Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of Early United States Cents

Obverse 20.

Reverse BB. "Closed Wreath." Below E(S) the top leaf on the left branch touches a leaf of the right branch, point to point. Double outer leaf at IT, as on reverse CC of number 47 and no others. Upper leaf of the pair above O{N) is edgewise and close along the lower one, which is repunched. Outer leaf of the triplet is unusually close to O(F). A berry is attached to the outer leaf below R, just short of its tip with another berry between the two lowest leaves on the left. In all, nine berries left and six right. Two disconnected ribbon knots, the left ribbon originating at the lower knot, the right ribbon at the upper knot with its end almost touching the fraction bar and final o. Legend is amateurishly spaced: UN almost touch, E leans much more to the right than T and D, D is low, S and A are above adjacent TS, ST are far apart, and TES OF A are exceptionally far apart. ON is too close with the adjacent E low; N is below CE-T.

Die states: I. Faint clash marks from leaves above the head and from hair within the wreath. Upper right reverse border is generally weak.

II. Cracked from the rim through upright of E to the hair. This becomes longer and heavier, eventually reaching hair left of the ear.

III. Heavier clash marks in and below the cap. Straight bulge slants down from the rim to nose. The crack of state II becomes very heavy, becoming lost in the hair left of the earlobe.

Equivalents: Maris 5, ''Young Head." Frossard 4 (description, page 13). Doughty 23. Hays 7. McGirk 9A. Ross 5-D. Chapman 31. She1don49. EAC 39. Encyclopedia 1668.

Rarity 2.

Remarks: This is the second of four hand-cut ("office boy") reverses attributed to Frederick Riche for reasons mentioned at number 37. For the others, see 40, 47, and 48. The closure of the wreath suggests number38 as the prototype; other features suggest numbers 6 and 37.

This reverse was from exceptionally high-quality tool steel outlasting six obverse dies. Another die from the same alloy must have been used for obverse 10, the ''Marred Field."

Probably delivered June 24.

Fairly often shows a double profile, evidently from some kind of press malfunction.

Elder-Hays 7a (McGirk 9A2) is a specimen with blundered edge ONE HUNDRED A DOLLAR. (Thomas L. Elder, 87th sale, December 10, 1913, lot 244 as "VF," $20.50.) A similar specimen in the collection of Bob LaForme was reported by Dan Trollan. (Letter to Mark Borckardt, Apri1 28, 1997.)

Frossard 4 reflects confusion: he described this variety and illustrated the obverse of our number 43, below. (Monograph of U. S. Cents and Half Cents, 1879.)

Condition Census:

MS-62 Major Sir Rowland Denys Guy Winn, M. c., 4th Baron St. Oswald • Christie, Manson & Woods, Ltd. (London) 10/1964: 149 $1,400 • Stack's • Frank H. Masters, Jr. • Rare Coin Company of America 5/1971: 65 $2,900 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr., 2/23/1992 • Eric Streiner • Jay Parrino (The Mint) • Tom Morley • Superior Auction Galleries 1/1994: 782 $29,700 • Anthony Terranova, Thomas D. Reynolds, and Chris Victor-McCawley (CVM) • Dr. Thomas Turissini. State I. Obverse illustrated in Morley. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Noyes.

AU-50 Dr. George P. French, 3/21/1929 • B. Max Mehl FPL, 1929: 27 $150 • T. James Clarke, 1944 • B. Max Mehl, 1948 • Dr. William H. Sheldon, 4/19/1972 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • Early American Coppers 5/1990: 23 $13,000 • Dr. Allen Bennett, 1/20/1998 • Walter Husak. State III. Ob-verse illustrated in Elder-Gilbert.

EF-40 C. H. Stearns • Mayflower Coin Auctions 12/1966: 306 $325 • Alfred Bonard • Jon Hanson • Jeffrey Oliphant. Obverse illustrated in Noyes.

EF-40 Allison W. Jackman • Henry Chapman 6/1918: 694 $15 • Wayte Raymond • Henry C. Hines • Sheraton Coin Co. • Dr. William H. Sheldon • John H. Payne • T. James Clarke, 10/1954 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • New Neth-erlands Coin Co. 11/1973: 369 $600 • Del Bland, 1/4/ 1985 • Bertram Cohen • Ferris Stamp & Coin Co. • Stuart A.Levine • George E. Ewing, Jr.

EF-40 H. E. Rawson • B. Max Mehl #64, 12/1922: 326 $12.50 • Charles E. Clapp, Sr., 12/1924 • George H. Clapp • ANS.

EF-40 Charles E. Clapp, Sr., 3/1921 • George H. Clapp • ANS.

EF-40 R. H. Underhill • Thomas L. Elder 1/1929: 1417 $25 • George H. Clapp • ANS. State III.

EF-40 Bertram Cohen, 8/24/1990 • Del Bland • Chris Victor-McCawley (CVM) • Dr. Robert J. Shalowitz.

EF-40 W. W. Hays, 1900 • Chas. Steigerwalt, 1906 •Charles G. Zug • Lyman H. Low 3/1907: 7 $8 • C. H. Stearnsv Howard R. Newcomb • J. c. Morgenthau & Co. #458, 2/1945: 23 $37.50 • Dr. William H. Sheldon. Sheraton Coin Co. • 1947 ANA (Numismatic Gallery #40): 782 $65 • Dr. William H. Sheldon • Homer K. Downing • 1952 ANA (New Netherlands Coin Co. #38): 1642 $57.50 • Harold Bareford, 9/13/1985 • Herman Halpern • Stack's 3/1988: 67 $2,860 • G. Lee Kuntz • Superior Galleries 10/1991: 56 $6,050. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Chapman.

VF-35 Consignment A • Stack's 6/1968: 169 $390. VF-35 John Story Jenks • Henry Chapman 12/1921: 6106 $21.

VF-35 William Van Roden • Stack's 5/1968: 181 $210. VF-35 Sharpness of AU-50 but surfaces not smooth and edge dents. Charles M. Williams • Numismatic Gallery #68, 11/1950: 54 $25 • Willard C. Blaisdell • Del Bland • Richard H. Wright • Valley Plaza Coins (Richard H. Wright) FPL #1, Fall 1976: 56 $950 • Jack Collins • John G. Wood.