The Davy Collection of Half Cent Errors Sunday Sept 19, 2010

Lot 1-368 Half Cent Errors

Yearly Coin Subscription (excludes Hardbounds):$75 US Domestic | $100 International

Individual catalogues can be purchased at the listed price. Please check off the desired catalogues below.

SUBSCRIPTION ORDER FORM & CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Yearly Subscription, All Catalogues (includes Coin & Currency and Manuscripts Sales):$100 US Domestic | $160 International

PLEASE FILL OUT THIS FORM AND MAIL TO:Ira and Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles

350 South Beverly Drive, Suite 350

Beverly Hills, California 90212

Attn: Subscriptions

OR FAX TO: 310-551-2626

OF HALF CENT ERRORSSelections from The Davy Collection

Sale 60, SEPTEMBER 19, 2010

SESSION ONE, PART ISunday, September 19th, 2010, 1:00 PM Crowne Plaza Hotel

THE CROWNE PLAZA BEVERLY HILLSDel Rey Ballroom

1150 South Beverly Dr.Los Angeles, CA 90035

310-553-6561

LOT PREVIEW SCHEDULEBy Appointment Only

Through September 15, 2010 9am- 5pm

OPEN LOT VIEWINGSeptember 16 - 19, 2010

9am - 5pm

350 South Beverly DriveSuite 350 Beverly Hills, CA 90212

310-551-2646 | 800-978-2646

You may view our online catalogues and BID LIVE on our website, www.goldbergcoins.com or on ICollector at www.iCollector.com. You may also enter prior internet bids on our website, or arrange telephone bidding with us.

Sale #61 November 6, 2010The Manuscript & Collectibles AuctionFeaturing Collectibles And Historical DocumentsWith Space and Aviation$15 US Domestic | $40 International

Sale #60 September 20-22, 2010United States Coins & Currency, Ancient & World Coins (Pre-Long Beach) Featuring U.S Gold and Currency, World & Ancient Coins$15 US Domestic | $40 International

Sale #63 March 26, 2011The Manuscript & Collectibles AuctionFeaturing Collectibles And Historical DocumentsWith Space and Aviation$15 US Domestic | $40 International

Sale #62 January 30, 2011The Dan Holmes Collection Part IVLate Date U.S. Large Cents$15 US Domestic | $40 International

Sale #64 May 29 -June 1, 2011United States Coins & Currency(Pre-Long Beach) Featuring U.S Gold and CurrencyWorld & Ancient Coins$15 US Domestic | $40 International

Sale #62 January 31- February 2, 2011United States Coins & Currency(Pre-Long Beach) Featuring U.S Gold and Currency$15 US Domestic | $40 International

www.goldbergcoins.com

CATALOGUE SUBSCRIPTION PAYMENT INFORMATION

California Residents Add 9.75% Sales Tax. Prices Are Subject To Change.

( Payable to Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins and Collectibles, Inc. )

© 2010 IRA & LARRY GOLDBERG INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. BONDED CALIFORNIA AUCTIONEER NO. 3S95453300

IRA GOLDBERG LARRY GOLDBERG

EAST COAST REPRESENTATIVE DON HOSIER

MANUSCRIPTS AND COLLECTIBLES BEVERLY HILLBOB GRELLMAN

CATALOGUED & EDITED BY

SHIPPING INFORMATION

First Name (please print or type) Last Name

Business (if applicable)

Street Address

City State Zip Code

Telephone Fax Email

Total PaymentExpiration Date

Card Number

Visa MasterCard Check

Cardholder Signature

$

350 SOUTH BEVERLY DRIVE, SUITE 350 BEVERLY HILLS, CA 90212

1-800-978-2646

LM 838 LM 845LM 2731 LM 3171

LM 4304#153 #154#380 #397

WEST COAST REPRESENTATIVEJOHN SINGER

BOB GRELLMANCHRIS MCCAWLEY

ABSENTEE BIDDER FORMPLEASE FILL OUT THIS FORM AND MAIL TO:Ira and Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles

350 South Beverly Drive, Suite 350

Beverly Hills, California 90212

Attn: Bid Department

OR FAX TO: 310-551-2626

Bidders who do not have established credit with Goldberg Coins & Collectibles or other leading coin dealers must enclose a 25% deposit on bids, or bids will not be executed. See our Terms & Conditions for acceptable methods of payment. To expedite

verification, please provide the full name and zip code of each numismatic reference.

I HAVE ESTABLISHED CREDIT WITH IRA & LARRY GOLDBERG, INC. OR HAVE PROVIDED NUMISMATIC REFERENCES

NUMISMATIC REFERENCES

1.

2.

3.

SIGNATURE DATE

I HAVE ENCLOSED A DEPOSIT IN THE FORM OF A (CIRCLE ONE):

BIDDER INFORMATION

By signing above, you permit Goldberg Coins & Collectibles to execute your bid (s) AND agree to the Terms and Conditions of sale.

First Name (please print or type)

Company Name (if applicable)

Street Address (check if new address)

City State Zip Code

Telephone Home (Required) Daytime Mobile

Last Name Middle Initial

Fax Email

Please send my invoice via:

Fax

Email

Mail

Today’s Date

Resale ID#

Customer#

Money Order Check

Reference No.

