1814 50C E/A AU55 Certification #31720522, PCGS #6107

O.108a, R1. Nine die marriages were produced from a mintage of just over 1 million, the fourth lowest of the series. Among these nine marriages were the 1814/3 overdate, the very scarce single leaf and the major variety E over A. Here is the interesting E over A. Speculation is that the A punched into STATES instead of the correct E was not a matter of illiteracy by the help or a spelling error by Reich. It was likely due to a distraction that caused Reich to lose his place. Seeing a T and little more (under magnification) he didn't realize he was about to strike the fifth letter, not the third. I wonder what expletive he uttered. This die marriage is heavily clashed and LDS's are very eroded. Typical soft spots include the eagle's left wing and head. This better struck example has a pleasant rose, orange, and pale blue hue, not as intense as the True View picture. ex-Eastern Woods II.

The 1814 E/A is very difficult to find in AU58 or better. A few years ago when I was putting together the PREMIUM set of CBHs I was trying to find an AU58 example of every Registry set variety. At that time the pop for the E/A was two in 58 and none better save a single MS64. Even though I had a nice AU55 example, I had all but given up hope that I would every locate one of the AU58 pieces. Then on the opening day of the Houston Money show a gentleman walked up to our table and said " I have something that Don may be interested in." Sure enough, it was an 1814 E/A in AU58! Trying to remain calm, I asked what he wanted for it. His reply was that I would have a better idea what it was worth. So I looked it up on all the price guides and then told him I thought they were all too low. We agreed on a slightly higher price and it was mine!