Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of Early United States Cents

AU-50 Richard B. Winsor • S. H. & H. Chapman 12/1895: 837 $13.50 • Ed. Frossard • E. Gilbert, privately. Col. James W. Ellsworth, 3/1923 • Wayte Raymond. James G. Macallister • Henry C. Hines • Dr. William H. Sheldon, 4/19/1972 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • New Netherlands Coin Co. 11/1973: 391 $1,200 • John W. Adams • Bowers and Ruddy Galleries FPL, 1982: 73 $3,500 • Bertram Cohen • George E. Ewing, Jr. • Eric Streiner •
Stack's 1/1993: 1102 $3,190 • Thomas D. Reynolds. State II. Reverse illustrated in Elder-Gilbert. Obverse illustrated in Morley.

AU-50 Dr. David Katz • Gary Sturtridge (The House of Stuart, Ltd.) • Del Bland, 6/1978 • George E. Ewing, Jr. • Robinson S. Brown, Jr. • Superior Galleries 9/1986: 92 $3,960 • G. Lee Kuntz • Superior Galleries 10/1991: 78 $5,060 • Larry Briggs Rare Coins, 5/1997 • Michael ''Mickey'' Arconti. State II.

AU-50 With a planchet clip. J. Coolidge Hills • Lyman H. Low #211, 12/1923: 340 $12 • George H. Clapp • ANS. EF-45 S. H. Chapman, 11/1922 • George H. Clapp • ANS. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Frossard-Hays, in Early American Cents, and in Penny Whimsy.

EF-45 Dr. George P. French, 3/21/1929 • B. Max Mehl FPL, 1929: 79 $75 • T. James Darke, 1944 • B. Max Mehl • B. Max Mehl #106, 6/1945: 1650 $31 • Milton A. Holmes • Stack's 10/1960: 1385 $170 • C. Douglas Smith. Obverse illustrated in Elder-Gilbert. Obverse and reverse illustrated in the 1914 ANS Exhibition Catalogue and in Chapman.

EF-45 With a planchet crack right of date. Virgil M. Brand • B. G. Johnson (St. Louis Stamp & Coin Co.), 7/10/1944 $60 • Arthur C. Fritz • Rudolph Khol • Federal Coin Exchange FPL, 1952 $125 • Harold Bareford, 9/13/1985 • Herman Halpern • Stack's 3/1988: 101 $3,080 • Jack H. Beymer • Bowers and Merena Galleries FPLs, 1990 $5,250 • Bowers and Merena 3/1991: 139 $4,015.

EF-40 Col. E. H. R. Green • B. G. Johnson (St. Louis Stamp & Coin Co.), 3/24/1943 $39 • A. Kosoff - Oscar J. Pearl • Numismatic Gallery FPL, 1944: 82 $65. unknown. Heritage Numismatic Auctions 10/1995: 5659.

EF-40 Henry C. Hines • Dr. Charles L. Ruby, 12/1972 • Superior Stamp & Coin Co. • Superior Galleries 2/1974: 401 $725 • unknown • Bowers and Ruddy Galleries 5/1976: 89 $750 • unknown • Bowers and Merena 9/1992: 1067 $3,300.

EF-40 Kagin's Numismatic Auctions #319, 2/1980: 1060 $1,600 • John G. Wood, 3/1980 • Denis W. Loring, 2/1982 • Robert C. Dark.

EF-40 With obverse planchet defects and weak striking at NITE. Henry A. Sternberg. M. H. Bolender #190, 3/1956: 1578 $190 • Dorothy Paschal • Tom Morley • Julian Leidman • unknown .1984 ANA (Kurt R. Krueger #48): 3276 $1,650 • Anthony Terranova • Herman Halpern • Stack's 3/1988: 102 $2,310 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • Early American Coppers 4/1989: 45 $2,600 • Robert E. Matthews (Matthews Money Tree Co.) • Chris Victor-McCawley (CVM) • W. M. ''Jack'' Wadlington.

Obverse 35. The third lock is more delicate than on other obverses in this group. Three parallel straight cuts in the die at the eyebrow and bridge of the nose, the middle one crossing the eye. Date is spaced 1 79 4.

Reverse NN.

Die slates: I. Double clash marks above the head and before the throat. Double clash marks at ribbons and fraction.

II. Faint crack from the cap to tops of LIBE. Clash mark from OF right of the date, the O overlapping the 4.

III. Additional clash marks. Crack in the field right of 4 crosses tip of the pole.

IV. Obverse reground to remove clash marks. The pole is weak and the shoulder loop is attenuated. At least two more sets of clash marks, plainest from AME in the right field and from O(F) below the bust, well to the right of 4 (unlike state II). The crack extends left of the cap to the border. Triple clash marks from the forelock and brow at the wreath near RICA.

V. Crack from the rim between RT to the forelock, gradually becoming heavy

VI. The crack between RT extends to cross a third crack on the brow.

VII. The John D. Wright specimen (Good) shows what may be a crack, nearly straight, from (I)T through leaves, bows, and leaves to R. Confirmation through a second example is awaited.

Equivalents: Maris 37, "Plicae." Frossard 20a.

Doughty 57. Hays 52. McGirk 41. Ross 32-11. Chapman 57. Sheldon 71. EAC 61. Encyclopedia 1669.

Rarity 2.

Remarks: "Hays 53," called "Maris 54" in both Frossard-Hays and Elder-Hays, was described as a muling of the obverse of variety 63 with the reverse of variety 61. The original Hays coin proved to have been misattributed.

See Remarks at numbers 35 and 62 regarding the Maris "Plicae" sobriquet.
Dan Trollan reported an example in the Bill Tivol collection with edge lettered ONE HUNDRED A DOLLAR. (Letter to Mark Borckardt, April 28, 1997.)

Delivered December 18-24.