Total Amount $

Name (please print or type) Business

Daytime Phone Zip Code


Daytime Phone Zip Code :


Daytime Phone Zip Code

Sale 60, September 19th, 2010

OF HALF CENT ERRORSSelections from The Davy Collection

Lot # Bid Amount Lot # Bid Amount Lot # Bid Amount Lot # Bid Amount

BIDS UNDER 50% OF LOW ESTIMATE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTEDFor additional bid sheets, please photocopy this page before entering bids.

$0-99$100-299$300-499$500-999$1K-1999$2K-3999$4K-7,999$8K-17999

ABSENTEE BIDSIf you are unable to attend the auction in person, and wish to place bids, you may give Ira & Larry Goldberg’s bid department instructions to bid on your behalf. Our representatives will try to purchase the lot for the lowest price possible, and will not purchase the lot for more than you indicate. This service is free and confi dential. Note: Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles offers this service as a convenience to clients who are unable to attend the sale in person, and although we will make every effort, we will not be responsible for error or failure to execute bids.

PLACING ABSENTEE BIDSTo place bids, please use the Absentee Bidder Form provided in this catalog. Be sure to accurately put the lot number and the maximum price you are willing to pay on each lot. Always indicate a top limit or the amount which you would bid if you were attending the auction in person. This amount should not include the buyers commission noted in chapter 16 of the “Terms and Conditions of sale”.

MAIL BIDSWhen bidding by mail, you frequently purchase lots for less than your maximum bid. On the fl oor of the auction, bidding will open at 5-10% above the second highest mail bid: We act on your behalf as the highest mail bidder. If the auctioneer recognizes no other bids from the fl oor, you will be awarded the lot at the opening bid. If bidding proceeds from the fl oor, the company, acting as your agent, bids in increments over the previous bid. This process is continued until you are awarded the lot or you are outbid by the fl oor.

LIMIT BIDDERSIf you have a “limit” that you must stay within you must clearly notate this limit on your bid sheet. We will buy your lots as inexpensively as possible but will not exceed your “limit”.

“OR BIDS”Alternative bids should be indicated by using the word “OR” between the lot numbers. Then if your bid on an early lot is successful, we will not continue to bid on any other lots for you. Or, if your early bids are unsuccessful, we will continue to execute bids for alternative lots until a bid is successful. Bids must always be placed in the same order as the lot numbers

appear in the catalog.

TELEPHONE BIDSBids may be placed by telephone, but are accepted only at Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles discretion and at the risk of the telephone bidder. We will not be responsible for error or failure to notify the customer in a timely manner during the auction. The telephone bidder must notify the company at least 24 hours prior to auction all lots the bidder is interested in bidding on. The telephone bidder should have a preconceived idea of the top limit that he/she would like to bid prior to auction. In some instances, the representative of the company will request this information at the time of auction. This information assists us in the bidding process by giving us a range to stay active in the bidding. We will not notify the auctioneer of your limit and will buy your lot at the lowest price possible.

INTERNET BIDDINGIra & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles has internet bidding available for those wishing to conduct bidding online. For those customers wishing to place prior bids via email or internet, please go to goldbergcoins.com. Click the “how to bid” button, then click the online fi ll in form. You must be registered with our fi rm to be able to participate in the internet bidding process. This service is free and confi dential. You may view our online catalogues and bid live on our website or on ICollector at www.iCollector.com. Instructions and details are available online. Additional premium and terms and conditions apply when bidding through ICollector.com. You must be pre-approved to bid live. Please note that network down time or internet speed may interfere with bidding. All internet bids are executed LIVE on the fl oor.

BUYER’S PREMIUMThe “top limit” you indicate on your bid form is for the hammer price only. Please keep in mind that a buyer’s premium will be added to the successful bid price of each lot you buy and is payable by you, together with the applicable sales tax and shipping charges which is applied to the total cost of your purchase (the total cost

includes the buyer’s premium).

SUCCESSFUL BIDSSuccessful bidders will be notifi ed and invoiced within a few days of the sale. Prices realized are posted on our website immediately following each session, and are subject to change until the completion of the sale.

All bids must be received 6 business hours prior to the Auction Session. Your Absentee Bid Form should contain bids for one sale only; the sale name and sale number should appear at the top. Please place your bids as early as possible. In the event of identical bids, the earliest

bid received will take precedence.

Bidders MUST read through our Terms and Conditions before submitting bids. These terms contain important information regarding

our guarantees, billing, shipping, and return policies.

GUIDE FOR ABSENTEE BIDDERSSUGGESTED BIDDING INCREMENTS$5$10$20$25$50$100$250$500

$500K- + $10K$25K

$1,000$2500$5000

$18K-49,999$50K-99,999$100K-249K$250K-499,999

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SALE

These Terms and Conditions of Sale set forth the terms of a public auction sale conducted in Beverly Hills, Cali-fornia by Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc., a Nevada corporation, California Auction Bond No. 3S95453300 (hereinafter, the “Auctioneer” or “Goldberg”). The Terms and Conditions of sale, the glossary, if any, and all other contents of this catalog are subject to amendment by us by the posting of notices or by oral an-nouncements made during the sale.

By participating in any sale, you acknowledge that you are bound by these terms and conditions.

