Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of Early United States Cents

Obverse 4.

Reverse F. Four berries on each branch. No berry right of the bow, characteristic only of reverse F and G among the 1796 Caps. Readily distinguished from reverse G: paired berries flank CENT. Triple leaf below (N)T and double leaf below RI, its left leaf straddling the stem with its point immediately below the paired berries right of (N)T. No outer berry below the space between D s. Very closely spaced fraction with the denominator and bar slanting up to the right and the numerator too far right. ST are low and CE are well apart.

Die states: I. Crumbling in the field near nose and lips, as before, at first faint. Bulge at 96, also at first faint, later heavier.

II. Crack from the rim through 7 to the bust.

III. Obverse crack is heavier, later extending in an arc through the bust to the pole and rim. One set of clash marks on either side. Vertical scaling from the jaw to pole, at first faint, later heavy. Reverse rust between u and stem, and between (N)E and (N)T. See Remarks.

IV. At least seven sets of clash marks, plainest in the left wreath.Vertical scaling is heavy and reverse rust heavier.

Equivalents: Proskey 6. Doughty 77. Gilbert C. McGirk 3A. Ross 2-E. Clapp-Newcomb C. Sheldon 87. EAC 8. Encyclopedia 1681.

Low Rarity 3. By a small margin, least scarce of the 1796 Caps.

Remarks: Probably close to 20,000 were coined in all. States I and II were probably struck before number 9; states III and IV, after numbers 9 and 10.

One of the late die states was advertised by Beverly Hills Coin Shop. (Located in Evergreen Park, IL, Numismatic Scrapbook Magazine, 10/15/67, p. 1788; d. Penny-Wise, no. 10, 1/15/1969, p. 13.) Another example has a plain double profile. (Superior, Jack H. Robinson collection, 1/1989, lot 158.) A coin offered in the 1957 ANA sale (lot 814) has a clip at K-12. An oversize example (30 millimeters) was described as lot 424 of the Dr. Ruby sale, 2/1974. See "Oops!" chapter.

Condition Census:

MS-60 Thomas L. Elder, 5/15/1943 $55 • Leonard M. Holland • Pennypacker Auction Centre, 5/1959 $275 • Dorothy Paschal • Dr. William H. Sheldon, 4/19/1972 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr., 2/23/1992 • Eric Streiner • Dennis Mendelson • Dr. Philip W. Ralls, 5/2/1997 • W. M. "Jack" Wadlington. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Noyes.

AU-50 Sharpness of Mint State but a corrosion spot removed from reverse, cleaned and recolored. W. H. Spedding • S. H. & H. Chapman 12/1894: 792 $71 • George H. Earle, Jr. • Henry Chapman 6/1912: 3398 $57.50 • Carl Wurtzbach. R. T. Davis • Stack's 2/1968: 15 $850 • John L. Roper, 2nd • Stack's 12/1983: 449 $4,125 • John Whitney.

AU-50 Mortimer Livingston Mackenzie • Edward Cogan 6/1869: 631 $24 • Keeney • S. H. & H. Chapman collection • S. H. & H. Chapman 10/1879: 451 $19.50 Dudley R. Child • Lyman H. Low 2/1908: 208 $26.50 • Henry Chapman • Henry Chapman 6/1909: 744 $29 • Carl Wurtzbach • H. o. Granberg • William H. Woodin • The United States Coin Co. 5/1915: 176 $45 • Dr. George P. French, 3/21/1929 • B. Max Mehl FPL, 1929: 110 $300 • T. James Clarke, 1944 • B. Max Mehl 3/27 / 1947 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • New Netherlands Coin Co. 11/1973: 406 $900 • Superior Stamp & Coin Co.• Pine Tree Auction Co. 2/1975: 668 $800 • Dt. Robert J. Shalowitz • George W. "Hank" Rodgers, 1/1978 • Jerry A. Bobbe • Myles Z. Gerson • Del Bland • George E. Ewing, Jr., 3/1983 • Denis W. Loring, 4/1983 • Robinson S. Brown, Jr. • Superior Galleries 9/1986: 114 $6,325 • Jan Valentine, 4/1989 Dennis Mendelson, 7 /15/1991 • Robinson S. Brown, Jr. • Superior Stamp & Coin Co. 1/1996: 122$12,650 • Thomas D. Reynolds. State III.

AU-50 American Auction Association 2/1974: 857 $1,350.

AU-50 Glendining's (London) 5/1987: 261 £1,485 • William P. Paul (American Heritage Minting).

EF-45 Daniel E. Houpt • Lillian Scheer, 1948 • Henry Chapman 3/1917: 285 $41 • Henry C. Hines • Homer K. Downing • 1952 ANA (New Netherlands Coin Co. #38): 1723 $160 • Dr. William H. Sheldon • Dorothy Paschal • Charles E. Harrison.

EF-40 Dr. Lewis H. Adler, Jr., 3/1917 • B. Max Mehl • Robert D. Book, 5/1930 • George H. Clapp • ANS. Reverse illustrated in Clapp-Newcomb, in Early American Cents, and in Penny Whimsy.

EF-40 Sharpness of AU-55 but patches of obverse porosity. Bowers and Merena Galleries 8/1983: 256 $1,980 • Kenneth M. Goldman • Kevin Lipton Rare Coins • Coin Galleries 11/1983: 1768 $1,760 • Denis W. Loring • Early American Coppers 3/1984: 76 $1,800.

EF-40 Lester Merkin 9/1970: 27 $425 • "BS."

VF-35 Charles H. Deetz - Stack's 11/1946: 1752 $92.50 • Rodney T. Grove.

VF-30 George Roebling • New Netherlands Coin Co. #59, 6/1967: 1204 $140 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • Denis W. Loring, 1/1972 • Robinson S. Brown, Jr. • Superior Galleries 9/1986: 115 $1,595 • Wes A. Rasmussen. State IV.

VF-30 Neil Diebert • George Ramont.

VF-30 Dolloff Coin Center, 8/1977 • Crystal Coin Shop.

VF-30 Dr. William H. Sheldon, 1960 • A. C. "Hance" Jaquett, 1983 • Fred H. Borcherdt.

VF-30 Charles E. Clapp, Sr., 8/1924 • George H. Clapp • ANS • Dr. William H. Sheldon • T. James Clarke, 10/ 1954 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • A. Kosoff 4/1956: 37 $300 • Dorothy Nelson • Stack's 2/1976: 25 $600 • unknown • Auction '82 (Stack's): 22 $2,100.

VF-30 Stack's 6/1970: 1216 $225.

VF-30 David Golding • Stack's 6/1952: 395 $87.50 • James A. Ross.

VF-30 John P. Young • M. H. Bolender #181, 9/1951: 48 $37.50 • Henry M. Sternberg • M. H. Bolender #190, 3/1956: 1586 $77.50 • F. Dabney Caldwell, Jr. • Stack's 4/1988: 2097 $1,650.