Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of Early United States Cents

Condition Census:

EF-40 Sharpness of AU-50 but surfaces not perfectly smooth and a long obverse scratch. Frederic W. Geiss • B. Max Mehl #109, 2/1947: 31 $62.50 • Lee G. Lahrman • A. Kosoff 2/1963: 183 $475 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr., 2/23/1992 • Eric Streiner, 12/1993 • John Whitney. State I. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Noyes.

EF-40 Dr. George P. French, 3/21/1929 • B. Max Mehl FPL, 1929: 119 $100 • T. James Clarke, 1944 • B. Max Mehl, 1944 • Dr. William H. Sheldon, 4/19/1972 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • New Netherlands Coin Co. ll/1973: 420 $700 • First Coinvestors • Pine Tree Auction Co. 2/1975: 674 $775 • William R. T. Smith • Myles Z. Gerson • Robinson S. Brown, Jr. • Superior Galleries 9/1986: 136 $3,960 • Dr. Robert J. Shalowitz • Dr. Philip W. Ralls, 5/2/1997 • W. M. "Jack" Wadlington. State I. Obverse illustrated in Penny Whimsy.

EF-40 Charles M. Williams • Numismatic Gallery #68, 11/1950: 107 $63.

VF-35 Dr. William H. Sheldon • Dorothy Paschal • Henry T. Hettger • Fred H. Borcherdt. Obverse illustrated in Early American Cents.

VF-30 Sharpness of EF-40 but some rim nicks and handling marks on obverse. Dana Linett (Early American Numismatics) • Denis W. Loring, 8/1981 • Thomas D. Reynolds, 8/1981 • Dennis Mendelson • Charles E. Harrison.

VF-30 Sharpness of EF-45 but small edge dents and handling marks on both sides. Homer K. Downing, privately • Raymond Gallo, 10/1960 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • Robert Gildred • Kagin's Numismatic Auctions #331, 10/1983: 1023 $935 • Jack H. Robinson • Superior Galleries 11 1989: 184 $5,280 • John R. Frankenfield. State I.

VF-25 Stack's 5/1975: 560 $340 • Henry T. Hettger • Coin Galleries 7/1982: 2503 $1,100 • Henry T. Hettger • Stack's 4/1983: 1036 $2,100 • Jack H. Robinson • Dr. Robert J. Shalowitz • Dr. C. R. Chambers.

VF-25 James G. Macallister, 2/14/1941 • Judge Thomas L. Gaskill • New Netherlands Coin Co., privately 11/1956 • Dorothy Paschal • New Netherlands Coin Co. #50, 12/1957: 1023 $160. Harold Bareford, 9/13/1985 • Herman Halpern • Stack's 3/1988: 120 $3,080 • Frank H. Stillinger. State II.

VF-25 Lester Merkin 10/1972: 528 $325 • Dr. Allen D. Roses.

VF-25 F. C. C. Boyd, 1957 • New Netherlands Coin Co. • New Netherlands Coin Co. #50, 12/1957: 1022 $87.50 • Allen E. McDowell.

VF-20 Sharpness of VF-35 but the left obverse field scraped and burnished. ANS • New Netherlands Coin Co. #30, 5/1950: 391 $6.25 • Homer K. Downing. 1952 ANA (New Netherlands Coin Co. #38): 1739 $30 • C. Douglas Smith, 1970 • Robinson S. Brown, Jr. • Superior Stamp & Coin Co. 1/1996: 143 $1,045 Chris Victor-McCawley (CVM) • Walter Husak. State I.

VF-20 James G. Macallister, 9/1931 • George H. Clapp • ANS. State I.

VF-20 Jim McGuigan, 1978 • Fred H. Borcherdt. VF;.20 Henry C. Miller • Thomas L. Elder 4/1917: 732 $9 • G. Kraft • Robert D. Book, 5/1930 • George H. Clapp, 3/31/1949 • Carnegie Institute.

VF-20 Howard R. Newcomb • J. C. Morgenthau & Co. #458,2/1945: 103 $20.

VF-20 Charles H. Deetz • Stack's 11/1946: 1763 $37.50.

Obverse 17. B first punched "inverted" (rotated 180°), then corrected. LIBERTY is widely spaced, except at bases of LI and ER.

Reverse M.

Die states: I. Crack through AMERIC still faint yet becoming stronger.

II. Crack now extends through tops of AMERICA to the ribbon end and below 100. Another faint crack through the tops of NITED. A third crack through the tops of OF to the rim above A.

Equivalents: Gilbert 9. McGirk 11C. Ross 9-F. Clapp-Newcomb 8. Sheldon 103. EAC 27. Encyclopedia 1686.

Low Rarity 4.

Remarks: Discovered by W. Earle Hidden. (Numismatist, 11/03. Lapp & Silberman, p.374.) This obverse die reappears on number 45.

This may have been when the upper serif of the B punch began to chip: it is much shorter on the correct B than on the inverted one. (Harry Salyards, May 14, 1995 note to the editor, states the following: "1 think this is an optical illusion. If you look at the illustration at Brown:137, it's apparent the two punchings of the 'B' were not exactly 180 apart; the final placement leans several degrees to the left of the original, upsidedown placement. In other words, the original & corrected upright of the 'B' are not parallel, but diverge toward the rim of the com, note bulge of the lower loop [at the lower right of the upside-down uprightl-not seen where the upper loop crosses the original upright. If you measure the upper a and lower horizontals in the Brown: 137 enlargement, they're each between 11.0 and 11.5 millimeters (And this doesn't even consider the third dimension: the angle/depth of the 'correcting' punch into the die.) Finally, if we take Walter's own emission sequence, the next three varieties, at least, all show a perfect 'B' punch.") See the enlarged illustration above, or the close-up illustration in the Robinson S. Brown, Jr. catalogue. (Superior Galleries, September 1986, lot 137)

Sometimes on concavo-convex blanks, as with number 26.

Condition Census:

MS-63 From Europe • Heritage Rare Coin Galleries, 8/18/1995 • Anthony Terranova, 9/1995 • John Whitney.

AU-55 From a European collection • New Netherlands Coin Co. • New Netherlands Coin Co. #59, 6/1967: 1205 $2,300 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr., 2/23/1992 • Eric Streiner • Jay Parrino (The Mint). Obverse and reverse illustrated in Noyes.

AU-50 Hollinbeck Kagin Coin Co. • A. Kosoff 10/1961: 118 $3,100 • Hollinbeck Kagin Coin Co. • 1964 ANA (Federal Brand Enterprises): 55 $4,250 • Hollinbeck Kagin Coin Co. • unknown • Bowers and Merena 3/1998: 140.

EF-45 David Proskey • Henry c. Hines • Dr. William H.Sheldon • T. James Clarke, 10/1954 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • Dorothy Paschal e R. E. Naftzger, Jr., 3/1978 • Del Bland • Dr. Philip W. Ralls, 5/2/1997 • W. M. "Jack" Wadlington. Reverse illustrated in Early American Cents.