1 This catalog contains the descrip-tion of property of multiple consignors (the “Consignors”), and may include consignments from Goldberg, its principals, and affi liated or related companies and their employees, of-fi cers, or principals. All persons seeking to bid, whether in person, through an agent or employee, or by telephone, facsimile or mail, must have a catalogue and register to bid at the auction, either by completing a registration card or by completing the bid sheet incorpo-rated into the catalogue. The Purchaser ac-knowledges that an invoice describing a lot by number incorporates the catalogue by refer-ence.

2 By submitting a bid, whether in per-son, by mail, by phone, by facsimile or through an employee or agent, the Bidder acknowl-edges (i) receipt of the catalogue, (ii) that the Bidder has read the Terms and Conditions of Sale and the descriptions for the lots on which they have bid, and (iii) that they agree to ad-here to these Terms and Conditions of Sale. Acceptance of Bids: Anyone wishing to place bids on lots who will not be attending the live auction must submit their bid(s) at least six (6) business hours prior to the auction session. Bidder is responsible for verifying said bids were received by Goldberg.

3 Each Bidder’s determination of it’s bid should be based upon its own examina-tion of the item(s), rather than the grade repre-sented in this Catalogue or elsewhere. In any purchase or sale, the value of the item(s) is determined by the price. THE PURCHASER HEREBY ASSUMES ALL RISKS OF VALU-ATION CONCERNING ANY AND ALL PUR-CHASES. All Floor Bidders acknowledge that the Auctioneer can decline to accept bids from the a Floor Bidder who is known to have not, in fact, examined the lot prior to the sale.

4 All material shall be sold in sepa-rate lots to the highest Bidder as determined by Auctioneer. If any dispute arises during or immediately after the sale of a lot, Auc-tioneer shall have the right to rescind the lot

offered and put the lot up for sale again. In all cases, Auctioneer’s decision shall be fi -nal. For the protection of any Mail Bidder, no “unlimited” or “buy” bids will be accepted. Goldberg shall have the right in its sole and absolute discretion to reject any such bid re-ceived. When identical bids are received for a lot, preference is given to the fi rst bid re-ceived as determined by the Auctioneer. A mail bid will take precedence over an identical fl oor bid; a Floor Bidder must bid higher than the highest mail bid to be awarded any lot.

5 Bids must be for an entire lot and each lot constitutes a separate sale. No lot will be broken up unless the Auctioneer de-termines otherwise. Lots will be sold in their numbered sequence unless Auctioneer directs otherwise.

6 All lots may carry a reserve. For purposes of these Terms and Conditions of Sale, a reserve means a confi dential price be-low which the Auctioneer will not sell an item or will re-purchase on behalf of the Consignor or for the account of Goldberg.

7 The Auctioneer may open the bid-ding on any lot by placing a bid on behalf of the seller; a Bidder by mail, telephone or facsimile; or any other participant in the sale. The Auctioneer may also bid on behalf of the Consignor up to the amount of the reserve, by (i) accepting bids from fl oor agents on behalf of the Consignor, or any affi liated or related company of the Auctioneer or the Consignor; (ii) by placing successive or consecutive bids for any lot; or (iii) by placing bids in response to other Bidders.

8 Auctioneer reserves the right, at his sole discretion, (i) to accept or decline any bid, (ii) to accept or decline any challenge to any bid or bidding increment, (iii) to reduce any mail bid received, (iv) to open the bidding of a lot at any level deemed appropriate by the Auctioneer, and (v) to determine the prevail-ing bid. Bids will not be knowingly accepted from persons under eighteen (18) years of age

without a parent’s written consent contain-ing an acknowledgment that the Terms and Conditions of Sale herein and indicating their agreement to be bound thereby on behalf of the Bidder.

9 It is unlawful and illegal for Bidders to collude, pool, or agree with another bidder to pay less than the fair value for a lot. Bidders in the sale acknowledge that the law provides for substantial penalties in the form of treble damages and attorneys’ fees and costs for those who violate these provisions.

10 Goldberg reserves the right to with-draw any lot at any time, even after the ham-mer has fallen, until the Purchaser has taken physical possession of the lot. No Consignor who has registered to bid at the sale (or at any other time unless otherwise provided in the consignment agreement), or any Purchaser or prospective Bidder shall have a right to claim any damages, direct, consequential or other-wise, if a lot is withdrawn, even after the sale.

11 GOLDBERG IS NOT RESPON-SIBLE FOR ERRORS IN BIDDING. A Bidder should make certain to bid on the correct lot and that the bid is for an amount (plus the fi fteen percent (15%) Buyer’s Commission) (twenty percent (20%) with ICollector.com) that he or she is willing and able to pay. Since other Bidders (by mail, facsimile or other electronic media and in person) will be pres-ent, and since a re-offering could damage the momentum of the sale, once the hammer has fallen and the Auctioneer has announced the winning Bidder, such Bidder is unconditionally bound to pay for the lot, even if the Bidder has made a mistake.

