Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of Early United States Cents

EF-40 Thomas Berener.

VF-35 With two long line-like planchet defects on obverse. Foster Lardner • B. Max Mehl #81, 6/1930: 15 $8. Dr. William H. Sheldon • Stack: s 10/1938: 289 $20.50 • George H. Clapp • ANS • Dr. William H. Sheldon 4/19/1972 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • New Netherlands Coin Co. 11/1973: 377 $950 • Dr. Edward R. Bush - Myles Z. Gerson. Obverse illustrated in Morley.

VF-35 With weak striking at UNI. J. J. Teaparty • Denis W. Loring • Robert C. Clark, 8/1982 • Donald H. Petersen • Superior Galleries 2/1992: 714 $1,870 • Robert E. Matthews, 1/11/1997 • Chris Victor-McCawley (CVM), 1/1997. Denis W. Loring, 1/1997. Robert C. Clark.

VF-35 Heritage Rare Coin Galleries • 1985 ANA (Heritage Numismatic Auctions #3): 64 $2,007.50 • Heritage Rare Coin Galleries, 5/6/1986 • Del Bland, 5/13/1986 • Herman Halpern • Stack's 3/1988: 75 $1,870 • Jack H. Beymer • Dr. Robert J., Shalowitz.

VF-35 Barney Bluestone #100, 2/1948: 723 $28.50 • Dr. William H. Sheldon • Homer K. Downing • 1952 ANA (New Netherlands Coin Co. #38): 1649 $45 • Dr. William H. Sheldon • Dorothy Paschal • Eugene Exman.

VF-35 With minute planchet defects covering the obverse. John P. Young • Barney Bluestone #88, 7/1945: 659 $56 • Dr. William H. Sheldon • Dorothy Paschal • John W. Adams • Dorothy Paschal • Robinson S. Brown, Jr. • Superior Galleries 9/1986: 75 $935 • Gene Sanders (Coinko).

VF-30 With some minute planchet defects on oboers and weak striking at Un. Ed Hipps (Ed's Coin & Stamp Shop) • Enoch Blackwell.

VF-30 Lester Merkin, 8/1972 • Del Bland • C. Douglas Smith, 11/1973. Del Bland • Dr. Robert J. Shalowitz • Jim McGuigan • "DBW" • Coin Galleries 4/1985: 1130 $1,705 • Frank H. Stillinger.

VF-30 Maj. Charles Cole, 2/1971 • Dr. Dane B. Nielsen, 3/1979 • Denis W. Loring, 7/1981 • Joseph Woods • John Bergner.

VF-30 Sharpness of EF-40 but light dents and a scrape. Mid-American Rare Coin Auctions 1/1988: 52 $935.

VF-30 Charles M. Williams • Numismatic Gallery #68, 11/1950: 62 $20.

VF-30 John E. Burton • w.. Elliot Woodward #42, 10/ 1881: 116 $3.25. James B. Wilson. Thomas L. Elder #21, 10/1908: 979 $6.50 • "Quiver."

Obverse 26. Extremely fine hair as with obverses 20, 21, and 22. Third to seventh locks are closely spaced and practically in a vertical straight line. Actually the third, fifth, and seventh are lined up, the other two end slightly to the right of the line. Closely spaced high date, with tops of 1 and 4 touching the hair and bust. RT are above E and Y.

Reverse EE. Misshapen leaves below (N)T: stem joins the left leaf away from its bottom, right leaf is a fragment. Five berries left and seven right, though the seventh (right of ONE) is hard to see because of the extreme die failure. Only one outer berry on the left branch, opposite space between D s and this is detached and stemless. Top inner berry on the left branch droops. Lowest inner berry on the right branch arises from a leaf, not from the main wreath stem. A M are far apart and c is above I-A. Top of F and bottoms of zeros are very weak.

Die states: Obverse clash marks between upper corner of cap and hair. Reverse has massive central failure, obliterating NE c and weakening the rest of ONE CENT and much of the wreath. Cracked from the rim about midway between D s. Refer to Remarks at number 28 relating central failure and radial cracks to a particular batch of die steel.
Equivalents: Sheldon NC-6. EAC 54. Encyclopedia 1668.

Rarity 8. Only two known.

Remarks: On the discovery coin the obverse die was slightly offset misaligned, much less than in the latercombinations where it got the name "Shielded Hair." The lower left border is broad, but the rest of the border is intact. On the other specimen, obverse centering is normal. Though the extremely fine hair suggests obverses 20-22, its arrangement is nearer to that of obverse 25. Most likely this die was made between obverses 22 and 23 but went to press later.

Discovered by this writer, August 1957, in a consignment of cents from England. Probably only a few dozen were struck; the die must have lasted a very short time. Believed included in the July 9 delivery.

Condition Census:

F-12 Sharpness of VF-20 with obverse and reverse scratches. Identified in 8/1957 by Walter Breen in a lot of cents from A. H. Baldwin & Sons, Ltd. (London) consigned to New Netherlands Coin Co. #50, 12/1957: 969 $950 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr., 2/23/1992 • Eric Streiner, 11/19/1992 • Robinson S. Brown, Jr. • Superior Stamp & Coin Co. 1/1996: 92 $23,100 • Wes A. Rasmussen. Reverse illustrated in Penny Whimsy. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Morley and in Noyes.

F-12 Purchased unattributed in 1959 by C. Douglas Smith, l/1960 • Dr. William H. Sheldon, 4/19/1972 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • New Netherlands Coin Co. 11/1973: 386 $4,000 • John W. Adams,11/1973 • Denis W. Loring, 5/1975 • Dorothy Paschal, 1/1976 • Denis W. Loring, 5/7/1983 • Jack H. Robinson • Superior Galleries 1/1989: 118 $22,000 • Daniel W. Holmes, Jr. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Morley and in Noyes.
No other examples have been reported.