The Early Quarter Dollars of the United States

Quarter Dollars of 1807

Total number of pieces coined 20,643. Two die varieties are known, with one sub-variety.

Obverse: Date equally spaced, small O; lower left star and curl are twice as far apart as opposite star and drapery; upper left star and bottom of L not quite so far apart as opposite star and top of Y.

Reverse: from the same die as 1804 [Browning] 4, and 1806 [Browning] 1. (Four berries on olive branch.

Dies perfect. A scarce variety.

Small date: short 1 with perfect base, small 0.

Four berries, reverse of 1805.

Browning-1; Clapp-1; Duphorne-18; Breen-3891; Haseltine-1.

Rarity-2.

Die States:
I. No reverse cracks. Rare.
II. Light clash marks from bust; cracks, top of UNI and ST. These cracks become heavy, and show on both specimens on Plate II (faintly). Choice examples include: S.W. Freeman:1550, Landau, NN 52:502, Gardner:1622 (planchet defect at right border); Holmes:2924, Gardner:1621; Wolfson (pvt. sale) 1975 Suburban Washington:156, Grant Pierce:599; 1966 ANA:1557 (sharp strike); others.

III. Two cracks, rim to first S, rim to space between ST. Kensington:311, Bowers & Ruddy RCR 26, Summer '76, (Uncirculated, sharp); possibly 1979 ANA:820 (similar, obverse intensely mottled). These two cracks are sometimes hard to see because borders are normally weak.

IV. Obverse drastically reground to remove clash marks; lower left curls incomplete, similar to 1806 B-9 State XI. This is Browning's 1-A "sub-variety." This is the commonest state. Among the more famous Uncirculateds are Dupont:1787; R.T. Davis:73; J.A. Stack Estate:9; Reed Hawn:273; many others exist.

One of the State IV's has plain edge: apparently, this planchet never went through the upsetting or edge-marking machine, which imparted edge reeding or lettering according to the denomination. This was ex Lyman Low, H.O. Granberg, W.H. Woodin, "Collection of a Prominent America":592 (USCC 5/19/15), Hillyer Ryder, Wayte Raymond, NN 33:476, 1952 ANA:4466, Bergen:19. Mentioned in Duphorne, p. 73, as a Bergen "discovery."

Reappearance of this old 1805-1806 die represents a common Mint occurrence of the period. Compare also the Stemless half cent die, found with obverses dated 1804, 1805, 1806; the reverse of 1795 Bust dollar B-14, found with obverses dated 1796 (B-1, 2, 3), 1797 (B-2) and 1798 (B-2); and Bolender's "Reverse A" and "Reverse B," found on various silver dollar varieties dated 1801-1802-1803. NEQ.

Numerical Condition Census (RWM, Sr. [circa 1992]): 64, 63+, 63+, 63, 63, 63.

No. 1-A

Obverse: From the same die as No. 1, but an imperfect impression showing the small curl at extreme left not up, causing the lower left star to appear further from the hair than in No. 1, Other parts of hair not up; lower part of curl near 1, curl on forehead and above the head under E.

Reverse: The same as No.1.

Dies free from cracks. As to rarity, No 1-A, appears to be more common when sharp than No. 1.

Not a "true" variety.

State IV of preceding. B-1.