Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of Early United States Cents

Reverse Type of 1794

October 13-December 23, 1796

(363,375+)

Obverse 7. Widest date in the series, with all digits leaning right. Broad dentils with 7 almost touching one, 6 touching another, and 1 crowded between hair and a dentil. BER are more closely spaced than other letters and lean right. T is high.

Reverse H. Same as 1795 reverse G. Differs from the standard 1794 pattern having double leaves at IT and M, single leaves left and right above ONE. Triple leaf at OF. Leaf almost touches the right foot of M. Seven berries in each branch, the inner one opposite M vestigial and on later states not visible. Chips in the field between wreath and TE(D).

Die states: 1. Perfect dies.

II. Obverse clash mark below the ribbon and reverse clash marks from the hair and bust in and above the wreath.

III. Cracked through the tops of LIBER at first faint, later extending through the tops of TY.

IV. Fivefold obverse and reverse clash marks.

V. Rusted obverse. Cracked from the rim to lower back curls through 796, into the drapery and field, and eventually to the rim at 4:00. Cracked from the rim to nose, and from the back of drapery through the hair. Reverse drastically reground with the right branch completely separated from the knot. This die state was struck after most of numbers 13-17.

Equivalents: Proskey 20? Doughty 90? Gilbert 23. McGirk 12G, 12I? Clapp-Newcomb 21. Sheldon 108. EAC 12. Encyclopedia 1684.

High Rarity 3.

Remarks: The coarse dentils are apparently from the punch used for 1794-95 half dollars. (Editor's note: careful counting of dentils on several varieties of 17961arge cents, 1796 quarters, 1794-97 half dollars, and 1794 dollars yields two distinct gauges for dentils. 1796 large cent obverse 7, and reverses H, I, and M have approximately 10.5 dentils per cm. of circumference. This same gauge applies to the majority of half dollars of 1794 and 1795 as well as the 1794 dollar. The balance of 1796 large cents, 1796-97 half dollars, and also 1796 quarters have a gauge of 14.4 dentils per centimeter.)

Worm examples with blurry borders might be confused with the rarer number 13, which see.

The obverses of our numbers 12-17 were all mated with one reverse. Die state evidence indicates that these obverses were used in an almost random manner with this single reverse die. The following table illustrates the order of emission, based on available die state information. (Editor's note: This table is included, based on a suggestion to the editor from Harry Salyards in a letter dated May 14, 1995. Further study of die states of these six varieties needs to be done.) This number is placed first in the emission sequence as it is the only 1796 Draped Bust variety to have broad obverse dentils.

Condition Census:

AU-55 Purchased unattributed by Ossie's Rare Coins. AU-55 Col. James W. Ellsworth, 3/1923 • Wayte Raymond, 3/1923 • George H. Clapp • ANS • Dr. William H. Sheldon. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Noyes.

EF-45 Sharpness of AU-55 but edge dents, a scratch and some verdigris. Elmer S. Sears, 6/1926 • George H. Clapp • ANS. State II. Obverse illustrated in Clapp Newcomb, in Early American Cents, and in Penny Whimsy.

EF-45 Consignment G, Washington • Hollinbeck Kagin Coin Co. #247, 2/1963: 2161.

VF-35 Sharpness of AU-55 but slightly porous with some reverse erosion. Homer K. Downing • 1952 ANA (New Netherlands Coin Co. #38): 1746 $45 • C. Douglas Smith, 1970 • Robinson S. Brown, Jr. • Superior Galleries 9/1986: 143 $1,595 • Charles E. Harrison. State V.

VF-35 John Story Jenks • Henry Chapman 12/1921: 6123 $42 • Henry Chapman • Robert D. Book, 5/1930 • George H. Clapp • ANS. State III.

VF-30 Thomas E. Werner, 7/1984 • Fred H. Borcherdt • Dennis Mendelson • Frank H. Stillinger.

VF-25 Sharpness of EF-40 but minutely rough areas and some tiny specks of corrosion on obverse. Purchased unattributed in 7/1985 by Jack H. Robinson • Superior Galleries 1/1989: 196 $1,980 • Jack H. Beymer. Anthony Terranova, 4/1989 • John Whitney. State V.

VF-251973 ANA (less Peters #66): 1561 $325 • Dr. Robert J. Shalowitz, 5/1974 • Denis W. Loring • Dr. Robert J. Shalowitz • Jerry A. Bobbe • Myles Z. Gerson, 10/1980 • Fred H. Borcherdt.

VF-25 Henry C. Miller • Thomas L. Elder 4/1917: 741 $8.50 • Henry C. Hines • Dr. William H. Sheldon, 2/1948 • Judge Thomas L. Gaskill • New Netherlands Coin Co., privately 11/1956 • Dorothy Paschal.

VF-25 Sharpness of EF-40 but light obverse scratches, a few nicks and an edge dent. Howard R. Newcomb, 3/23/ 1936 • Willard C. Blaisdell • Del Bland • Dr. Willard J. Carmel, Jr. • C. Douglas Smith • Dr. Robert J. Shalowitz • Dr. C. R. Chambers, 1/16/1988 • Robinson S. Brown, Jr. • Superior Stamp & Coin Co. 1/1996: 149 $1,430 • Dr. Willard J. Carmel, Jr.

VF-25 Christian M. Petersen • Hollinbeck Coin Co.• Hollinbeck Coin Co. #160, 7/1953: 862 $91 • Hollinbeck Coin Co. • Hollinbeck Coin Co. #174, 2/1954: 423 • Hollinbeck Coin Co. • Hollinbeck Coin Co. #188, 10/1954: 40 • Glen Wallace • A. Kosoff • Rare Coin Company of America 5/1974: 834 $210 • William R. T. Smith • Jack H. Beymer • Albert Ault • Alfred K. Nippert, Jr.