Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of Early United States Cents

1813

(Mint report: 418,000)

Obverse 1. LH. B. LE. B. Wide date with small 1s and 3, the curl of this digit meets its diagonal at cusp (unlike obverse 2). The lower edge of the diagonal of the 3 shows repunching. See Die states. The left pendant of T is repunched. The curl behind the eye is doubled. Stars 5 and 6 are closer together than others and star 13 is less than its own width away from the 3.

Reverse A. R. PR. SPC. NC. Very similar to reverse D of 1812. UN low.

Die states: I. Overdate, 3/2, always faint. Look for traces of the curve of 2 left of the serif of 3 and weaker traces within the angle of 3. Very rare and impossible to see on coins grading below EF (See drawing in Wright,"A Study On Overdated United States Large Cents, Part II:1808-1814/' The Numismatist, July l969, p.923; I.app & Silbennan, p.430.) Clapp saw several such pieces in the 1930s but did not call them overdates. Unaware of this, I identified two 1813/12 cents in 1954 and several others later.

Axial misalignment produces weakness at the sixth and seventh stars and UNITED. Reverse guidelines at TED s. Faint inner ridge.

II. Overdate gone. Die failure joins cusp of 3 to knob. III. Clash marks below truncation and from O(N) at the throat. Flow lines at the first star. Reverse clash marks right of (N)E and (N)T are often blurry. Raised ridge at dentil tips above TES OF A with flow lines joining them.

IV. Cracks through tops of TED, bases of TED S, and tops of ST. Equivalents: Proskey 2. Doughty 222. McGirk 2A.

Clapp 2. Sheldon 293. EAC 1. Encyclopedia 1785 (overdate state), 1786 (later states).

Rarity 2.

Remarks: At least two are reported with double profile. The cents of this year were struck on blanks from the Boulton shipment of 1812. For further discussion see the text before 1808.

This variety has been used for making bogus "1815" cents more often than any other, 1810-19. No genuine 1815 could exist, of course: the Mint was out of planchets in October 1814 and could obtain no more until the end of 1815.

Before the Civil War, Dickeson" ascribed the scarcity of choice 1813s to "amateurs" who altered them to 1815!

However, there must be other reasons why both varieties of this date more often show pitting than cents of 1812 and 1814 from the same planchet shipment. Possibly the casks containing blanks used for 1813s had suffered in transit (as on several previous occasions), admitting bilgewater and salt spray.

Condition Census:

MS-61 E. S. Norris • S. H. & H. Chapman 5/1894: 565 $11.50 • Ed. Frossard • Benjamin H. Collins, 1937 • B. Max Mehl Collection • a private collection • Joe Flynn, Sr. Coin Co. • Garry Fitzgerald • c. Douglas Smith • Dr. Robert J. Shalowitz Del Bland, 11/1974. Douglas M. McHenry • Superior Galleries 9/1986: 433 $7,425 • Dr. Allen Bennett, 12/1988 • Denis W. Loring, 4/1989 • John B. MacDonald.

MS-61 Dr. Ralph Chandler • Barney Bluestone #104, 12/1948: 22 • a New England collector.

MS-60 George F. Seavey • William H. Strobridge, 1873: 396 • Lorin G. Parmelee • New York Coin & Stamp Co. 6/1890: 887 • J. F. Anger • Col. James W. Ellsworth, 3/1923 • Wayte Raymond, 3/1923 • George H. Clapp • ANS • Dr. William H. Sheldon, 4/19/1972 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr., 2/23/1992 • Eric Streiner, 3/1992 • Denis W. Loring, 12/1992 • Robinson S. Brown, Jr. who returned it on 9/5/1995 to ANS. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Penny Whimsy and in Noyes.

AU-55 James A. Stack, Sr. • Bowers and Ruddy Galleries 4/1979: 172 $1,700 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • Early American Coppers 5/1986: 162 $2.00 • Dr. Robert J. Shalowitz.

AU-55 Auction '81 (Paramount Rare Coin Corp.): 1055 $2,500 • Gene Sanders (Coinko),

AU-55 Dr. George P. French, 3/21/1929 • B. Max Mehl FPL, 1929: 370 $30 • Carl Wurtzbach • California Stamp Co. 11/1930: 288 • T. James Clarke, 1944 • B. Max Mehl • B. Max Mehl #106, 6/1945: 1706 $22 Rodney T. Grove • Robert Nofal and Lewis Kling • Cape Kennedy Medals 7/1976: 49 $4,000 • Joe Stuller.

AU-55 Abner Kreisberg, 5/12/1961 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • New Netherlands Coin Co. 11/1973: 607 $2,400 • A-Mark Coin Co.

AU-50 Arthur C. Fritz • Rudolph Khol • Federal Coin Exchange FPL, 1952 $100 • Harold Bareford, 9/13/1985 • Herman Halpern • Stack's 3/1988: 280 $2,530 • Gene Reale.

AU-50 Oscar J. Pearl • Numismatic Gallery FPL, 1944: 234 $27.50 • Rodney T. Grove • Robert Nofal and Lewis Kling. Auction '81 (Superior Stamp & Coin Co.): 531 $2,000. Stack's. unknown • Superior Galleries 9/1987: 997 $907.50.

AU-50 Robert J. Kissner • Stack's 6/1975: 412 $525 • Stack's • Richard Gross • Dr. Robert J. Shalowitz • Jack H. Beymer.

AU-50 J. Paul Scheetz, 8/1976 • Jack H. Beymer.

AU-50 Weakly struck. Richard Picker, 11/14/1955 • Mrs. R. Henry Norweb • Bowers and Merena 11/1988: 2857 $1,100 • Anthony Terranova • Superior Galleries 1/1990: 526 $1,045 • Gary Ruttenberg. State III.

AU-50 Sharpness of Mint State but some nicks, cleaned and recolored. Richard B. Winsor • S. H. & H. Chapman 12/1895: 898 • S. H. & H. Chapman • unknown • French's, privately 11/1955 • Louis Helfenstein • Lester Merkin 8/1964: 50 • Dr. Lawrence A. Mattemes • Lester Merkin 10/1973: 362 • Julian Leidman • unknown • Steve Ivy Numismatic Auctions #1, 8/1976: 35 • Bowers and Ruddy Galleries • unknown • 1989 ANA (Bowers and Merena): 1170 $1,430 • unknown • Chris VictorMcCawley (CVMt 5/1991 • Chris Kromer.

AU-50 Peter Mougey • William H. Woodin • Thomas L. Elder #43, 9/1910: 89 $16 • William Sleicher • S. H. Chapman 10/1919: 1023 $18.50 • Hillyer Ryder, 5/1945 • Wayte Raymond • New Netherlands Coin Co. #41, 9/1953: 315 $45 • Thos. P. Warfield • Associated Coin Auction Co. 10/1955: 406 $37 • Allen E. McDowell.

AU-50 Michael F. Higgy • Numismatic Gallery #23, 9/ 1943: 1047 $27 • Lotus Sullivan • French's #31, 4/1947: 396.