12 THIS IS NOT AN APPROVAL SALE. All lots sold to the highest Bidder as determined by Auctioneer are fi nal. Floor Bid-ders are encouraged to carefully examine all lots which they are interested in purchasing because all sales of items viewed by Purchas-ers in advance of a sale, even if the sale is by mail, telephone or facsimile, and all lots bid

upon by the Floor Bidders, together with all those presenting Goldberg with a resale cer tifi cate, out of state resale certifi cate, or simi-lar evidence that they are acting as a dealer ARE FINAL AND SUCH ITEMS MAY NOT BE RETURNED. If the description of any lot in the catalogue is incorrect, the lot is returnable if returned within fi ve (5) calendar days of re-ceipt, and received by Goldberg no later than twenty-one (21) calendar days after the sale date. No return or refund of any auction lot will be considered except by reason of lack of authenticity, unless otherwise provided in these Terms and Conditions of Sale. All lots are sold under the condition that any claims challenging grading, authenticity or methods of manufacture must be made in writing within fi ve (5) calendar days of receipt of material. All disputed lots must be returned intact as re-ceived in their original, sealed and unopened container. Late remittance or removal of any lot from its original container constitutes just cause for revocation of all return privileges for any reason.

13 All prospective Bidders who are al-lowed the opportunity to examine lots prior to the sale shall personally assume all responsi-bility for any damage they cause in so doing. Goldberg shall have sole discretion in deter-mining the value of the damage caused, which shall be promptly paid by the prospective Bid-der.

14 Title to any lot remains with Con-signor, any secured party of the Consignor, or assignee of Consignor, as the case may be, until the lot is paid for in full by Purchaser. Goldberg reserves the right to require pay-ment in full before delivering any lot to the successful Purchaser.

15 It is the Purchaser’s responsibility and obligation to have the lots fully insured while in his or her possession. Purchaser as-sumes any and all RISK OF LOSS once the lot(s) is in Purchaser’s possession.

16 BUYER’S COMMISSION OF FIF-TEEN PERCENT (15%) will be added to all purchases made by all Purchasers, except Consignors, regardless of Purchaser’s affi lia-tion with any group or organization, and will be based upon the total amount of the fi nal bid. ICOLLECTOR BIDDERS PAY TWENTY PERCENT (20%).

17 Pursuant to a separate agreement with Auctioneer, Consignors or their agents may be permitted to bid on their own lots in the sale and may receive a rebate commission

in whole or in part if successful. Under some circumstances, Goldberg may agree with a Consignor (i) not to require the Consignor to pay for all or part of any items bid upon or re-purchased by the Consignor; (ii) when or where an advance has been made, to have the Consignor pay an agreed upon difference to Goldberg; or (iii) to allow an offset against other transactions with Consignor. Where the Consignor has re-purchased a lot and the lot is either returned to the Consignor or other-wise dealt with or disposed of in accordance with the Consignor’s direction, or pursuant to contractual agreement, Goldberg reserves the right to so note in the prices realized or to omit a price from the price realized. Every Con-signor who registers to bid in the sale, wheth-er to “protect” a lot, or for any other purpose, agrees to all other Terms and Conditions of Sale per this agreement.

18 Lots must be paid for within 14 days of receipt of invoice or delivery. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, auction sales are strictly cash above $2,500.00 in U.S. Funds payable through a bank in the United States. Contact Goldberg for wiring instructions be-fore sending a wire. Goldberg reserves the right to decline to release lots for which funds have not yet cleared. Credit card (Visa & Mastercard only) purchases will be accepted on totals not exceeding $5,000. On any cash transaction or series of transaction exceeding $10,000, Treasury Form 8300 may be fi led.

19 Purchaser agrees to promptly pay, on demand, any sales tax, or any other tax, if required by law to be collected, postage, han-dling, and shipping insurance plus the fi fteen percent (15%) Buyer’s Commission, and any other taxes required by law to be charged or collected, together with any interest or pen-alty that may be assessed.

20 Purchaser grants to Goldberg or its assigns the right to offset any sums due, or found to be due Purchaser by Goldberg, and to make such offset from any past, subsequent or future consignment, or items acquired by Pur-chaser in possession or control of Goldberg or from any sums due to Purchaser by Goldberg. Purchaser further grants Goldberg a pur-chase money security interest in such sums or items to the extent applicable, and agrees to execute such documents as may be reason-ably necessary to grant Goldberg such secu-rity interest. Purchaser agrees that Goldberg and its assigns shall be a secured party with respect to items bought by Purchaser and in the possession of Goldberg, to the extent of

the maximum indebtedness, plus all accrued expenses, until the indebtedness is paid. 21 By bidding in this sale, Purchaser personally and unconditionally guarantees payment. If the Purchaser is a corporation, the offi cers, directors, and principals of the corporation hereby agree to personally and unconditionally guarantee payment as part of the corporation’s agreement to bid. The authorized representative of any corporate Purchaser who is present at the sale shall pro-vide Goldberg or its agent, prior to the com-mencement of the bidding (or at the time of registration), with a statement signed by each principal, director and offi cer that they each personally and unconditionally guarantee any payment due Goldberg.

22 No bids will be accepted from Floor Bidders and Mail Bidders who have not previ-ously established credit with Goldberg unless they fi rst (i) furnish satisfactory credit referenc-es or (ii) deposit at least twenty-fi ve percent (25%) of their total bids for that session(s), or such other amounts as Goldberg may require, in its sole and absolute discretion. Any de-posits made pursuant to this paragraph will be applied to such Bidders purchases. Any un-used portion of such deposit will be promptly refunded upon clearance of the funds.

