 1668.

Low Rarity 4.

Remarks: Maris called this the "Abrupt Hair" from the two chopped locks just above and below the pole. This obverse copies obverse 15 (number 24) in hair style and especially layout, even to the spacing of the date, which is good reason for assuming that it was the next obverse made, the first from the new device punch.

Probably comprised less than half of the May 8 delivery. One has been reported with a plain edge.

After the dies clashed, the reverse was reground to remove clash marks, being temporarily replaced by reverse 5, which cracked almost at once (number 30) and by reverse T. As the faint obverse clash marks of state II are not noticeable enough to justify this procedure, a rare late state (III) may exist with severe reverse clash marks.

Condition Census:

MS-61 From Europe • Lester Merkin 3/1968: 16l $2,600 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr., 2/23/1992 • Eric Streiner • Jay Parrino (The Mint) • Tom Morley • Superior Auction Galleries 1/1994: 780 $34,100 • Anthony Terranova, Thomas D. Reynolds, and Chris Victor-McCawley (CVM) • Dr. Thomas Turissini. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Noyes.

AU-50 Major Sir Rowland Denys Guy Winn, M. C., 4th Baron St. Oswald • Christie, Manson & Woods, Ltd. (London) 10/1964: 146 $336 • Edwin Shapiro (via Lester Merkin) • C. Douglas Smith, 1965 • Alfred Bonard • C. Douglas Smith, 10/31/1968 • an unidentified eastern collector.

AU-50 Lorin G. Parmelee, 7/6/1891 • Dr. Thomas Hall, 9/7/1909 • Virgil M. Brand • New Netherlands Coin Co. #34,10/1951: 590 $165 • Dr. William H. Sheldon, 4/ 19/1972 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • New Netherlands Coin Coll. /1913: 363 $1,500 • John W. Adams • Bowers and Ruddy Galleries FPL, 1982: 33 $3,500 • Denis W. Loring, 5/7/1983 • Jack H. Robinson • Superior Galleries 1/1989: 69 $7,975 • Dr. Allen Bennett, 1/20/1998 • Walter Husak. State I. Obverse and reverse illustrated in FrossardHays. Obverse illustrated in Morley.

EF-40 E. Gilbert • Thomas L. Elder #44, 10/1910: 20 $13 • Dr. George P. French, 3/21/1929 • B. Max Mehl FPL,1929: 43 $140 • T. James Clarke, 1944 • B. Max Mehl, 4/24/1947 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • Dr. William H. Sheldon • Dorothy Paschal, 6/18/1973 • C. Douglas Smith, 11/ 1973 • Del Bland, 6/4/1984 • George E. Ewing, Jr., 6/ 1994 • AI Boka. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Elder Gilbert and in Chapman.

EF-40 With a large reverse planchet defect. Howard R. Newcomb • J. C. Morgenthau & Co. #458, 2/1945: 37 $14 • Dr. William H. Sheldon • Homer K. Downing • 1952 ANA (New Netherlands Coin Co. #38): 1661 $77.50 • Willard C. Blaisdell • C. Douglas Smith • Gordon J. Wrubel • Charles Gifford, 11/1979 • John G. Wood. Obverse illustrated in Morley.