Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of Early United States Cents

Obverse 21. LIBERTY is wider than usual, and noticeably wider than on obverses 20 or 22, otherwise extremely similar to both. Right serif of the left arm of y is broken off. Junction of forelock and brow is below the right upright of T; on the other two dies it is below the right foot.

Reverse T.

Edge: Plain edge (PE) and double-flange edge (DFE). Die states: 1. Perfect obverse. Rare. Clapp 23-U.

II. Clash marks from leaves below the chin. Reverse clash marks right of (N)T.

III. Obverse arc crack from rim to rim through the ribbon ends, at first faint, later plain and beginning to buckle between the crack and rim. Clapp 23b-U.

IV. Cracked from the rim through T to junction of the forelock and brow.

Equivalents: Doughty 128. Proskey 20. McGirk 16A. Clapp 30. Sheldon 170. EAC 29. Encyclopedia 1732.

Rarity 3.

Remarks: Base of date is often lost in the border. End of the drapery and right obverse border are often weak, possibly reflecting axial misalignment of the dies. The latter would also account for the location of the obverse crack.

An example is known overstruck on an obverse brockage, showing two clear obverse dates, one reverse retro-grade date. (Jack H. Robinson collection, Superior Galleries 1/1989: 345.)

Condition Census:

MS-61 Virgil M. Brand • New Netherlands Coin Co., privately 1/4/1952 • C. Douglas Smith, 12/1956 • Dr. William H. Sheldon, 4/19/1972 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr., 2/ 23/1992 • Eric Streiner • Anthony Terranova • Thomas D. Reynolds. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Noyes.

EF-45 Homer K. Downing • 1952 ANA (New Netherlands Coin Co. #38): 1821 $25 • C. Douglas Smith, 8/28/ 1952 • M. L. Kaplan • unknown • Associated Coin Auction Co. 4/1956: 557 $75 • Donald Eastburn, 6/1979 • Fred H. Borcherdt.

EF-40 Sharpness of AU-55 but numerous tiny handling marks. Purchased in the mid-1950s from John O. Clark by C. Douglas Smith.

EF-40 Bowers and Ruddy Galleries 10/1978: 84 $285 • Dr. Philip W. Ralls. State II.

EF-40 Howard R. Newcomb • J. C. Morgenthau & Co. #458, 2/1945: 238 $20 • Milton A. Holmes • Stack's 10/ 1960: 1406 $48 • Willard C. Blaisdell • Del Bland • Jeffrey Oliphant.

EF-40 Norman W. Pullen, 1984 Lillian Willins, 1/9/ 1992 • Thomas D. Reynolds.

EF-40 With a planchet defect below 9 in the date. Sharpness of AU-55 but some light pitting on obverse. Gordon J. Wrubel, 11/11/1974 • C. Douglas Smith, 12/1982 • G. Lee Kuntz • Superior Galleries 10/1991: 191 $955 • unknown • Superior Stamp & Coin Co. 1/1995: 30 $671 • unknown. Heritage Numismatic Auctions 6/1995: 5013 • Heritage Rare Coin Galleries • Heritage Numismatic Auctions (Bullet Sale) 12/1995: 10 $578 • Heritage Rare Coin Galleries • Heritage Numismatic Auctions (Bullet Sale) 4/1996: 7 $974.

VF-35 Carl Wurtzbach • Dr. William H. Sheldon, 12/ 1956 • C. Douglas Smith. Obverse illustrated in Noyes.

VF-35 Dr. Nat D. Wilson • 1967 ANA (Paramount International Coin Corp.): 214 $105 • Dr. Hiram T. Ward • Fred H. Borcherdt.

VF-35 Art Kagin, 6/25/1982 • C. Douglas Smith • Frank H. Stillinger.

VF-35 Eric P. Newman, 7/16/1985 • Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Foundation.

VF-35 Sharpness of AU-55 but fine porous areas on obverse. C.Douglas Smith • Abner Kreisberg, 6/5/1961 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • New Netherlands Coin Co. 11/1973: 485 $275 • A-Mark Coin Co. • Del Bland, 6/1975 • Richard H. Wright • Valley Plaza Coins (Richard H. Wright) FPL #1, Fall 1976: 238 $490 • Bowers and Ruddy Galleries 10/ 1977: 817 $200 • Richard H. Wright • Paramount International Sales Corp. 11/1978: 19 $360 • Julian Leidman • Early American Coppers 1/1979: 261 $425 • C. Douglas Smith, 4/29/1993 • Eric Streiner • Thomas D. Reynolds.

VF-35 Russell Wyatt • Auction '85 (Stack's): 1528 $2,200 • Herman Halpern. Stack's 3/1988: 156 $1,650.

VF-35 John P. Young, 4/1945 • George H. Clapp. ANS; State IV. Obverse illustrated in Penny Whimsy.

VF-35 Sharpness of EF-45 but light roughness on reverse, some on obverse. Colonial Coins, 9/1973 • Gordon J. Wrubel • Dr. Allan S. Pirnique • Early American Coppers 5/1981: 151 $350 • Alan J. Prescott.

VF-35 Ted Pappenfuss, 3/1991 • Mike Ringo • Jim McGuigan. Early American Coppers 4/1991: 85 $1,600. Dr. Philip W. Ralls.

VF-35 Purchased unattributed in 7/1992 by Thomas D. Reynolds • Early American Coppers 4/1994: 241 $1,500 • Dr. Wallace Lee.