Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of Early United States Cents
Walter Breen
Obverse 4. Overdate, 1800/179 with the final 0 plain.
Close straight date with 18 leaning right. Crossbar of 7 within 8 with the serif visible above 8 at the left.
Reverse G. Fraction bar is high and closer to the numerator than to the denominator; 1(00) leans right and is closer to the bar than are the zeroes. Left top of F is long. Upward elongation of adjacent serifs of ER is unusually prominent.
Edge: Plain edge (PE).
Die states: I. Light obverse clash marks. No incused dentils above RTY. Reverse has traces of rim crumbling below 100.
II. At least five sets of clash marks: from the dentils above RTY to the rim opposite the nose, from 100 at ERT, and from ERT at 100.
III. Cracked from the rim through CA, later to the right ribbon, and later yet to the fraction bar. Another crack from the rim to the top of 1(00).
IV. Rim break from below final 0 to above final A.
V. Rim break above (I)C.
VI. Extra clash marks from the leaves at the dentils right of RTY. The die fails in that area.
VII. Rim break of states IV and V is continuous from left of the fraction to above the final A, later protruding into a wedge between (c)A and the ribbon, eventually also into the space between the tops of IC. ERT is again clash marked at the fraction, at first clear, later blurred.
VIII. Rim break encroaches on the denominator eventually including three separate peaks, almost like a mountain panorama. Extremely rare.
Equivalents: Doughty 143. Proskey 5. McGirk 3A. Ross 5:3-Eb. Clapp-Newcomb 5. Sheldon 194. EAC 7. Encyclopedia 1736.
Low Rarity 3.
Remarks: Axial misalignment (producing weakness at lower left obverse and upper left reverse) caused the rim breaks of states IV and later.
Condition Census:
MS-63 New Netherlands Coin Co., privately 8/22/1960 • Mrs. R. Henry Norweb • Bowers and Merena 11/1988: 2786 $9,900 • Andrew M. Hain. State III.
MS-63 William Bono • 1973 ANA (Jess Peters #66): 1577 $2,300 • Garry Fitzgerald • Auction '86 (Stack's): 10 $3,520 • Jim McGuigan • Dr. Philip W. Ralls.
MS-62 With a small planchet clip. Charles I. Bushnell • Lorin G. Parmelee • S. H. & H. Chapman 6/1882: 2642 $12.50 • S. H. & H. Chapman • James B. Wilson • Thomas L. Elder #21, 10/1908: 1007 $11.75 • Henry Chapman • Clarence S. Bement • Henry Chapman 5/1916: 309 $62.50 • Dr. Henry W. Beckwith • S. H. Chapman 4/1923: 21 $49 • Elmer S. Sears • T. James Clarke • Charles Green (R. Green), 1954 • Dorothy Paschal • Gordon J. Wrubel, 1/1978 • Denis Peltonen • Dr. Dane B. Nielsen.
MS-61 W. Elliot Woodward • W. Elliot Woodward, 5th Semi-Annual Sale, 10/1864: 629 $7.50 • Joseph Zanoni • Thomas Cleneay • S. H. & H. Chapman 12/1890: 1817 $30 • Peter Mougey • William H. Woodin • Thomas L. Elder #43, 9/1910: 42 $29 • Henry Chapman • Allison W. Jackman • Henry Chapman 6/1918: 713 $52 • S. H. Chapman • Howard R. Newcomb • J. C. Morgenthau & Co. #458, 2/1945: 279 $160 • A. Kosoff (Numismatic Gallery) • Carl Wurtzbach, 1948 • Dr. William H. Sheldon, 4/19/1972 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • New Netherlands Coin Co. 11/1973: 511 $2,600 • Rare Coin Company of America • Dennis Forgue, 7/29/1981 • Thomas E. Werner, 7/30/1984 • Denis W. Loring, 4/1985 • Herman Halpern, 12/11/1986 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • Early American Coppers 5/1990: 49 $10,500 • David Yesnick • 1997 ANA (Heritage Numismatic Auctions): 8143 $21,450 • Thomas D. Reynolds. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Noyes.