Silver Dollars & Trade Dollars of the United States - A Complete Encyclopedia
Q. David Bowers
1801. BB-213
(B-3. H-3.)
• OBVERSE 1: See description under 1801 BB-211.
Obverse die used to strike 1801 BB-211 (earliest use), BB-212 (intermediate,use), and BB-213 (latest use).
• Reverse C: Point of star touches outside of upper part of eagle's beak. Rightfoot of all T's missing, the result of a broken punch (apparently, this die was made immediately after the die for 1801 BB-214, which has a partially broken lower right serif). A touches 3rd feather only. 13 arrows. AM joined at base, E extremely close (Bolender said it is joined), Leaf touches I in AMERICA slightly right of center of base. Star under cloud 7 double punched (an interesting error, but a rare one; it is a wonder that more stars were not double punched c. 1798-1803).
Note: As 1801 BB-213 was struck after 1801 BB-212 (per obverse die state evidence), and as 1801 BB-212 was struck no earlier than 1802, it follows that 1801 BB-213 was also struck no earlier than 1802.
Reverse die used to strike 1801 BB-213 only.
• DIE STATES:
Die State I: Perfect dies without dash marks. May not exist.
Die State II: Obverse die perfect. Reverse with curved dash mark (from outline of bosom on obverse) above and to the right of M in UNUM; light clash mark from obverse drapery is extending from 0 to cloud 6 (called a die crack by Bolender).
Die State II: Reverse with massive clash marks (called die breaks by Bolender); the entire date 1801, incuse and reversed, is visible under ES O! Clash marks from obverse denticles are at border above STATES OF.
Die State II: With clash marks on reverse as described above.
Die State III: Now with a crack from the rim below the curl to the 1 in the date and another from under the curl near the rim. Die flaws between LIBERTY and the rim and scattered throughout the reverse legend,
• AUCTION POPULATION SURVEY: Good: 3, Very Good: 8, Fine: 17, Very Fine: 22, Extremely Fine: 11, About Uncirculated: 7, Mint State-60 or better: 6. Total: 74. Average grade; VF-25.
• COLLECTING NOTES: I estimate that about 425 to 800 examples are known of the 1801 BB-213 dollar today. This is just slightly more available than BB-214, and each of these two varieties is less abundant than 1801 BB-211 and BB-212. 'Again, the issue is scarce in higher grades. Although a number of Mint State coins have crossed the block, these date from before 1986 when the change in grading interpretations took place.
• NOTABLE SPECIMENS:
Golding Specimen. MS-60. • Ex Golding Collection, Stack's, 225, June 20, 1952 .• Stack's, Harold Bareford Collection, 1981: 420, "Brilliant Unc. with frosty mint bloom. Full breast feathers on the cagle. The slightest touch of rubbing on the high points."
Doolittle Specimen. AU-58 •• Bowers and Ruddy, 1977: 2839. "Borderline Unc, with beautiful iridescence in the fields covering what appears to be virtually complete mint lustre. Some friction on the higher points."
Austin Specimen. AU-58. • Bowers and Ruddy Galleries, 1974: 4l. "Brilliant Unc., with some rubbing."
Green Specimen. AU-55 •. Col. E.H.R. Green .• James G. Macallister .• New Netherlands 48th Sale, T. James Clarke Collection, 1956: 646. "Rusted obverse die. Remarkably sharp, very close to Unc. Even impressions; faint rubbing primarily upon the reverse high spots. Two or three rim nicks. Almost entirely lustrous with vivid pink, blue and golden tarnish."
Kreisberg Specimen. AU-55. • Abner Kreisberg mail bid sale, September 18, 1961: 1063 .• AJ. Ostheimer, 3rd Collection .. Superior Galleries, ANA Convention Sale, 1975: 1009. "AU-55, partly frosty with some blue and green iridescence around the stars and the reverse legend. Rubbed on the high spots and with too much obverse handling and abrasion marks to quality for MS-60."
Herdman Specimen. AU-55 .• Bowers and Ruddy, 1977: 5819. "Borderline Unc. with beautiful iridescence in the fields covering what appears to be virtually complete mint lustre. Only friction on the higher points and a few surface marks. Exceptionally well struck."
Davis Specimen. AU-50 .• Stack's, Davis-Graves Games Davis) Collection, 1954: 1323. "Well struck and centered specimen of high quality. Minor edge bruise at sixth star and slight bag defects, but lustrous."
Garrett Specimen. AU-50. . Garrett Collection (Bowers and Ruddy, 1980): 694, AU-50 .• Stack's Auction '83: 1793 .. Yolanda Gross Collection.
POPULATION DISTRIBUTION:
Approximate population MS-65 or better: 0 (URS-0)
Approximate population MS-64: 0 (URS-0)
Approximate population MS-63: 0 (URS-0)
Approximate population MS-60 to 62: 1 or 2 (URS-1)
Approximate population AU-50 to 58: 15 to 30 (URS-5)
Approximate population VF-20 to EF45: 225 to 450 (URS-9)
Approximate population G-4 to F-15: 175 to 325 (URS-9)
Approximate population for all grades combined: 425 to 800 (URS-10)
CONDITION CENSUS: 60-58-58-58-55 (multiples)