Silver Dollars & Trade Dollars of the United States - A Complete Encyclopedia
Q. David Bowers
Golding Specimen. MS-60 • Golding Collection, Stack's, 1952: 221. • Harold Bareford Collection, Stack's, 1981: 410. "Brilliant Uncirculated, frosty lustre. A touch of friction on high points. An unusually bold strike with full hair detail. Light toning about the periphery."
DeCoppet Specimen. MS-60• James Kelly, Andre DeCoppet Collection, 1955. "Strictly Uncirculated, original lustre and beautifully toned."
Robison Specimen. MS-60• Ellis H. Robison Collection, Part II, Stack's, 1982: 823. "Brilliant Uncirculated, the usual soft strike in central portion but very nearly full feathers. Frosty mint lustre with a soft satiny surface. Delicate russet and iridescent toning."
Spies Specimen. MS-60 • Stack's, W. Earl Spies Collection, 1974: 36. "Uncirculated, full frosty mint lustre. Natural sea green, golden and iridescent toning, just a touch of friction on the cheek."
Wolfson Specimen. MS-60 • Stack's, Louis Wolfson Collection, 1963: 1374. "Brilliant Uncirculated, full mint bloom, superb iridescent steel blue toning. Usual weak strike in center of coin."
Smith Specimen. AU-58 .• Elliot Smith Collection, J.C. Morgenthau & Co .• T. James Clarke Collection, New Netherlands 48th Sale, 1956: 620. "Only a hair's breadth from full Uncirculated. Not fully struck up at center upon either side; Liberty's drapery at shoulder and bust point weak, not rubbed, and eagle weak except at wings. Nicely centered, dulled lustre and blue-brown tarnish." • AJ. Ostheimer, 3rd Collection, Lester Merkin, 1968: 243. "Blue and brown toned choice Uncirculated. Parts of face, drapery and eagle not well struck up but showing mint frost, the remainder needle sharp. Tiny spots and streaks, evidently in planchet before striking; minute bagmarks."
• POPULATION DISTRIBUTION:
Approximate population MS-65 or better: 0 (URS-0)
Approximate population MS-64: 1 (URS-1)
Approximate population MS-64: 4 to 7 (URS-3)
Approximate population MS-60 to 62: 10 to 20 (URS-5)
Approximate population AU-50 to 58: 35 to 50 (URS-7)
Approximate population VF-20 to EF-45: 900 to 1500 (URS-11)
Approximate population G-4 to F-15: 300 to 425 (URS-10)
Approximate population for all grades combined: 1,250 to 2,000 (URS-12)
• CONDITION CENSUS: 64-63-63-63-63-60 (multiples)
1797 Stars 9x7, Small Letters. BB-72
(B-2. H-2.)
• OBVERSE 2: 16 stars, arranged 9 to the left and 7 to the right. Highest wave of hair, below upright of E, is lightly defined, probably due to insufficient depth of punching of the Draped Bust motif into the die (and not due to relapping). Prominent lump in field below star 9. Heavy die file lines in front of neck. One is vertical with several others slanting down to right.
Obverse die used to strike 1797 BB-72 (earlier) and BB-73 (later).
• REVERSE B: Described under 1795 BB-51, herewith repeated: Small Eagle. Small Letters in legend. Eagle stands on clouds. Wreath is composed of a palm branch (right) and olive branch (left), the latter with seven berries. A short, prominent die scratch extends up to left from tip of right, inside leaf below (observer's) left wing. Berry under A of STATES; a quick way to identify this reverse.
Reverse die used to strike 1795 BB-51; 1796 BB-62, BB-63, and BB-66 (now relapped); 1797 BB-72; and 1798 BB-81.
• DIE STATES:
Die State I: Perfect dies (no cracks). Earliest state of the obverse; equivalent to 1797 BB-73 Die State 1. Reverse die relapped, equivalent to 1796 BB-63 Die State II.
• AUCTION POPULATION SURVEY: Less than Good: 1, Good: 2, Very Good: 7, Fine: 21, Very Fine: 22, Extremely Fine: 15, About Uncirculated: 1. Total: 68.
• ABOUT MINTAGE AND RARITY: How many exist? 1797 BB-72 has been subjected to widely varying estimates of rarity over the years, with some observers stating that only about 20 are known, and others ranking the population at Sheldon's Rarity-4 (76 to 200). The latter is probably closer to the truth. I believe that 200 to 300 exist today, and believe that this figure is conservative (I wouldn't bet against someone who suggested that even more than 300 could be traced). At a convention a few years ago, I purchased four specimens for stock-something that one usually can't do if only 20 are known. At that rate, one would see a 1797 BB-72 dollar only about as frequently as an 1876-CC 20-cent piece (of which I believe about 20 are known)-but that isn't the case.