Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of Early United States Cents

Obverse 10. Broken B. Defects at the right border, one joining two dentils, another elongating the dentil immediately below the joined pair. Both serif and corner of 7 touch drapery.

Reverse L.

Edge: Plain. At least one example apparently shows faint diagonal reeding (V, as 1798).

Die states: 1. No clash marks.

II. No cracks. Faint obverse clash marks in the usual places. Rare.

III. Cracked from the rim to throat, becoming progressively more distinct as it approaches the rim.

IV. Cracked from the rim to nose above the tip with crumbling along the nose. Reverse cracked from the rim above M down through the top of E and below tops of RI. Later, the crack of state III becomes heavy and ragged while the others become stronger.

V. Three more cracks: nearly vertical field crack behind the head from left of the knot to behind the lowest the curl, from the lowest curl through 17, and from the rim to base of the first 7, this last crack faint. About 10 sets of obverse dash marks. Rust marks in the right obverse field.

VI. Severe bulge in the right obverse field, blurring the upper margin of the state III crack as it approaches the rim.

VII. Horizontal bisecting obverse break. (Penny-Wise, no. 39, 11/15/1973, p. 224.)

Equivalents: Proskey 16. Doughty 107. McGirk 11A. Clapp-Newcomb 9. Sheldon 126. EAC 7. Encyclopedia 1711.

Rarity 3.

Remarks: Worn examples have been confused with numbers 15 and 17. On most, the distinctive defects at the dentils remove all doubts. On number 15 the obverse failures enable instant recognition at a distance. On number 17 the sharp angular wave of hair below E shows even in low grades, and 7 is free of the drapery.

Several double struck state I examples are known. The ejection mechanism evidently failed early during this die marriage. See "Oops!" chapter.

Condition Census

AU-55 Homer K. Downing • 1952 ANA (New Netherlands Coin Co. #38): 1766 $90 • C. Douglas Smith, 1/1957 • Dr. William H. Sheldon, 4/19/1972 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr., 2/23/1992 • Eric Streiner • Dr. Philip W. Ralls. Obverse illustrated in Early American Cents. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Penny Whimsy and in Noyes.

AU-55 Virgil M. Brand • B. G. Johnson (St. Louis Stamp & Coin Co.) • James G. Macallister • Milton A. Holmes • Stack's 10/1960: 1392 $95 • C. Douglas Smith. State V.

AU-50 Struck off center. Richard Picker, 10/6/1971 • C. Douglas Smith.

AU-50 George M. Andrus • United States Coin Co. 1/1915: 152 • Henry C. Hines • Dr. William H. Sheldon • Dorothy Paschal, 1972 • Robinson S. Brown, Jr. • Superior Galleries 9/1986: 180 $2,200 • Dr. Philip W. Ralls. State V. EF-45 Reverse double struck. David Proskey • Henry C.Hines • Dr. William H. Sheldon, 4/19/1972 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr., 2/23/1992 • Eric Streiner • Thomas D. Reynolds. Reverse illustrated in Early American Cents.

EF-40 Robert D. Book, 5/1930 • George H. Clapp • ANS • Dr. William H. Sheldon • Dorothy Paschal • Tom Morley • Ed Hipps (Ed's Coin & Stamp Shop) • H. D. Wesley II • Les Taylor (Hacienda Coins), 11/1980. G. Lee Kuntz who returned it on 6/30/1998 to ANS. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Clapp-Newcomb. Obverse illustrated in Early American Cents and in Penny Whimsy.

EF-40 Sharpness of AU-50 but three long crossing scratches on the obverse. Thomas D. Reynolds, 11/27/1993 • Stuart ''Mac'' MacDonald • Heritage Numismatic Auctions 9/1997: 5112 $2,875 • Steven K. Ellsworth. State 1.

EF-40 F. C. C. Boyd, 1957 - New Netherlands Coin Co. #50, 12/1957: 1044 $57.50 • Allen E. McDowell.

EF-40 Harry C. Mathews FPL #5, 1956.

VF-35 David Proskey, 1916 • Henry C. Hines • Dr. William H. Sheldon • Mayflower Coin Auctions 3/1958: 11 • Corrado Romano • Stack's 6/1987: 163 $1,210 • Robinson S. Brown, Jr. • Superior Stamp & Coin Co. 1/1996: 180 $2,530 • Wes A. Rasmussen.

VF-35 B. G. Johnson (St. Louis Stamp & Coin Co.), 8/ 1922 • George H. Clapp • ANS • Dr. William H. Sheldon, via Ted and Carl Brandts (Celina Coin Co.) • Burdette G. Johnson (formerly St. Louis Stamp & Coin Co.) • Mary Cowan Cruzan • Spink America #8686, 6/1997: 98 $3,190 • Anthony Terranova and Chris Victor McCawley FPL $57, 7/1998 $5,250 • returned on 9/11/ 1998 to Spink America. State W.

VF-35 Associated Coin Auction Co. 4/1956: 555 $42.

VF-35 Howard R. Newcomb • J. C. Morgenthau & Co. #458, 2/1945: 145 $16 • James Kelly.

VF-35 James G. Macallister, 4/22/1942 • Judge Thomas L. Gaskill.s New Netherlands Coin Co., privately 11/1956 • Dorothy Paschal.

VF-35 Wayte Raymond • New Netherlands Coin Co. #41, 9/1953: 253 $47.50 • M. L. Kaplan.

VF-35 Eugene Exman • Gordon J. Wrubel.