Q. David Bowers
B. Max Mehl's sale of the Hon, James H. Manning Collection, May 17, 1921. Incredibly, a specimen of the 1878 tail feathers dollar in just Fine sold for more than Proofs of the same issue were bringing elsewhere in the market at the time; inconsistency reared its head once again.
1878 8 TF. Fine $2.85.
1878 7 TF. Unc. $1.35.
1879 VF $1.20.
1879-O Fine $1.25.
1880-S Bright Unc. $2.00.
1881-O EF. $1.65.
1882 Unc. $1.35.
1883 Unc. $1.35.
1883-O AD. $1.20.
1883-S VF $1.20.
1885-S Nearly Unc., with mint lustre. $2.75.
1886-O EF, with mint lustre. $3.00.
1894-O AU. $1.30.
1895-S Unc, $1.20.
1896-O Semi-proof $1.35.
1901 Slightly dulled Proof $1.25.
B. Max Mehl's sale of the Langfelder & Jaedicke Collections, November 22, 1921. This offering was certainly not notable.
1878-CC Unc., slightly dull surface. $1.50.
1881-S Practically Unc, $1.50.
1882-CC EF. $1.50.
1883-O Practically Unc, $1.50.
1886-O Good. $1.50.
1886-S Good. $2.10.
1892-CC Uneven CC. VF $1.50.
1894 Br. Proof $1.50.
1895-S Unc. $1.50.
1900-O Unc, $1.50.
1904-O EF, with mint lustre. $2.50.
1880-CC VG $2.00.
1880-O About Fine; slight nicks on obverse. Very scarce. $2.00.
1880-S Unc, Sharp, mint lustre. $2.00.
1881 Proof $1.25.
1881-O Unc., with mint lustre. $1.50.
1882 Proof $1.25.
1882-CC Practically Dnc. Rare. $9.00.
1882-O Unc, $1.75.
1883 Proof, purple surface. $1.25.
1883-S Unc., with Proof surface. $1.60.
1884 Proof $1.50.
B. Max Mehl's sale of the E.E. Wright Collection, March 10, 1925. Note that the 1921-S dollar, a coin that would be common to a later generation of numismatists, was here called "scarce," for most were still in storage at the San Francisco Mint.
1878 8 TF. Proof $2.20.
1878-S 7 TF. AD. $2.00.
1879 Proof $1.40.
1879-S Unc. $1.20.
1880 Proof $1.50.
1884-O Fine. Rare. $1.60.
1884-S EF. $2.00.
1885 Proof $1.40.
1885-CC About Fine. Rare. $2.35.
1885-O Fine. Scarce. $1. 75.
1886-O About Fine $1.60.
1887 Br. Proof $1.85.
1887-O Nearly Unc, $1.75.
1888-O About Fine $1.60.
1889-CC Brilliant semi-proof. Equal to a Proof. Rare so choice. $2.25.
1889-O EF. $1.75.
1890-CC Uneven CC. VF $2.00.
1891-CC Practically Unc, $1.35.
1892-CC Brilliant Unc. Scarce so choice. $1.80.
1892-O VF $1.60.
1893-CC Semi-proof. Equal to a perfect Br. Proof $1. 75.
1894 Br. Proof. Scarce. $1.40.
1895 Perfect Br. Proof. Very scarce. Limited coinage. $2.00.
1895-S Unc. $1.25.
1896 Perfect Br. Proof. Scarce. $1.50.
1896-S Unc. $1.25.
1897-S Unc., full mint lustre. $2.05.
1898-S Bright, Unc. $2.05.
1899-S Unc., frosty mint lustre. $1.25.
1900-O VF $1.60.
1901-O Fine $1.20.
1904 Unc., bright surface. Scarce. $1.80.
1904-O Unc., mint lustre. Rare. Record over $4.00. $2.00.
1921 Old type. Brilliant, Unc.; nearly equal to a Proof $1.50.
1921-S Old type. Brilliant Unc. Scarce. $1.40.
B. Max Mehl's sale of the Alex J. Rosborough Collection, April 9, 1929. The cataloguing of this collection does not fit Mehl's style of the period, and perhaps it leaned heavily upon notes furnished by the consignor. Certain descriptions note die breaks or mintmark positions, subjects rarely mentioned elsewhere. An incorrect Proof mintage figure is given for 1895 (the correct figure of 880 was hardly a secret, and had been mentioned in annual Mint reports).
1878 8 TF. Proof $2.10.
1878-CC Variety with die break on reverse at top of NITED. Unc. $3.30.
1878-S 7 TF. Semi-proof $2.10.
1879-S Unc. $2.10.
1881 Proof, partly purple. $1.25.
1881-S Unc., with Proof surface. Brilliant. $2.30.
1883-S S high andjust to right of D. Fine $1.90.
1883-S S midway between D and O EF, with mint lustre. $1.70.
1887 Purple Proof $1.20.
1889-CC Uneven CC. Proof. Unusual condition for branch mint coin. $3.00.
1889-CC Another as last. Unc., with Br, Proof surface. Almost equal to a Br, Proof $1.20.
1891-CC VF, nearly Unc. $2.50.
1891-S VF; some lustre. $1.50.
1893 Br. Proof $1.55.
1895 Br. Proof. Very scarce. Only about 300 Proofs struck. $2.25.
1896-S Unc. $1.50.
1901-S Struck off center and without milling on edge. Quite a curiosity. VF $2.10.
1921 Old type. Brilliant .Unc., with Proof surface; almost equal to a Proof. Scarce. $1.60.
1921-S Microscopics. AU. This specimen is one of the first 50 struck, secured by members of the Pacific Coast Numismatic Society.