23 On any accounts past due, Goldberg reserves the right to extend credit and impose periodic charges, pursuant to these Terms and Conditions of Sale or as set forth in the Purchaser’s invoice. If the auction invoice is not paid in full when due, the unpaid balance will earn interest at the rate of one-and-one-half percent (1 1/2%) per month until paid. In the event this interest rate exceeds the inter-est permitted by law, the same shall be ad-justed to the maximum rate permitted by law. Goldberg further reserves the right to resell the merchandise, or to have an affi liated or related company do so. Purchaser agrees to pay all reasonable attorneys’ fees, court costs and other collection costs incurred by Goldberg or any affi liated or related company to collect past due invoices, including reasonable costs of any resale of the merchandise. Purchaser also agrees to pay the difference between the resale price and any previous disbursements. Money realized from the resale shall be ap-plied as follows: (i) to pay sums due to the consignor, (ii) to pay Goldberg standard com-missions and fees for the resale, (iii) to pay Goldberg any sums owed to it by purchaser, and the remainder, if any, will be paid to the Purchaser. Goldberg reserves the right to as-sign its interest to any third party. (continued)

24 Goldberg may at its sole and ab-solute discretion, make loans or advances to Consignors and/or prospective Purchasers.

25 The Auctioneer may bid for his or its own account at any auction (even though it may not be required to pay a Buyer’s Commis-sion, or other charges that other Purchasers may be required to pay) and may have access to information concerning the lots and items contained therein that is not otherwise avail-able to the public. Any confl ict of interest or claim of competitive advantage resulting there-from is expressly waived by all participants in the sale.

26 If a dispute arises concerning owner-ship of a lot that has been bid upon, Goldberg reserves the right to commence a statutory interpleader proceeding at the expense of the Consignor and successful Purchaser and any other applicable party, and in such event Gold-bergs shall be entitled to its reasonable attor-ney’s fees and costs.

27 In the event of a successful chal-lenge to the title to any goods purchased, Goldberg agrees to reimburse any Purchaser in an amount equal to the successful bid price actually paid by Purchaser at auction plus any Buyer’s Commission actually paid, in full and complete satisfaction of all claims, such re-imbursement once tendered by Goldberg, re-lieves and releases Goldberg from any respon-sibility whatsoever to the Purchaser, even if the instrument is not cashed or is returned.

28 Goldberg reserves the right to post-pone the auction sale or any session thereof for a reasonable period of time for any reason whatsoever, and no Bidder or prospective Bid-der shall have any claim as a result thereof, including consequential damages.

DISCLAIMERS AND WARRANTIES

ALL ITEMS OFFERED IN THIS CATALOGUE ARE GUARANTEED TO BE GENUINE. THIS IS A LIMITED WARRANTY THAT THE ITEM SOLD IS NOT COUNTERFEIT, THAT ITS DATE OR MINTMARK HAS NOT BEEN AL-TERED AND THAT THE COIN HAS NOT BEEN “REPAIRED.”

29 Any other warranty is expressly dis-claimed; Goldberg offers no representation that a numismatic item has or has not been cleaned; that any toning is natural or artifi cial; that any coin will meet the standards or grade

of any independent grading service; that any item has a particular provenance or pedigree, or that a numismatic item is struck or produced in a particular style. Any statement concerning such matters refl ects an opinion only. Ques-tions regarding the minting of a coin as a proof or as a business strike relate to the method of manufacture and not to authenticity.

a. The descriptions contained herein represent the Cataloger’s good faith opinion, or the opinion of an independent grading service, as to the state of preservation and strike. When a grade from an independent grading service is utilized, the information is provided strictly for the convenience of the bidder by mail, tele-phone or facsimile. Bidders and Purchasers acknowledge that (i) grading is an art, not a sci-ence; (ii) the grades contained in the catalogue represent the opinion of the Auctioneer based upon its experience; (iii) it is possible that two people will not always grade the same items alike; and (iv) as market conditions change, grading standards change, and will most likely continue to do so in the future.

NO WARRANTY, WHETHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, IS MADE WITH RESPECT TO ANY GRADE DESCRIPTION, WHICH IS MERELY AN OPINION THAT IS LIKELY TO DIFFER, EVEN AMONG EX-PERTS. PURCHASER HEREBY ASSUMES ALL RISKS CONCERNING AND RELATED TO THE GRADING OF A LOT BY AN INDEPEN-DENT GRADING SERVICE.

b. Grading or condition of rare coins may have a material effect on the value of the item(s) purchased; and the opinion of third par-ties (including independent grading services) may differ from the independent grading ser-vice’s opinion or interpretation of Goldberg. Goldberg shall not be bound by any prior or subsequent opinion, determination or certifi ca-tion by any independent grading service.

c. All oral and written statements made by Goldberg and its employees (including af-fi liated and related companies) are statements of opinion only, and are not warranties or rep-resentations of any kind, unless stated as a specifi c written warranty, and no employee or agent of Goldberg has authority to vary or alter these Terms and Conditions of Sale. Any al-teration shall be effective only if in writing and signed by an offi cer of Goldberg authorized to do so.

d. Bidders shall have no recourse

against the Consignor for any reason whatso-ever.

e. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in these Terms and Conditions of Sale, COINS LISTED IN ANY CATALOGUE GRADED BY PCGS, NGC, ICG, SEGS, AC-CUGRADE, PCI, NTC OR ANACS CACHET MAY NOT BE RETURNED FOR ANY REA-SON WHATSOEVER. Please note that lack of a CAC seal does not necessarily mean that a coin was rejected. Not all coins were submitted for examination.

