Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of Early United States Cents
Walter Breen
Obverse 5. Medium evenly spaced date with the corner of 7 touching the drapery. B is broken and R almost touches the hair.
Reverse C. Six berries on each branch. Wide evenly spaced denominator.
Edge: Beaded (II) or plain (III). Boulton blanks.
Die states: I. Perfect. Plain edge.
II. Spine or crack from adjacent leaf up to the left base of (R)I. Plain edge
III. Chips above c(A). Plain edge.
IV. Bulges develop near D sr, at first faint. Faint single clash mark from the drapery below ES to o. Plain edge.
V. Double clash marks on both sides. Plain or beaded edge.
Equivalents: Proskey 9. Doughty 100. McGirk 15A, 15B, 18A. Clapp-Newcomb 18. Sheldon 135. EAC 13. Encyclopedia 1709.
High Rarity 3.
Remarks: For more about the Nichols Find, see 1796 above.
The beaded edge was discovered by this writer in December 1985. Discovery of this coin solved a problem in the emission sequence. It is the only one of the three Nichols Find varieties-in the typical Nichols Find condition (red or part red Uncirculated) to show the beaded edge. That associates it in time with varieties 1-4. Others probably exist, identified only as "S-135" or even merely as "1797."
The beaded edge subvariety is likely to be rare. George H.Clapp never saw it, and he checked the edges of many of his coins. How he managed to miss the discovery coin is a puzzle.
Lot 135 in the Halpern sale was struck from misaligned dies. An example from the Dupont collection (lot 169) has a double profile. See "Oops!" chapter.
That illustrated above, from the Robinson S. Brown, Jr. collection has a double profile on the jawline and a light mint clip.
Condition Census
The second of three varieties discovered in the ''Nichols Find." Like 1796 number 40 and 1797 number 12, this variety is more rare in fine condition than in Mint State, however it is more frequently seen with original mint red color than the other two. Probably around 70 exist in or near Mint State, several of those being fully MS-63 or better, some of which are:
MS-67 With low areas on reverse. Sheraton Coin Co. • 1947 ANA (Numismatic Gallery #40): 833 $90 • Harold Bareford, 9/13/1985 • Herman Halpern • Stack's 3/1988: 135 $10,450 • David Bloom • Bowers and Merena 1/1989: 93 $6,820 • David Bloom, 2/1989 • John B. Mac-Donald.
MS-64 Col. E. H. R. Green • B. G. Johnson (St. Louis Stamp & Coin Co.) • Eric P. Newman, 7/16/1985 • Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Foundation.
MS-63 John J. Pittman • Stack's, privately circa 1962 • C. Douglas Smith.
MS-63 1982 ANA (Steve Ivy Numismatic Auctions): 1500 $2,420 • Julian Leidman • Dr. Robert J. Shalowitz • C. Douglas Smith, 12/1982 • G. Lee Kuntz • Superior Galleries 10/1991: 152 $7,150 • Wes A. Rasmussen.
MS-63 With a low area above N in ONE. Peter Mougey • William H. Woodin • Thomas L. Elder #43, 9/1910: 31 $15.50 • Henry Chapman • Dr. George P. French • B. Max Mehl FPL, 1929: 158 $150 • Henry A. Sternberg • J. c. Morgenthau & Co. #305, 4/1933: 17 $33 • Lotus Sullivan • French's #31, 4/1947: 378 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • A. Kosoff (Kosoff's Coin Bulletin #3, 11/1954 $225) • Glen Wallace • A. Kosoff • Rare Coin Company of America 5/1974: 846 $1,850 • unknown • Rare Coin Company of America 1/1978: 30 • unknown • Gordon Berg, 9/12/1987 • a collector.
MS-63 With a low area above N in ONE. Dr. Henry W. Beckwith • S. H. Chapman 4/1923: 12 $41 • Henry Chapman • Wm. Festus Morgan • J. c. Morgenthau & Co. #287, 6/1933: 37 $25 • B. Max Mehl Collection. Henry C. Hines • Homer K. Downing, 1949 • C. Douglas Smith • Louis Helfenstein • Lester Merkin 8/1964: 12 $650 • Charles "Shotgun" Slade III • unknown • 1981 ANA (Bowers and Ruddy Galleries): 1775 $3,200. unknown. Auction '84 (Paramount Numismatic Services): 545 $5,280 • Dr. Philip W. Ralls.
MS-63 With a low area above N in ONE. Francis H. Lee, circa 1913 • Essex Institute • Stack's 2/1975: 141 $2,100 • Rare Coin Company of America FPLs, 1975 $2,450 • Mulford B. Simmons, Jr. (M. B. Simons & Associates, Ltd.) FPL #130, 4-5/1976 • Rare Coin Company of America 1/1978: 29 $2,100 • unknown • 1980 ANA (Steve Ivy Numismatic Auctions): 947 $5,000 • unknown. Vintage Auctions 2/1989: 149 $4,950.
MS-63.James B. Wilson • Thomas L. Elder #21,101 1908: 1001 $21 • Henry Chapman • Albert F. Holden, 1913 • Mrs. R. Henry Norweb • Bowers and Merena 11/1988: 2763 $4,840.