Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of Early United States Cents

Obverse 26. Repolished to remove clash marks. Curl points, letters, and numerals have thinner serifs. The 4 does not quite touch the bust. Die vertically (axially) misaligned: the lower left border is broad and deep while the upper right border is much narrower but still intact.

Reverse FF. Drastically polished with the left ribbon end short and pointed. The outer leaf at A(M) is narrow and distant from its neighbor, the outer leaf at (R)I is only a fragment, the numerals are thin, and the denominator is weak. No fraction bar. Seven berries on each branch. ES are far from T and the final s is high, leaning right.

Die states: I. Perfect reverse. (An early state with the fraction bar may exist, struck before or after the dies clashed but before the reverse was ground and repolished. Thi.s would differ in berry arrangement from reverses EE and GG and might be taken for a new die.)

II. Cracked from the rim through the middle of D to the nearest outer leaf pair. No central buckling.

III. Reverse progressively buckles in the center, similar to the two 1793 Liberty Cap reverses.

IV. A piece has fallen out of D between the upright and crack, and this crack extends through the wreath; the bulge becomes severe.

V. The crack is further extended, touching C(E). A second crack from the rim extends to the right top of M.

Equivalents: Maris 33. Frossard 19.2. Doughty 53.

Hays 46. McGirk 6F. Ross 28-FF. Chapman 48. Sheldon 64. EAC 53. Encyclopedia 1666.

Low Rarity 5.

Remarks: For Sheldon, this attenuation was an attractant: "beautifully executed reverse, with excellent spacing throughout and fine engraving of the leaves. All the detail about the ribbon bow and fraction is perfect and symmetrical, except for the strange omission of the fraction bar." (Early American Cents, p. 125; Penny Whimsy, P: 124. Dr. Harry Salyards notes: "One man's polished-off attenuation is another man's delicacy.)

This variety probably formed a minority of the July 9 delivery.

Condition Census:

MS-67 Prooflike. S. H. & H. Chapman • John G. Mills • S. H. & H. Chapman 4/1904: 1243 $36 • George H. Earle, Jr. • Henry Chapman 6/1912: 3386 $65 • Clarence S. Bement • Henry Chapman 5/1916: 296 $115 • Howard R. Newcomb • J. C. Morgenthau & Co. #458, 2/1945: 61 $140 • Dr. William H. Sheldon, 4/19/1972 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr., 2/23/1992 • Eric Streiner, 8/17/1992 • Dr. Allen Bennett. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Chapman, in Early American Cents, in Penny Whimsy, in Morley, and in Noyes.

MS-65 With some planchet roughness in the lower left obverse field. Henry C. Miller • Thomas L, Elder 4/1917: 696 $115 • Dr. George P. French, 3/21/1929 • B. Max Mehl FPL, 1929: 73 $200·. T. James Clarke, 10/1954 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Elder-Gilbert.

AU-55 With light planchet roughness behind the lower curls. Patrick Deane (London) • William P. Paul (Ameri-can Heritage Minting), 7/1980 • Del Bland • George E. Ewing, Jr. • AnthonyTerranova, 4/1995 • Walter Husak.

AU-50 M. A. Brown • S. H. & H. Chapman 4/1897: 758 $22 • J. Colvin Rartdall • Allison W. Jackman • Henry Chapman 6/1918: 700 $68 • Virgil M. Brand • B. G. Johnson (St. Louis Stamp & Coin Co.), 4/26/1943 $100 • A. Kosoff • Oscar J. Pearl - Numismatic Gallery FPL, 1944: 71 $200 • 1946 ANA (Numismatic Gallery #38): 1426 $172.50 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • A. Kosoff 4/1956: 22 $500 • Stack's • Dorothy Nelson. Stack's 2/1976: 17 $2,000 • William R. T. Smith • Myles Z. Gerson • Bertram Cohen • John G. Wood • Bertram Cohen • J. J. Teaparty • Shoreham Enterprises, Ltd. • Superior Galleries 9/1986: 85 $6,325 • Charles E. Harrison • Jeffrey Oliphant.