Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of Early United States Cents

Obverse 2. Drastically reworked: reground to remove rust. The shoulder loop has been restored, the curl point is clear (below right side of upright of B), and the hair wave touches the left foot of R.

Reverse D. Fraction is crowded to the right with the final 0 almost touching the right ribbon. Very short fraction bar. Amateurishly punched legend: T above I-E, (s)T leans left, adjacent A low, and E(S) tilts crazily to the right.

Edge: Usually with reeded edge (RE), although sometimes with plain edge (PE).

Die states: 1. No reverse cracks. Clapp 4-D.

II. Faint reverse cracks: through the ribbon ends and top of fraction to final A, through the fraction to right ribbon, through CA, and through the tops of ME. Discovered by Jack Collins.

Equivalents: Doughty 116. Proskey 8. McGirk 3D.

Clapp 5. Sheldon 147. EAC 4. Encyclopedia 1716.

Low Rarity 5.

Remarks: Usually weak at the lower left obverse.

Coltman blanks, as previously. Phil Ralls, in his 1989

EAC slide talk, alluding to color and texture, referred to this variety and numbers 5 and 6 as "struck on pieces of bituminous coal."

For the variety Sheldon 148, see number 11.

Condition Census:

EF-40 Col. E. H. R. Green • B. G. Johnson (St. Louis Stamp & Coin Co.), 4/26/1943 $22.50 • A. Kosoff • Oscar J. Pearl • Numismatic Gallery FPL, 1944: 123 $65 • Dr. William H. Sheldon, 4/19/1972 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr., 2/23/1992 • Eric Streiner, 4/2/1992 • Thomas D. Reynolds. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Noyes.

VF-35 Dr. George P. French, 3/21/1929 • B. Max Mehl FPL, 1929: 183 $60 • James G. Macallister • T. James Clarke, 1944. B. Max Mehl, 1944. Dr. William H. Sheldon • Charles M. Williams • Numismatic Gallery #68, 11/ 1950: 138 $65 • Harold Bareford, 9/13/1985 • Herman Halpern, 8/26/1986 • C. Douglas Smith. State I. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Early American Cents and in Penny Whimsy.

VF-30 Plain Edge. M. A. Brown • S. H. & H. Chapman 4/1897: 777 $8 • S. H. & H. Chapman • Charles E. Clapp, Sr., 7/1924 • George H. Clapp • ANS. State I. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Clapp.

F-15 Sharpness of VF-35 but porous. Oscar R. Tompkins • Thos. P. Warfield • Associated Coin Auction Co. 10/1955: 260 $87.50 • Dorothy Paschal, 7/1977 • Denis W. Loring, 8/8/1977 • C. Douglas Smith • Herman Halpern • Stack's 3/1988: 147 $907.50 • Dr. Ralph W. Rucker.

F-15 Sharpness of VF- 25 but initials scratched on reverse and light handling marks. Columbia Coin Shop (Portland, Oregon) • Dr. Nat D. Wilson • 1967 ANA (Paramount International Coin Corp.): 202 $135 • Dr. Hiram T. Ward, 10/1976 • Denis W. Loring, 2/1978 • Robinson S. Brown, Jr. • Superior Galleries 9/1986: 210 $577.50 • Robinson S. Brown, Jr. • Superior Stamp & Coin Co. 1/1996: 208 $2,090 • Dr. Willard J. Carmel, Jr. State II.

F-15 Howard R. Newcomb • J. C. Morgenthau & Co. #458, 2/1945: 185 $15 • Barney Bluestone.

F-12 Sharpness of VF-25 but lightly porous, an obverse edge dent and light scratches. Mason-Dixon Coin Exchange #10, 10/1956: 1177 $30 • Edward H. Schwartz • A. Kosoff 10/1961: 169 $90 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • New Netherlands Coin Co. 11/1973: 463 $175 • C. F. Gordon, Jr., 3/1979 • Dr. Philip W. Ralls, 5/3/1996 • Daniel W. Holmes, Jr.

F-12 Sharpness of EF-40 but porous with obverse scratches and reverse nicks. Anthony Terranova • C. Douglas Smith, 12/3/1981 • Frank H. Stillinger.

F-12 William Rabin, 10/1/1949 • C. Douglas Smith.

VG-10 Plain Edge. Dr. William H. Sheldon • Homer K. Downing • 1952 ANA (New Netherlands Coin Co. #38): 1788 $19 • C. Douglas Smith, 1962 • Bradbury K. Thurlow. Mayflower Coin Auctions 12/1967: 171 $175 • Philip Van Cleaves Kagin's Numismatic Auctions #340, 1/1986: 5159 $990 • C. Douglas Smith, 3/30/1992 • Eric Streiner • Superior Galleries 10/1992: 89 $1,155 • Dr. Philip W. Ralls. State I.

VG-10 Purchased unattributed in 9/1982 by Jack H. Robinson • Superior Galleries 1/1989: 296 $1,265 • Thomas D. Reynolds.

VG-10 Bowers and Merena 3/1990: 4031 $1,155 • Joel Spingarn • Michael "Mickey" Arconti.

VG-10 Sharpness of VF-25 but edge dents filed down. Charles J. Dupont • Stack:s 9/1954: 184 $45 • Dorothy Paschal • Eugene Exman • Denis W. Loring, 5/1971 • Dr. Dane B. Nielsen.

VG-10 Charles R. Mathewson • Robert Le Blanc (Le Blanc Numismatics), 6/1982 • Denis W. Loring • Fred H. Borcherdt.

VG-10 Sharpness of EF-40 but surfaces covered with scratches. Dr. Kenneth J. Sartoris, 5/1972 • Del Bland. John D. Wright.

VG-10 Sharpness of VF-20 but obverse pit marks. Dr. Willard H. Tice • Stack's 6/1962: 266 $50 • C. Douglas Smith, 11/22/1981 • Richard V. Punchard.