Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of Early United States Cents

Obverse 2. B. B. UH. C. Front edge of the hair rib-bon is straight as on later dies. In the date, 1 is high and the spacing decreases: 18 widely spaced and 08 closest. Left edge of the lowest curl is above the center of 8. A sliver out of the die on the neck, left of the lovelock, slants down to the left. Similar slivers are found on the chin (small and easily missed) and in the field below the lower ribbon.

Reverse B. C. R. C. NC. R(T) low. In CENT, NT lean right and this N is above E. Earliest states show guide lines (arcs) between bases of S_0 and F_A although these fade quickly.

Die states: 1. Perfect dies without flow lines joining stars to the rim. The rim is not broken below the date. See Remarks. Smith (1985) state 1.

II. Gradually increasing flow lines joining stars 10, 11, and 12 to the rim. Few dentils crumbling below the end of the bust and below 18 although these may not be visible if centering is less than perfect or the border is weak. Raised inner ridge within the dentils above 5 OF AM. Smith (1985) state 2.

III. The rim is injured just inside the dentils outside stars 1 through 5. This injury probably is a result of clash marks during axial misalignment. The reverse has clash marks within the wreath. Flowlines join letters to the border. The die is lapped obscuring details of the injury.

IV. Rim break above stars 5 and 6, at first narrow and easily missed, later larger. Many more clash marks right of ONE CENT. Smith (1985) state 3.

V. Extra clash marks, notably from O(N) at junction of the chin and throat, and from leaves before lips. Line from hair to star 8. Both dies have been repolished to remove other clash marks with traces remaining at the obverse ribbons and right of ONE CENT. Lips are more open than among earlier die states. The outer leaves are hollow, some others are weakened. On specimens whose centering permits the detail to show, there are plain rim breaks below the date, from below the end of the bust to the right, and below star 13.

VI. Rim break at star 5 is stronger. Raised ridge within the dentils near the rim break of state V. Smith (1985) state 4. See Remarks.

VII. Rim breaks near stars 8, 10, and 11. These are plainest on examples whose centering does not allow the rim break near stars 5 and 6 to show. The rim break below the date extends to the dentils at star 12.

Equivalents: Proskey 2. Doughty 209. McGirk 2A. Clapp 2. Sheldon 278. EAC 2. Encyclopedia 1774.

Rarity 2.

Remarks: The position of the eighth star point is ambiguous.

On heaviest strikings, leaf points extend beyond (E)S and slightly right of center below the base of F. On later die states, leaves are weakened so that positions of points at F and C(A) become ambiguous.

The rim break below the date is often off the flan so that early states may not be distinguishable.

A few state VI examples occur on extra broad planchets with the diameter approximately 30 millimeters. Pete Smith discovered this peculiarity. Apparently either Boulton & Watt used a different blank-cutter in error, or these were struck on token blanks or foreign blanks. Were these merely more heavily struck or repeatedly struck, one would expect details to be far more sharply defined.

Though less often seen than number 1 or 3 in worn state, this variety appears most often at auction, even in high grades.

Condition Census:

MS-65 From England • Kenneth M. Goldman, 6/ 1988 • Denis W. Loring.

MS-63 Weakly struck. Thomas L. Elder 4/1937: 1538 $60 • Arthur A. Wells • 1981 ANA (Bowers and Ruddy Galleries): 2744 as "5-279" $2,600 • Kevin Lipton Rare Coins (stolen and later appearing in) • Heritage Numismatic Auctions #3, 6/1989: 960 $10,450 • Anthony Terranova • Stack's FPL, 1991: 15 $17,500 • Stack's 1/1992: 311 $17,600 • unknown • 1992 ANA (Heritage Numismatic Auctions): 1491 • Thomas D. Reynolds.

MS-63 Col. James W. Ellsworth, 3/1923 • Wayte Raymond. Charles E. Clapp, Sr., 7/1924 • George H. Clapp • ANS. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Early American Cents and in Penny Whimsy.

MS-62 Paramount International Coin Corp. • New Netherlands Coin Co. #59, 6/1967: 1230 $1,600 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr., 2/23/1992 • Eric Streiner, 12/ 1993 • John B. MacDonald.

