Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of Early United States Cents

Group I: 1-4

First 1 Pointed

Reverse Type of 1799

Obverse 1. Evenly spaced date with the first 1 pointed. Point of curl is below the center of B. Chip near the rim behind the ribbon bow.

Reverse A. Type of 1799. All NS perfectly formed without chipped serifs. High thin fraction bar is close to the numerator, unlike reverses Band F.

Die states: I. Perfect dies. Extremely rare. Discovered by Thomas Warfield in Baltimore, November 1951 (Breen, "Cent Collectors' Forum," Numismatist, July 1957, p. 807.)

II. Four faint parallel cracks slanting down in the right obverse field. Perfect reverse.

III. The cracks are still faint. Reverse has a delicate crack, almost straight, slanting down from the rim through E(R), leaves, right stem, right ribbon, base of the numerator, and top of 1(00). Newcomb 1b-Ab.

IV. Obverse cracks are stronger. Reverse clash marks from IBERT are below u 100 A. A straight crack from the middle of I extends through bases of CA to the final O. Newcomb lb-Ac.

V. An additional crack from the rim through I and hair, later extends to the brow. Die failure progressively weakens the tops of TY. Newcomb 1c-Ac. Newcomb called this die state rarer than earlier or later ones.

VI. The crack of state V is heavier and longer. A bulge now weakens RTY. Reverse clash marks from LIBER are plainer at UN and below the fraction. Newcomb Id-Ac,

VII. Reverse crack through TE(D) extends into the field below NI. Newcomb 1d-Ad.

VIII. Reverse has a narrow rim break below u and the ribbon end although this is often obscured (dentils blurry or partly off the planchet).

IX. Arc crack from the rim below 0 passes through the right curve of 0, almost touching the final 1, through the drapery and bust, to the right rim. Newcomb Ie-Ad.

Equivalents: Proskey 6. Doughty 161. McGirk 3B, 3C. Newcomb 1. Sheldon 213. EAC 1. Encyclopedia 1738.

Low Rarity 3.

Remarks: The pattern of the earliest cracks suggests axial misalignment, the dies farthest apart at the lower left obverse and upper left reverse.

Condition Census:

MS-62 From University Heights. Lyman H. Low #175, 1/1914: 675 $8.25 • Hillyer Ryder, 5/1945 • Wayte Raymond. • Dr. William H. Sheldon 4/19/1972 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr.,2/23/1992. Eric Streiner - Jay Parrino (The Mint) • Superior Auction Galleries 1/1994: 792. State V. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Newcomb and in Noyes. Obverse illustrated in Early American Cents and in Penny Whimsy.

AU-50 Dr. George P. French, 3/21/1929 • B. Max Mehl FPL, 1929: 259 $150 • Henry A. Sternberg. T. James Clarke, 1944 B. Max Mehl. B. Max Mehl #106, 6/1945: 1675 $65.

EF-45 Joseph Zanoni • Thomas Cleneay • S. H. & H. Chapman 12/1890: 1818 $10 • Chas. Steigerwalt. M. A. Brown • S. H. & H. Chapman 4/1897: 790 $15 • S. H. & H. Chapman • Maj. William Boerum Wetmore. S. H. & H. Chapman 6/1906: 569 $13 • S. H. & H. Chapman. Unknown • Dr. William H. Sheldon • Wayte Raymond • New Netherlands Coin Co. #41, 9/1953: 277 $70 • Harold Bareford, 9/13/1985 • Herman Halpern • Stack's 3/1988: 187 $1,320 • Anthony Terranova • Douglas F. Bird, 11/1994 • G. Lee Kuntz.

EF-45 Consignment Brattleboro, Vermont. New Netherlands Coin Co. #15, "Numisma" 11/1960: 399 $205 • C. Douglas Smith, 1971 • Robinson S. Brown, Jr. • Superior Galleries 9/1986: 313 $1,375 • Anthony Terranova. Stack's • Andrew M. Hain. State IV.

EF-40 Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet, circa 1895 • New York Public Library • Bowers and Ruddy Galleries 10/1982: 2157 $440 • Gene Sanders (Coinko) • Jack H. Beymer • Jack H. Robinson • Superior Galleries 1/1989: 450 $2,420 • Wes A. Rasmussen.

VF-35 Charles H. Deetz, 9/1926 • George H. Clapp • ANS. State IV.

VF-35 George M. Parsons • Henry Chapman 6/1914: 1809 $5.50 • unknown • Abner Kreisberg 9/1967:393 $275 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • New Netherlands Coin Co. 11/1973: 527 $200 • Melvin L. Robinson. William Peterson (Cincinnati Coin Exchange) • Rod Burress.

VF-35 J. Coolidge Hills • Lyman H. Low #211, 12/ 1923: 373 $1.50 • George H. Clapp • ANS. State VI.

VF-35 C. E. Bullowa (Coinhunter) 12/1980: 322 $525 • Douglas Walcutt.

VF-35 C. Douglas Smith • Thos. P. Warfield. Associated Coin Auction Co. 10/1955: 322 $41 • Dorothy Paschal.

VF-30 Sheraton Coin Co. • 1947 ANA (Numismatic Gallery #40): 859 $27.50 • Willard C. Blaisdell. Del Bland • Jeffrey Oliphant.

VF-30 William Birr • C. F. Gordon, Jr. • Tom Morley • Del Bland • Dr. Philip W. Ralls.

VF-30 Ed Hipps (Ed Hipps Gallery) • M & G Auctions 1/1997: 241 $1,650 • Walter Husak.

VF-30 Charles M. Williams • Numismatic Gallery #68, 11/1950: 178 $27.50 • C. Douglas Smith.

VF-30 James G. Macallister • Milton A. Holmes • Stack's 10/1960: 1418 $60 • C. Douglas Smith.