Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of Early United States Cents

Obverse 4. Small wide date with blunt 1 and small 7. LIB are well apart. Bases of ER are closer than other letters. E leans right and R is well above the hair, unlike obverse 5 which this resembles. An extra raised line, nearly horizontal, crosses the shoulder loop and extends into the hair above 1 and left.

Reverse B. Small fraction and letters. Die scratch from right end of the fraction bar pierces the right ribbon and extends to top of A and the rim. Leaf point at curve of D with this D low and leaning left. Point of the highest leaf is between ES. See Die states.

Die states: 1. Bulge at STA is faint at first. No cracks. Single reverse clash mark.

II. Double clash marks from the leaves near ribbon and throat. The reverse bulge is more advanced. Gash marks from the drapery below TES and from the hair in the wreath. Cracked from the rim through 0 to the wreath.

III. Obverse and reverse have at least five sets of clash marks in the same places. Crack from base of 5 passes below adjacent T to a leaf. Cracked from the rim between TA.

IV. Obverse repolished with clash marks mostly gone. The reverse bulge at STA is so heavy as to obliterate not only the letters but the crack.

V. A second bulge obliterates ONE CENT.

Equivalents: Proskey 2. Doughty 204. McGirk 3A, 3B. Clapp 4. Sheldon 274. EAC 4. Encyclopedia 1771.

High Rarity 3.

Remarks: Later die states are sometimes from misaligned dies, weaker at right obverse border and left reverse border.

The "Observation Series" contained only 15, mostly below Fine.

Condition Census:

AU-50 Virgil M. Brand • New Netherlands Coin Co., privately 8/1/1951 • C. Douglas Smith, 8/1958 • Dr. Willliam H. Sheldon, 4/19/1972 • R E. Naftzger, Jr., 2/23/1992 • Eric Streiner, 3/27/1992 • C. Douglas Smith. State I. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Penny Whimsy and in Noyes.

EF-40 With some blunt striking. Les and Sam Green. George Ramont.

EF-40 With some blunt striking. Charles H. Conover • B. Max Mehl #29, 5/1914: 717 • Fred B. King • Henry Chapman 12/1927: 160 $207 • Dr. George P. French, 3/ 21/1929 • B. A1ax Mehl FPL, 1929: 346 $40 • T. James Clarke • Dr. William H. Sheldon.

VF-35 Philip G. Straus • Stacks 5/1959: 231 $97.50 • C. Douglas Smith • Robert J. Kissner • Stack's 6/1975: 391 $350 •Denis W. Loring, 1/1984 • C. Douglas Smith • Fred H. Borcherdt.

VF-35 With some blunt striking. Carl Wurtzbach, 1919 • Virgil M. Brand • B. G. Johnson (St. Louis Stamp & Coin Co.) • Homer K. Downing • 1952 ANA (New Netherlands Coin Co. #38): 1975 $38 • Willard C. Blaisdell, 2/24/1975 • Del Bland, 1975 • Robinson S. Brown, Jr. • Superior Galleries 9/1986: 402 $935 • Gary Ruttenberg, 10/1/1990 • Robinson S. Brown, Jr. • Superior Stamp & Coin Co. 1/1996: 377 $1,595 • Dr. Bruce Reinoehl. State II.

VF-35 Sharpness of EF-45 but some fine pitting. Jody Hawkins. Robert L. Hughes Enterprises 6/1980: 30 $450 • Del Bland • Jack H. Beymer • C. Douglas Smith • Charles E. Harrison.

VF-35 Sharpness of EF-45 but nicks and scratches. Rob-ert D. Book, 5/1930 • George H. Clapp • ANS. State III.

VF-30 Sharpness of EF-40 but a corrosion spot removed; cleaned and recolored. M. L. Kaplan, 4/6/1959 $150 • C. Douglas Smith, 3/30/1992 • Eric Streiner • Superior Galleries 10/1992: 147 $484.

VF-30 Benjamin Stack (Imperial Coin Co.), 1956 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • Robert Gildred • Kagin's Numismatic Auctions #331, 10/1983: 1073 $715 • Jack H. Robinson • Superior Galleries 1/1989: 612 $1,540 • C. Douglas Smith, 3/30/1992 • Eric Streiner • Superior Galleries 10/1992: 145 $1,155 • Chris Victor-McCawley (CVM) • Dr. Philip W. Ralls • Robert W. Everett (Classical American Coins) • Walter Husak.

VF-30 Charles E. Clapp, Sr, 3/1921 • George H. Clapp • ANS • Dr. William H. Sheldon • T. James Clarke, 10/1954 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • New Netherlands Coin Co. 11/1973: 590 $110. Reverse illustrated in Early American Cents.

VF-30 With some blunt striking. Henry C. Hines • Dr. William H. Sheldon • Dorothy Paschal • Myles Z. Gerson • Denis W. Loring, 1978 • Fred H. Borcherdt, 9/19/1987
• C. Douglas Smith, 3/30/1992 • Eric Streiner • Superior Galleries 10/1992: 146 $550 • Jack H. Robinson. Reverse illustrated in Noyes.

VF-30 With some blunt striking. Jack H. Beymer/11/2/ 1979 • Frank H. Stillinger.

VF-30 Mid-American Rare Coin Auctions 2/1985: 86 $451 • Steven K. Ellsworth.