Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of Early United States Cents

Obverse 14. LIBERTY well to the right. Point of curl below left edge of the upright of B, similar to obverse 13. High wave of hair nearly touches ER. Top of 1 almost touches the hair.

Reverse L. Widest fraction. A die scratch extends from the left stem end through u. Right stem ends in a sharp point. Stemless berries opposite (I)T, M, and R. Perfect NS. Broken TS. (N)T unusually far from a leaf.

Die states: 1. Clash marks are mostly removed through polishing. Dentils at the right are blurred. The obverse is bulged left of the lowest curl. Reverse arc crack through tops of ERICA. Newcomb 14-Mb.

II. Reverse is cracked from the rim to the right top of N, through tops of IT, and left top of E.

III. Heavy blurred clash marks from the leaves immediately below y and others below the chin. Right border is failing. Reverse crack of state II from left top of E returns to the rim. Newcomb 14-Mc.

Equivalents: Proskey 6. Doughty 169. McGirk 7 A. Ross 3-F. Newcomb 20. Sheldon 242. EAC 19. Encyclopedia 1750.

Rarity 2.

Remarks: Struck either just before or just after 1803 number 1, which in turn preceded 1802 number 20. Most likely all three varieties were included among the 516,300 delivered February 22, 1803.

This obverse is very similar to the preceding.

Condition Census:

AU-55 David Proskey • Henry C. Hines • Dr. William H. Sheldon, 4/19/1972 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr., 2/23/ 1992 • Eric Streiner • Early American Coppers 4/1994: 282 $8,000 • Anthony Terranova • M & G Auctions 8/1996: 228 $9,900 • W. M. "Jack" Wadlington. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Newcomb and in Noyes. Reverse illustrated in Early American Cents and in Penny Whimsy.

AU-55 Howard R. Newcomb • J. C. Morgenthau & Co. #458, 2/1945: 391 $37 • Willard C. Blaisdell, 4/1975 • Denis W. Loring, 7/1975 • Douglas M. McHenry • Bowers and Ruddy Galleries • Bowers and Ruddy Galleries 8/1980: 6 $5,000 • C. Douglas Smith • Del Bland • Dr. Philip W. Ralls. State III.

AU-55 Purchased from an undisclosed source via Jim McGuigan to a collector.

AU-50 Isaac Brock • University of Pennsylvania. David M. Bullowa 5/1952: 899 • Thos. P. Warfield • Associated Coin Auction Co. 10/1955: 349 $47.50 • Dorothy Paschal, 1973 • Robinson S. Brown, Jr. • Superior Galleries 9/1986: 359 $1,210 • C. Douglas Smith, 3/30/1992 • Eric Streiner • Superior Galleries 10/1992: 126 • Don Valenziano, Jr.

AU-50 Henry Chapman, 1935 • Judge Thomas L. Gaskill. New Netherlands Coin Co., privately 11/1956 • Dorothy Paschal • New Netherlands Coin Co. #50, 12/ 1957: 1207 $56 • Allen E. McDowell.

EF-45 C. Douglas Smith • Gene Reale • Sotheby's (New York) #7083, 1/1998: 36 $1,760 • Chris Victor McCawley (CVM).

EF-45 Robert J. Kissner • Stack's 6/1975: 361 $500 • C. Douglas Smith • unknown • Bowers and Merena 11/1992: 1176 $605.

EF-45 Purchased in the latter part of the 19th century by George L. Davis • Stack's 4/1954: 1613 $25 • C. Douglas Smith.

EF-40 Stack's 9/1972: 569 $290 • Allan F. Lovejoy • Stack's 10/1982: 645 $550 • William Bareford, 9 /13/1985 • Herman Halpern • Stack's 3/1988: 221 $880 • Anthony Terranova • Dr. Harry Salyards.

EF-40 Allen E. McDowell • Jake Hendin • Jack H. Beymer, 5/4/1979 • Richard Feingold.

EF-40 Sharpness of AU-50 but some light porosity. L. P. Jones • Thomas L. Elder 6/1922: 557 • Robert D. Book, 5/ 1930 • George H. Clapp • ANS. State I.

EF-40 Howard R. Newcomb • J. C. Morgenthau & Co. #458, 2/1945: 390 $15 • James Kelly.

EF-40 Dr. George P. French, 3/21/1929 • B. Max Mehl FPL, 1929: 278 $20 • T. James Clarke • B. Max Mehl #106, 6/1945: 1677 $11 • Milton A. Holmes • Stack's 10/1960: 1430 $32 • Robert F. Batchelder.

EF-40 John K. Borcky • Thomas L. Elder 6/1935:744 as "Unc:" $8 • Milton A. Holmes • Stack's 10/1960: 1431 $41.

EF-40 A. H. Baldwin & Sons, Ltd. (London) • New Netherlands Coin Co. #50, 12/1957: 1208 $20 • Eugene Exman.