Q. David Bowers
Stack's sale of the Samuel W. Wolfson Collection, May 3-4, 1963, included a rare 1804 dollar as well as many other notable coins.
1794 [BB-1] Strictly Fine and sharp. Usual weakness on left side of coin both obverse and reverse which is characteristic of this date. Liberty head on obverse very sharp. $2,000.00.
1795 [BB-21] B-1. Flowing Hair. Strictly VF, free of edge bruises. Appears to have been burnished. $250.00.
1795 [BB-27] B-5. Flowing Hair. VF, minor edge defect. Has been highly polished. $220.00.
1795 [BB-51] B-14. Bust type. EF, lustrous. Planchet imperfections on obverse edge. $245.00.
1795 [BB-51] B-14. Bust type. EF, sharp. Just the faintest evidence of wear. $250.00.
1796 [BB-61] B-4. Small Date. VF, choice. Planchet imperfections on hair of Liberty. $185.00.
1797 [BB-71] B-3. Stars 10x6. Br. Unc., full mint bloom, superb iridescent steel blue toning. Nicely centered. Usual weak strike in center of coin. $600.00.
1797 [BB-73] B-1. Stars 9x7, Large Letters. About Unc, Beautiful iridescent toning. Nicely centered. $350.00.
1798 [BB-81] B-2. Small Eagle, 15 Stars. Strictly Fine, usual weak reverse impression. $150.00.
1798 [BB-82] B-1a. Small Eagle, 13 Stars. A beautiful VF, choice, example of this rare coin. Nicely centered, sharp denticles. Some mint lustre. $320.00.
1798 [BB-95] B-6. Large Eagle, knobbed 9, 10 arrows. A VF obverse, with deep serrated borders. Reverse: VF for coin, as it shows usual weak impression. $87.50.
1798 [BB-101] B-17. Large Eagle. Very wide date. Exceptionally small berries on reverse and some appear without stems. Only 10 arrows. VF. Due to die failure, it is somewhat weak on the high points. $300.00.
1798 [BB-108] B-13. Large Eagle, 5 berries, 10 arrows. A lustrous Fine to VF example, with beautiful iridescent toning. $62.50.
1799/8 [BB-141] B-3. 15 Stars. A lustrous, highly toned example, nicely struck. Unc., fairly well centered. $260.00.
1799/8 [BB-142] B-1. 13 Stars. Br. Unc., sharply struck. Full mint bloom, deep serrated borders. $435.00.
1799 [BB-153] B-4. Irregular date, 15 Star reverse. Strictly VF and sharp. $150.00.
1799 [BB-159] B-23. Stars 8x5. Perfectly centered, sharply struck, almost full mint lustre. About Unc. $300.00.
1799 [BB-166] B-9. Perfect Date. Lustrous About Unc, example, with almost full mint lustre. $100.00.
1800 [BB-192] B-19. AMERICAI.Just a shade from Unc., delicately toned, full mint lustre. $125.00.
1800 [BB-194] B-14. Dotted Date variety. EF. Lovely blue steel toning. Most mint lustre is still adhering. $90.00.
1801 [BB-213] B-3. Wide Date. EF, lightly toned. Sharp strike. $120.00.
1802/1 [BB-231] B-1. Close Date. VF but cleaned. $72.50.
1802/1 [BB-234] B-3. Wide overdate. EF. Light toning. $90.00.
1802/1 [BB-234] B-3. Duplicate to preceding. VF, sharp. $80.00.
1802 [BB-241] B-6. Close, perfect date. EF. $150.00.
1803 [BB-252] B-5. Small 3. VF, choice. $80.00.
1803 [BB-255] B-6. Large 3. VF, choice. $95.00.
In due course Mr. Davis sold the dollar back to Haseltine in 1883 for $1,050.00 It then passed into the collection of Mr. George M. Klein of Vicksburg for $1,200.00 in the same year. When the Klein Collection was disbursed at the 95th Woodward Sale in May 1888, Mr. Davis repurchased the piece for $660.00. After Mr. Davis died, Mr. John N. Hale of Phillipsburg, PA bought it for $850.00. In his turn he bequeathed the coin to his friend Mr. R.H. Hull in whose possession and estate it remained until 1950,. On May 12 of that year coins from the Hull estate were sold at the Park Bernet Galleries when Mrs. Fullerton, daughter of Mr. Henry P. Graves, purchased it for her father for $36,000.
The dollar next appeared on the market in April 1954 in the Davis-Graves Sale, conducted by Stack's and sold for $8,000. The purchaser, who remained anonymous, was a gentleman from Fairbanks, Alaska. When his collection was handled by Stack's at public auction in 1960, the famous coin passed to Mr. Samuel W. Wolfson for the record price of $28,000.00. [Description shortened here.] $36,000.
New Netherlands Coin Company's 57th sale, December 10-11, 1963, contained many specialized die varieties. Most of the cataloguing was by Don Taxay.
1794 [BB-1] B-1. Close to VF; faintly iridescent natural steel toning, undisturbed by cleaning or other mishandling. As usual, weakly struck at bottom left of date and at first few stars, with STATES very weakly impressed, though certain areas of the reverse are well above VF sharpness. A few hardly serious adjustment marks at the lower I. obverse, and two or three light scratches on the head, all very minor and hardly worthy of mention. $1,900.00.
1795 (over 1195). B-1. Strictly Fine. Unevenly struck up; weak at the top reverse, and at the centers, but the wreath and letters suggest VF. The surfaces are lovely despite sporadic adjustment marks on reverse, one small planchet discoloration at the left wreath stem. $200.00.
1795 [BB-13] B-9. A sharp Fine. With several light edge nicks, and a few still lighter scratches, most all of which are upon the reverse. $160.
1795 [BB-14] B-4. Fine to VF. A V-shaped chopmark between the neck and cheek, the surfaces otherwise adequate for the grade. Cleaned, as have been most of these early silver pieces by now. $160.
1795 [BB-27] B-5. EF to AU. A few light scratches on the eagle, but with clean, attractive fields. $600.00.
1795 [BB-51] B-14. Draped Bust. Better than VF; highly lustrous with mottled toning. Small obverse rim dent over E. $215.00.
1795 [BB-52] B-15. Fine to VF. $125.00.
1795 [BB-52] B-15. More or less Fine; centers somewhat weak, but with peripheral details of VF or better sharpness. The surfaces also indicate the latter grade, but the obverse shows a very faint "X" scratch, and there are a couple of insignificant marks. $75.00.