30 By bidding in the sale, (whether in person, by mail, telephone or facsimile, or through an agent), Bidder expressly consents to the following

WAIVER AND RELEASES

Purchaser, for himself, his heirs, agents, suc-cessors and assigns, generally and specifi cally waives and releases, and forever discharges Goldberg, and its respective affi liates, parents, shareholders, agents, subsidiaries, employ-ees, members of their respective boards of directors, and each of them, and their respec-tive successors and assigns from any and all claims, rights, demands and causes of action and suites, of whatever kind or nature, whether in law or equity, whether known or unknown, suspected or unsuspected, which Purchaser may claim to have with respect to and/or aris-ing out of, or in connection with any challenge to the title to any good purchased, the sale itself and/or the auction, except for reimbursement in the amount equal to any bid actually paid by Purchaser, plus any Buyer’s Commission actu-ally paid by Purchaser where such reimburse-ment is authorized in these Terms and Condi-tions of Sale. It is the intention of Purchaser that this waiver and release shall be effective as a bar to each and every claim, demand, cause of action and suit that may arise hereun-der, and Purchaser hereby knowingly and vol-untarily waives any and all rights and benefi ts otherwise conferred upon him by the provisions of the California Civil Code, which reads in full as follows:

“A GENERAL RELEASE DOES NOT EXTEND TO CLAIMS WHICH THE CREDITOR DOES NOT KNOW OR SUSPECT TO EXIST IN HIS FAVOR AT THE TIME OF EXECUTING THE RELEASE, WHICH IF KNOWN BY HIM MUST HAVE MATERIALLY AFFECTED HIS SETTLE-MENT WITH THE DEBTOR.” (continued)

or related company shall be responsible for in-cidental or consequential damages arising out of any failure of the Terms and Conditions of Sale of the auction or the conduct thereof and in no event shall liability for any such failure ex-ceed the purchase price paid.

32 The sole remedy that any Purchaser in the auction shall have, whether such Pur-chase is bidding in person, by mail, by facsim-ile, by telephone, or through an employee or agent, for any claim or controversy arising out of the auction shall be a refund of the original purchase price and premium paid, if any.

33 Upon payment of any disputed sum, which in no event shall be greater than the orig-inal purchase price actually paid by Purchaser plus any commission or premium actually paid by Purchaser to Goldberg, Auctioneer and its employees shall be deemed released from any and all claims of the Bidder arising out of or in connection with the sale of such property. Purchaser agrees to execute prior to delivery of any refund, any documents reasonably re-quested to effect the intent of this paragraph. Should the Purchaser decline to do so, Pur-chaser hereby grants to Goldberg a limited power of attorney to unconditionally effect such release.

34 Rights granted to Bidders and Pur-chasers under these Terms and Conditions of Sale are personal and may not be assigned or transferred to any other person or entity, whether by operation of law or otherwise. Any attempt to assign or transfer any such rights shall be absolutely void and unenforceable. No third party may rely on any benefi t or right conferred on any Bidder or Purchaser by these Terms and Conditions of Sale and terms of warranty. “Purchaser” shall mean the original Purchaser of the property from Goldberg and not any subsequent owner or other person who may acquire or have acquired an interest therein. If Purchaser is an agent, the agency must be disclosed in writing to Goldberg prior to the time of sale, otherwise the benefi ts of the warranty shall be limited to the agent and not transferable to the undisclosed principal.

35 If the Purchaser fails to comply with one or more of these Terms and Conditions of Sale, then in addition to all other remedies which it may have at law or in equity, Goldberg may at its sole option, either (a) cancel the sale, retaining all payments made by Purchaser as liquidated damages, it being recognized that actual damages may be speculative or diffi -cult to compute, or (b) sell some or all of the property and (some or all other property of the Purchaser held by Goldberg, if Goldberg

deems necessary), in a quantity suffi cient in the opinion of Goldberg to satisfy the indebt-edness, plus all accrued charges. More than one such sale may take place at the option of Goldberg. Such sale may take place without notice to Purchaser. If Goldberg gives notice, it shall be by U.S.P.S. Certifi ed Mail, Return Receipt Requested to the address utilized on the Bid Sheet, Auction Consignment and Se-curity Agreement or other address known to Goldberg. Such sale will be at Goldberg stan-dard commission rates at public or private sale, within California, or at another location outside of California to be determined by Goldberg. At the time of sale the defaulting party shall not bid nor be permitted to bid. The proceeds shall be applied fi rst to the satisfaction of any dam-ages occasioned by Purchaser’s breach, and then to the payment of any other indebtedness owing to Goldberg, including without limitation, commissions, handling charges, the expenses of both sales, reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs, collection agency fees and costs and any other costs or expenses incurred thereun-der. If a lot or item is not paid for, and is sold by Goldberg for Purchaser’s account, in ac-cordance with the Uniform Commercial Code, Goldberg shall not be required to account to the Purchaser for any excess proceeds. Purchaser shall remain liable to Goldberg if the proceeds of such sale or sales is insuffi cient to cover the indebtedness. If other property of Purchaser is also sold, any excess of proceeds will be re-mitted to the Purchaser after fi rst deducting the expenses set forth above. If Purchaser fails to remit sums due to Goldberg, Purchaser grants to Goldberg a lien with respect to such sum, with interest to accrue thereon at the legal rate, until actually paid, which lien shall apply against any property of Purchaser, including any future goods of Purchaser coming into possession of Goldberg. To the extent permitted by law, Purchaser hereby waives all the requirements of notice, advertisement and disposition of pro-ceeds required by law.

