Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of Early United States Cents

Obverse 2. UE. UH. UH. B.. Last star is more than its own width away from 3. Large Is and 3. The curl of 3 meets diagonal above cusp. Single curl behind eye. Base and loop of R and both pendants of T are repunched. Diagonal lines in fillet through LIBERTY. Stars 2-3 and 11-12 are more closely spaced than others.

Reverse B. NL. R. SPC. NC. ST are slightly high, bases of AT touch, and F is high.

Die states: 1. Perfect dies. McGirk 1A. Unconfirmed and possibly confused with state II.

II. Clash marks below truncation and within the wreath, including area near the seventh berry. No flow lines. Faint hint of inner ridge within the reverse border.

III. Obverse clash marks are effaced although traces remain near the throat and below truncation. Flow lines on both sides. Reverse has additional clash marks below the seventh berry. See Remarks.

IV. Flow lines at stars are stronger at right and dentils begin to merge with inner ridge.

V. Flow lines are stronger in the field. Reverse dentils are gone. Tops of TATES OF merge with inner ridge.

Equivalents: Proskey 1. Doughty 221. McGirk 1A. Clapp 1. Sheldon 292. EAC 1. Encyclopedia 1787.

Low Rarity 2.

Remarks: ANS has a worn specimen with a very wide double profile.

The traces of clash marks in state III differ from those of state II. Apparently a more severe clashing accident occurred. An intermediate state may exist showing clash marks before the throat and probably also at the face.

This variety also has often been used for making bogus "1815" cents, though less often than number 1.

Condition Census:

MS-61 Dr. Thomas Hall. 9/7/1909 • Virgil M. Brand • Carl Wurtzbach. Dr. William H. Sheldon, 4/19/1972 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr., 2/23/1992 • Eric Streiner • Jay Parrino (The Mint), 4/16/1996 • W. M. "Jack" Wadlington. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Nayes.

MS-61 Dr. E. Yale Garke • Stack's 10/1975: 77 $1,600.

MS-60 Sotheby's (New York) 6/1992: 70 $5,500 • unknown • Stack's 3/1993: 26345 2,970.

AU-55 Richard Picker • unknown • American Auction Association 5/1972: 609 $900.

AU-55 Joseph Zanoni • Thomas Oeneay • S. H. & H. Chapman 12/1890: 1835 $7.50 • Peter Mougey • William H. Woodin • Thomas L. Elder #43, 9/1910: 87 $19 • Henry C. Miller • Thomas L. Elder 4/1917: 818 $35 • Henry Chapman • Robert D. Book, 5/1930 • George H. Clapp • ANS. Obverse and reverse illustrated in Early American Cents.

AU-55 From Europe • New Netherlands Coin Co. #56, 6/1962: 535 $350 • Louis Helfenstein • Lester Merkin 8/1964: 49 $625 Garry Fitzgerald, 3/1965 • Dr. Boyd E. Hayward • Bowers and Merena 9/1997: 307 not sold • Dr. Boyd E. Hayward.

AU-55 Milton A. Holmes • Stack's 10/1960: 1471$200 • Corrado Romano (Worthy Coin Co.) • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • A. Kosoff 10/1961: 379 $310 • Gene Reale • Sotheby's (New York) #7083, 1/1998: 52 $6,050 • Kenneth M. Goldman and Stuart A. Levine.

AU-55 Henry Chapman • James G. Macallister • T. James Clarke, 10/1954 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • New Netherlands Coin Co. 11/1973: 606 $850 • Paramount International Coin Corp. • Paramount International Coin Corp. 511976: 553 $950 • Paramount International Coin Corp.

AU-55 With a tiny planchet clip. Henry A. Sternberg • M.H. Bolender #190, 3/1956: 1610 $97.50 • Dorothy Paschal • Thomas Steinmetz • George H. Blenker, 1/15/ 1978 • Robert Schick.

AU-55 Jay Parrino (The Mint), 7 /20/1988 Chris Victor-McCawley (CVM) • Douglas F. Bird, 2/8/1996 • Dennis Mendelson.

AU-55 Paramount International Coin Corp. FPL, 4/ 1976 $1,200 • Paramount International Coin Corp. 11/1976: 91 $600 • Jack H. Beymer • unknown • Woodbury's Rare Coin Brokers, 11/1991. Denis W. Loring, 12/2/1991 • Robinson S. Brown, Jr. • Superior Stamp & Coin Co. 1/1996: 397 $6,875. State I.

AU-55 Delaware Valley Rare Coin Co. • Heritage Numismatic Auctions 6/1995: 5016 not sold. Delaware Valley Rare Coin Co. FPL, Coin World 7/17/1995, $5,680.

AU-55 S. H. & H. Chapman collection. S. H. & H. Chapman 10/1879: 469 $4.25 • unknown • Joseph H. Spray • Stack's 4/1975: 26 $400.

AU-55 Oscar J. Pearl • Numismatic Gallery FPL, 1944: 232 $75.

AU-55 William Van Roden • Stack's 5/1968: 265 $725.

AU-55 Howard R. Newcomb • J. C. Morgenthau & Co. #458, 2/1945: 483 $31 • James Kelly • Standish Hall • Hollinbeck Stamp and Coin Co. FPL #25, 1947: 70 $40.

Reports of two other varieties of this date have led only to examination of a peculiar fraud; which must have been made before 1890. Doughty described his number 223 as having obverse of 221 and reverse of 222 (obverse of our number 2 with reverse of 1). McGirk listed it as his 3A, on Doughty's authority, and added its converse (his 4A: obverse of OUT number 1 with reverse of 2).1 Both specimens were fabricated by splitting genuine specimens edgewise and exchanging the reverses.