Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of Early United States Cents

Obverse 1. Wide straight date which is distant from the bust. Doubled die: the device punch was misaligned on one of its impressions. The doubling is plain at ends of locks and shoulder loop, less so elsewhere in the hair b is low and leans right.

Reverse A. Both ribbons come from a point entirely above the knot which is placed instead at the crossing of the wreath stems. Stem of the lowest left leaf pair is thick and extends into the ribbon. Eight berries on the left branch, seven on the right, and all are tiny and withered looking. NE of ONE are spaced far apart. N of CENT was first rotated 180°, then corrected, with the extra serif visible at lower right. T in CENT leans left. AMERICA is widely spaced except for ER. Wavy die defect above M looks like a skewed impression from a twin dentil punch.

Edge: I. Point and stem of leaf after DOLLAR point down.

See illustration on page 95.

Die states: I. Without clash marks or cracks. Faint bulge from rim to comer of L may not be visible on low-grade specimens.

II. Clash marks from leaves behind curls. Bulge develops from L to head, at first faint and later obvious. Crack from the rim to pole, at first faint, later heavy. Reverse clash marks, from hair and profile, within the wreath, and from bust and pole, below TATES and at F.

III. Faint crack along the bulge from rim to the comer of L and later extending from L to the head, nearly parallel to upper edge of the cap.

IV. Lower crack now extends through the neck, earlobe, hair, and field toward the right foot of L and into the crack along the bulge, forming a full bisecting crack. Extremely rare.

Equivalents: Maris 4,"Tilted 4." Frossard 3. Doughty 22. Hays 4. McGirk 7B. Ross 3-B. Chapman 4. Sheldon 17a. EAC la. Encyclopedia 1648.

Low Rarity 5.

Remarks: Found on the same kind of streaky blanks as the last 1793 Caps, apparently from the remnant of the Gourdon copper purchase of August 1793. Planchets are often out of round and usually have lamination defects. (Dr. Harry Salyards, in a note to the editor, March 9,1994, stated that planchet quality is best summarized by the description accompanying the Jack H. Robinson coin (lot 22): "The planchet appears to have been a 'mud-ball' rather than copper stock considering the striations, fissures, and laminations ... ") See "Oops!" chapter.

This variety was discovered by Dr. Edward Maris before 1869.

Condition Census:

AU-50 With a line-like planchet defect across reverse.From England. Dr. Geo. W. Massamore #45, 6/1896: 475$23.75 • Charles H. Deetz, 4/1926 • George H. Clapp • ANS. State II. Obverse illustrated in Early American Cents and in Penny Whimsy. Obverse illustrated in Morley. Obverseand reverse illustrated in Noyes.

EF-40 With a line-like lamination through 4 in the date. Discovered in 1978 in London by Patrick Deane (Patrick Deane Coins, Ltd.) • New England Rare Coin Galleries, privately 8/22/1978 • Denis W. Loring, 5/7 /1983. Jack H. Robinson, 12/1983 • Del Bland, 3/20/1987 • Jack H. Robinson • McLaughlin & Robinson #4355, 12/1987: 137 $28,000 • Arthur L. Walters, Jr. • Dr. Allen Bennett, 5/28/1994 • Dr. Robert A. Schuman. State III.

VF-30 Sharpness of EF-45 but nicks, small edge dents, and a reverse scratch. Purchased in 5/1925 by George H. Clapp • unknown. Jess Peters, privately 2/27/1973 • Del Bland, 2/28/1973 • Dr. Dane B. Nielsen, 8/1980 • RE. Naftzger, Jr. • Early American Coppers 4/1989: 19 $12,000 • Daniel W. Holmes, Jr. State II.

VF-30 From England in 1950 to Henry Grunthal, 1951 • Dr. William H. Sheldon, 1970 • Dorothy Paschal, 3/1977 • R E. Naftzger, Jr., 2/23/1992 • Eric Streiner, 3/ 1992 • Denis W. Loring, 8/14/1993 • Dr. Robert A. Schuman, 5/28/1994 • Dr. Allen Bennett. State II. Obverse illustrated in Morley.

VF-30 With a planchet defect through the end of the cap. Sharpness of EF-40 but some corrosion and nicks. New York Gold Mart, 1994 • Thomas D. Reynolds.

F-15 Sharpness of VF-25 but some porosity and edge dents. Bruno Crossfield, 12/1956 • Willard C. Blaisdell, 2/15/ 1975 • R E. Naftzger, Jr., 7/1978 • Denis W. Loring, 9/1978 • Robinson S. Brown, Jr. • Superior Galleries 9/1986: 23 $4,620 • Darwin B. Palmer, Jr. • George E. Ewing, Jr. • Wes A. Rasmussen. State III.

F-12 David Proskey • Henry C. Hines • Dr. William H. Sheldon • Dorothy Paschal, 1968 • R E. Naftzger, Jr. • New Netherlands Coin Co. 11/1973: 338 $1,300 • John W. Adams, 2/1974. Denis W. Loring, 5/1974. Dr. Robert J. Shalowitz • Darwin B. Palmer, Jr. • Dr. Edward R. Bush • George E. Ewing, Jr. • Del Bland • George E. Ewing, Jr. • Darwin B. Palmer, Jr., 6/1990 • Paul Langseth, 4/1995 • Butler ''Bim'' Gander. Obverse and reverse. illustrated in Morley.

F-12 John Story Jenks • Henry Chapman 12/1921: 6105 $55 • Henry C. Hines • Dr. William H. Sheldon • Dr. Charles L. Ruby, 12/1972 • Superior Stamp & Coin Co. • Superior Galleries 2/1974: 336 $1,700 • Dr. Robert A. Schuman • Myles Z. Gerson • Dr. Philip W. Ralls • Del Bland, 5/13/1986 • Herman Halpern • Stack's 3/1988: 17 $3,960 • James Neiswinter. State II.