36 These Terms and Conditions of Sale and the auction shall be construed and en-forced in accordance with, and governed by, the laws of the State of California, whether or not the auction is and these Terms and Condi-tions of Sale are fully performed in California.

37 Purchaser acknowledges and agrees that the competent courts of the State of Cali-fornia shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute(s) arising hereunder, and Purchaser hereby agrees that any dispute arising hereun-der shall be litigated exclusively in the courts of the State of California, and not elsewhere, regardless of any party’s current or future resi-dence or domicile. Purchaser further agrees

that venue shall be in the Superior Court of Los Angeles, in the State of California.

38 ATTORNEY FEES AND COSTSThe Bidder/Purchaser shall pay to Goldberg all costs and expenses of collection of amounts due herein, or to otherwise enforce any or all provisions of these Terms and Conditions of Sale, the subject matter of these Terms and Conditions of Sale, or any other agreement entered into with Goldberg, including but not limited to, reasonable attorney fees and costs incurred before legal action, if any, is com-menced. The Bidder/Purchaser further agrees that in any litigation or other proceeding based upon, arising out of or related to these Terms and Conditions of Sale, the Bidder/Purchaser shall pay to Goldberg its attorney fees and other expenses and costs incurred in connection with the litigation or other proceeding if Goldberg is the prevailing party.

39 If any section of these Terms and Conditions of Sale or any term or provision of any section is held to be invalid, void, or un-enforceable by any court of competent jurisdic-tion, the remaining sections or terms and pro-visions of a section shall continue in full force and effect without being impaired or invalidated in any way. AS STATED IN THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SALE Certain lots may be reserved by the Consignor. If the Auctioneer identifi es a Consignor bidding on his own prop-erty, an announcement will be made that the Consignor is now bidding. If the Consignor places a bid in the mail bid book and is suc-cessful, the Auctioneer will announce that the lot has been passed.

40 These Terms and Conditions con-tain the entire agreement and understanding between Goldberg and Bidder concerning the auction and any items bid on or purchased at the auction. Bidder acknowledges that Goldberg has not made any promises, repre-sentations or warranty to bidder, not contained herein concerning the auction and any items bid on or purchased at the auction.

CONTACT GOLDBERG COINS:350 SOUTH BEVERLY DRIVE

SUITE 350

BEVERLY HILLS, CA 90212

310-551-2646 PHONE

310-551-2626 FAX

1-800-978-2646 TOLL FREE

WWW.GOLDBERGCOINS.COM

The Davy Collection is the largest, most comprehensive collection of U.S. Half Cent errors ever formed. It is the product of nearly 40 years of diligent searching. Virtually every type of mint error is represented. Walter Breen used this collection as his primary reference source for half cent errors when preparing his landmark 1983 reference work Walter Breen’s Encyclopedia of United States Half Cents 1793-1857. The majority of the coins plated in the “Whoops” chapter of that reference are from the Davy Collection and are represented in this sale.

There are so many error half cents being offered here that you might conclude they are relatively common. That’s certainly not the case, and this sale represents a very special opportunity that is not likely to recur for decades--if ever.

Having so many errors of different types in one sale affords us a special opportunity to better understand the kinds of mistakes that occurred at the mint during its early years and the relative rarity of each type of error. To that end, the lot descriptions attempt to explain what went wrong in addition to describing the coins themselves. The high-quality photos, combined with the detailed lot descriptions, offer a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the types of mistakes made at our fl edgling mint and to better appreciate the products of those mistakes. Enjoy.

11

HALF CENT ERRORS

11793 C-1 R3+ Liberty Cap, Head Left VG8. Blundered Edge. Sharpness F12 but covered with extremely fi ne granularity that is partially obscured by the slightly glossy dark olive and steel patina. The only mark is a small, very shallow pit in the middle of the fraction bar. The obverse is rather glossy and offers nice eye appeal for the grade while the reverse is relatively dull. MDS, Manley state 2.0, with swelling in the center of the reverse that weakens HALF CENT. The date is bold and the remainder of the legends are clear. Struck with the obverse slightly misaligned to K-9. The edge lettering is blundered reading “FOR A DOLLWO HUNDRED”. This type of error occurred when the Castaing machine was not reset all the way to the null (starting) position before adding the edge lettering to a planchet prior to striking. Weight 109.5 grains. Davy #93.1.4.

Estimated Value ........................................................... $2,500-UP

Ex McCawley & Grellman MBS 6/14/94:10.