MS-62 Lester Merkin 6/1971: 565 $1,200 • unknown. American Auction Association 5/1972: 604 $1,450 • Julian Leidman • George W. "Hank" Rodgers • Herman Halpern, 12/11/1986 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr., 2/23/1992 • Eric Streiner • Jay Parrino (The Mint) • Superior Stamp & Coin Co. 5/1995: 2029 • Jay Parrino (The Mint), 4/16/1996 • W. M. "Jack" Wadlington. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Noyes.

MS-62 With a very small planchet defect on star 1. M. A. Brown • S. H. & H. Chapman 4/1897: 813 $41 • S. H. & H. Chapman • E. W. Ropes • New York Coin & Stamp Co. 2/1899: 58 $19 • New York Coin & Stamp Co. • Maj. William Boerum Wetmore • S. H. & H. Chapman 6/1906: 585 $30 • John Story Jenks • Henry Chapman 12/1921: 6150 $51 • Charles J. Dupont • Stack's 9/1954: 499 $225 • Emanuel Taylor, 10/1960 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • New Netherlands Coin Co. 11/1973: 594 $2,600 • Rare Coin Company of America • William Mitkoff • unknown • Heritage Numismatic Auctions #5, 11/1989: 490 $9,900 • Martin Paul (The Rarities Group) • Larry Whitlow, Ltd. • unknown • Heritage Rare Coin Galleries, 5/30/1996 • Chris Victor-McCawley (CVM).

MS-60 Lester Merkin, 1/10/1974 • Andrew M. Hain • Dennis E. Steinmetz (Steinmetz Coins & Currency) • 1980 ANA (Steve Ivy Numismatic Auctions): 968 $13,000 • unknown • Devonshire Rare Coin Galleries, 8/1991 • Stuart A. Levine • S. L. Contursi (Tangible Assets) • 1994 ANA (Heritage Numismatic Auctions): 6181 • Andrew M. Hain.

MS-60 Dr. G. F. E. Wilharm • B. Max Mehl #59, 2/1921: 1468 $60 • unknown • Stack's 9/1987: 404 $4,125 • Herman Halpern • Stack's 3/1988: 264 $4,125.

MS-60 Paramount International Coin Corp. 5/1969: 573 $550 • Ted Kress, 6/1991 • Fred H. Borchardt.

MS-60 Chas. Steigerwalt • John G. Mills • S. H. & H. Chapman 4/1904: 1273 $44 • George H. Earle, Jr. • Henry Chapman 6/1912: 3444 $47 • Henry Chapman. Clarence S. Bement • Henry Chapman 5/1916: 322 $66 • Howard R. Newcomb • J. C. Morgenthau & Co. #458,2/1945: 470 $90 • Wayte Raymond • Joseph H. Spray • Stack's 4/1975: 20 $3,250 • George W. "Hank" Rodgers • Loren Barnett • Auction '89 (David W. Akers): 1007 $12,100 • Silvana DiGenova (Tangible Investments of America) • S. L. Contursi Rare Coin Gallery • Auction '90 (Superior Galleries): 1009 $11,275 • S. L. Contursi Rare Coin Gallery.

MS-60 Geo. W. Rice • St. Louis Stamp & Coin Co. #16, 4/1906: 1058 $25 • Virgil M. Brand • New Netherlands Coin Co. #41, 9/1953: 304 $140 • Dorothy Paschal.

MS-60 C. David Pierce. Hollinbeck Stamp and Coin Co. FPL, 1945: 47 $150 • A. Kosoff (Numismatic Gallery), 5/15/1947 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr .• A. Kosoff, privately 11/1960 • Louis Helfenstein. Lester Merkin 8/1964: 44 $1,850.

MS-60 Harlan P. Smith • S. H. & H. Chapman 5/1906: 1112 $20 • Dr. George P. French • S. H. Chapman 3/1907: 903 $50 • unknown. Paramount International Coin Corp. FPL #3, Sept.-Nov. 1966 $1,650. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Clapp.