Q. David Bowers
B. Max Mehl's sale of the Langfelder & Jaedicke Collections, November 22, 1921. Offered was a selection of early silver dollars.
1795 Head type. Point of bust and curl distant from stars. Reverse, three leaves under wings. VF, sharp, with some lustre. Scarce and in demand. $5.50.
1795 Bust type. Fine to VF. $5.50.
1796 Large Date. Reverse, small letters. VF, but light nicks on obverse. $6.00.
1796 Small Date and small letters. Rare combination.
Strictly Fine. $5.10.
1796 Small Date and large letters. Good to VG. $6.00.
1797 16 Stars. Nearly Fine, well struck. $4.75.
1797 16 Stars, but with six stars on right and 10 on left. Good. $5.75.
1798 Rare variety with small eagle on reverse, 15 stars. VG obverse and Good reverse. $7.00.
1798 Obverse as last but with 13 stars. Reverse, heraldic eagle. VG. $3.50.
1799/8 About Fine. $3.75.
1799 Six Stars Facing. EF, with some lustre. $4.00.
1799 High Date, die break on reverse connecting olive branch with edge. VF, sharp. $4.20.
1800 Perfect Die. VG. $2.90.
1801 About Fine, sharp. $4.90.
1802/1 EF, with considerable bright mint lustre. Only highest portions show slight wear. $5.00.
1802 Perfect Date. Strictly Fine. $3.30.
1803 Large 3 in date. EF, with some lustre. A fine strong impression. $5.00.
1803 Large 3. Obverse Good, reverse Very Fair. $2.50.
B. Max Mehl's sale of the James Ten Eyck Collection, May 2, 1922, included many notable early dollars highlighted by an 1804.
1794 Fine to VF for coin. Three small nicks on reverse edge. While the coin, as usual, is not struck very bold but on this specimen every star and date is well struck and nearly perfectly centered. By far above the average of this extremely rare coin. $94.50.
1795 Obverse similar to last, reverse three leaves under eagle's wing. Variety with stars distant from point of bust and last curl. Unc., with beautiful mint lustre. $26.00.
1795 Type as last, head as on 1794, two leaves under wings. VG. Scarce. $6.30.
1796 Draped bust of Liberty to right, ... Reverse, small eagle on clouds within wreath .... Variety with large date and small letters. EF, with some mint lustre. Rare and valuable so choice. $10.50.
1797 Six stars on right, ten stars on left. Reverse, large letters. About Fine. $6.00.
1797 Seven stars on right, nine stars on left. Reverse, large letters. Fine, sharp. Very scarce. $6.50.
1798 Type as last, with small eagle. Obverse, with seven stars to right and eight to left. Reverse, small letters in legend. Date small and widely spaced. About Fine. Rare. $6.75.
1798 Obverse, six stars to right and seven to left, date large and close. Reverse, small eagle, large letters in legend. Strictly Fine. $8.00.
1798 Obverse as last. Reverse, heraldic eagle .... Edge lettered as last. Variety with 8 of date high. Fine. $4.50.
1799/8 The so-called 15 Stars variety on reverse, the clouds touching wings are much larger than the others on the dollars of this type, parts of stars showing from beneath. EF, sharp, frosty mint lustre. Rare so choice. $5.70.
1799 Perfect Date. Variety with five stars on right and eight on left. Fine. Very scarce. $4.50.
1800 Perfect Die on obverse; reverse, die break making the legend read AMERlCAI. VF. Scarce. $5.00.
1801 Small planchet defect on obverse edge. VF. Very scarce. $5.25.
1802/1 Practically Unc., with mint lustre, reverse, almost brilliant. Rare so choice. $10.50.
1803 Small 3 in date, uneven stars on reverse, some large and some small. EF, nearly Unc., with mint lustre. Rare so choice. $6.30.
The specimen here offered appears to be of the identical die as the Lyman, Rosenberg [sic; Rosenthal intended] and Idler specimens. The Lyman specimen was sold in 1913, (bringing $340.00), but the Ten Eyck specimen is of an earlier impression and is much stronger, with all stars on obverse and reverse well struck up, perfectly centered and in Proof condition. Besides the Lyman specimen, I can find no record of another having been offered at auction.
Mr. Ten Eyck purchased this coin about forty years ago. It was formerly owned by Dr. Henry R. Linderman, who was director of the Mints and Assay Offices of the United States from 1873 to 1875, and a great authority on coinage and assay.
With this coin is an affidavit executed by Emily Linderman, which reads as follows:
"Personally appeared before me a Justice of the Peace in and for said County of Monroe, Emily Linderman, widow of the late Dr. Henry R. Linderman, director of the Mint, who being duly sworn according to law deposes and says, 'that the said Dr. Linderman told deponent that he had obtained the 1804 Dollar in his collection, that it was an original, that it was of great rarity, there only having been twelve or fourteen struck, that it was one of the finest, if not the finest specimen in existence, that he had paid for it in installments, not feeling able to pay for it all at one time.' He then showed the specimen to deponent afterward locking it in his office safe with his collection."(Signed) Emily Linderman.
"Sworn and subscribed before me this first day of July
"Charles W. Holbrook, 'Justice of the Peace"