Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of Early United States Cents

Obverse 12. Wide even date with corner of 3 embedded in the drapery. Triangular spur on the brow just above the eye. One dentil at 8:30 is very short.

Reverse P.

Die states: I. At least 10 sets of clash marks near the hair ribbon and before the throat. Reverse repolished to remove the clash marks of number 19 state III. Newcomb 13-0.

II. Flaking on the neck and hair. Faint crack from the rim between 80 to drapery; this grows longer and heavier. Reverse has at least five sets of clash marks from drapery below ES through O(F). Newcomb 13b-O. ill. Crack between 80 now extends in an arc through the shoulder, hair, and lower ribbon ends to the rim. Additional flakes or rust pits on the neck.

IV. Buckling develops left of the lower curls. Reverse clash marks are fading. Newcomb 13c-O.

V. Branch crack develops off the arc crack, extending from shoulder through third curl to the rim. Breaks from rim to end of the drapery. Bulging becomes heavier below. About seven sets of clash marks with those on the reverse blurred. Newcomb 13d-O.

VI. Cracked from the rim at lower left of bulge, curving up to the lowest curl, then through the bases of 18.

Equivalents: Proskey 18. Doughty 196. McGirk 19A. Ross 18:11-0. Newcomb 19. Sheldon 261. EAC 20. Encyclopedia 1757.

High Rarity 2.

Remarks: The obverse die, badly cracked and rusted, was part of a lot of scrap steel sold in 1816. Joseph J. Mickley bought this and other dies out of the lot, and about 1859-63 struck impressions from some and sold others. This 1803 obverse got into unknown hands; its buyer cleaned it up, altered its date to 1804, and muled it with an 1820 reverse. See 1804 Restrike, below.

An example is known with a rotated double strike. This was offered as lot 584 in the Jack H. Robinson sale.

Condition Census:

MS-61 Joseph Kuehnert • New England Rare Coin Galleries FPL #75, 3/1981$8,950.

AU-55 Dr. George P. French, 3/21/1929 • B. Max Mehl, privately • T. James Clarke, 1948 • Dr. William H. Sheldon, 4/19/1972 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr., 2/23/1992 • Eric Streiner • Early American Coppers 4/1994: 289 $2,900 • Thomas D. Reynolds. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Noyes. Howard R. Newcomb and George H. Clapp both considered this coin the finest known N-19, however they were feuding with Mehl who sold it to Clarke.

AU-55 Frederic W. Geiss • B. Max Mehl #109, 2/1947: 81 $62.50 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • Early American Coppers 4/ 1989: 150 $3,500.

AU-55 Howard R. Newcomb • J. C. Morgenthau & Co. #458, 2/1945: 445 $10 • James G. Macallister • Charles Green (R. Green), 1/20/1950 $125 • C. Douglas Smith. State W. Obverse illustrated in Newcomb and in Noyes.

AU-55 T. James Clarke • Judge Jos. Sawicki. Stack's 2/1954: 615 $125 • Judge Thomas L. Caskill - New Netherlands Coin Co., privately 11/1956 • Dorothy Paschal, 1972 • Robinson S. Brown, Jr. • Superior Galleries 9/1986: 383 $2,420 • C. Douglas Smith. State IV.

AU-50 Ed Hipps (Ed's Coin & Stamp Shop), 1979.

EF-45 From a well-known Denver collector • William Hesslein #124, 11/1927: 787 $13 • George H. Clapp • ANS. Obverse illustrated in Early American Cents and in Penny Whimsy.

EF-45 Sharpness of AU-55 but some obverse porosity. Dr. Thomas Hall, 9/7/1909 • Virgil M. Brand • New Netherlands Coin Co., privately 6/19/1954 • C. Douglas Smith • Dr. William H. Sheldon • Dorothy Paschal • Del Bland • Gene Henry.

EF-40 Ralph Goldstone, 10/19/1962 • C. Douglas Smith.

EF-40 Kenneth W. Rendell, 6/3/1960 • Mrs. R. Henry Norweb • Bowers and Merena 11/1988: 2827 $935 • Robinson S. Brown, Jr. • Superior Stamp & Coin Co. 1/1996: 359 $990 • Chris Victor-McCawley (CVM) • Walter Husak. State II.

EF-40 L. P. Jones • Thomas L. Elder 6/1922: 575 • George H.Clapp • ANS • Dr. William H. Sheldon, 4/19/1972 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • Early American Coppers 5/1990: 71 $2,000 • Stuart "Mac" MacDonald • ANS (Obtained from the MacDonald estate by Del Bland, acting as agent, and returned to the ANS as a gift on 6/19/1998). Obverse illustrated in Newcomb.

EF-40 Purchased unattributed on 4/21/1989 from Continental Investment Group by Stephen Fischer • Thomas D. Reynolds • Del Bland • Norris Carver.

EF-40 Herman Engelhardt (Montrose Coin Gallery) • W. E. Johnson, 2/26/1965 • Eugene Exman.

EF-40 Henry C. Hines. Obverse illustrated in Newcomb.