12

21793 C-2 R3 Liberty Cap, Head Left G5. Off Center with Collar Post Indent. Several points sharper but covered with uniform fi ne granularity. No verdigris or circulation marks, and the toning is a uniform olive and steel brown. The sur-faces are dull thanks to the microscopic roughness, but the date and legends are easily readable (at least those that made it on to the planchet). The edge lettering is complete and clear. Struck 20% off center to K-12.5. A strong indent cre-ated by the short post that held the collar in place on the press is located on the unstruck portion of the planchet. Fortunately for us, the planchet just happened to be off center in the direc-tion of this post. The upper end of the post was slightly above the level of the coining chamber and the force of the strike created a deep, well defi ned impression of the post on the unstruck part of the planchet. In addition, the strike pressure against the post was suffi cient to bend the unstruck portion of the planchet in the opposite direction from the indent. The struck portion of this half cent is not bent. Obviously the hammer die was the reverse. A truly remarkable error. While off center strikes are known throughout the half cent series, this is the only example with an indent from the collar post. Weight 98.0 grains. Davy #93.2.4.

Estimated Value ...................................................$2,000-UP

Ex McLaughlin & Robinson Auctions #4369, 2/27/88:398.

POSSIBLY UNIQUE OFF CENTER 1793WITH COLLAR POST INDENT

13

31793 C-2 R3 Liberty Cap, Head Left G4. Blundered Edge Lettering. Several points sharper but the planchet is lightly eroded under a mostly glossy chocolate brown patina. No verdigris, and the only marks are some dull hairline scratches hidden in the toning on both sides. The date is complete and easily readable but relatively weak, and the legends are nearly complete. The edge lettering is blundered reading “TWO HUNDRED FOR A DOLLA” (Castaing machine not properly reset to the null position before adding the edge lettering to the planchet). This piece is noted for its blundered edge at the bottom of page 5 in the Manley book on the half cent series. Weight 85.1 grains. Davy #93.2.5.

Estimated Value .......................................... $1,500-UP

Ex Kermit Smyth 5/19/98.

14

41794 C-1a R3 Liberty Cap, Head Right EF40. Double Struck over Partial Obverse Brockage. Repunched 179. Large Edge Letters. Very attractive glossy chocolate brown delicately blended with slightly lighter and darker tones. The only marks are a thin, shallow struck-through line (caused by a tiny piece of thread from a cleaning rag stuck to the die or planchet during striking) that meanders from the bottom of the bust to the right side of the 4, and a thin diagonal scratch through the top of the 4. This half cent was struck at least two times. There is a 90% off center obverse brockage impression on the right side of the obverse and an arc of strongly impressed dentils located about 10% off center through MERIC. Sharply struck LDS, Man-ley state 3.0, showing clear die clashmarks on both sides. The repunching on the 179 is strong. A beautiful early mint error. Weight 107.4 grains. Davy #94.1a.5.

Estimated Value .........................................................$4,000-UP

Ex Gordon Wrubel 12/3/83.

BEAUTIFUL DOUBLESTRUCK 1794 C-1

15

51794 C-1a R3 Liberty Cap, Head Right AG3. Triple Struck. Repunched 179. Large Edge Letters. A couple points sharper in many areas but the strike is uneven. The surfaces are decent but not perfectly smooth. A glass reveals extreme-ly fi ne granularity in the fi elds and protected areas on both sides. No verdigris, but there are some contact marks. The notable ones are a dull dig in the fi eld near the rim before the neck and fi ne hairline scratches on the left side of the ob-verse. This piece was struck three times. Two distinct arcs of dentils are located on the jaw and neck indicating this piece was struck 40-50% off center a couple times before the fi nal centered strike. The date is no longer visible and slightly more than half the legends are readable. Weight 103.4 grains. Davy #94.1a.9.

Estimated Value .....................................................$600-UP

Ex Shawn Yancey 9/28/07.

16

61794 C-1a R3 Liberty Cap, Head Right F12. Blundered Edge. Repunched 179. Large Edge Letters. Sharpness VF30 but the surfaces are slightly uneven and there are specks of greenish verdigris scat-tered over both sides. The roughness is strongest in the fi eld under the cap where there is a patch of shallow pitting. Glossy light olive and chocolate brown. Possibly lightly burnished but the eye appeal is decent considering the imperfect surfaces. LDS, Manley state 3.0, with clear die clashmarks on both sides and the reverse rotated 15 de-grees CCW from a normal head-to-foot die orientation. The date and legends are complete and clear, and the repunching on the 179 is vis-ible. The edge lettering is blundered and reads “TWO HUNDROR A DOLLAR” and the R in HUNDR overlaps the O in OR. Once again, the Castaing machine was not reset properly before adding the edge lettering to a planchet, and we are able to enjoy an early mint error. This specifi c error is mentioned on page 11 in Ron Manley’s book on the half cent series. Manley calls this type of error very rare and reports that Walter Breen had never seen one on a half cent. Weight 97.7 grains. Davy #94.1a.8.

Estimated Value ...................................................................$300-UP

Ex Bowers & Merena 11/18/94:2002.

17

71794 C-1a R3 Liberty Cap, Head Right VG8. Blundered Edge. Repunched 179. Large Edge Letters. Sharpness F12 with very light roughness covering the planchet. No verdigris and only minor contact marks, including a thin horizon-tal scratch or struck-through line at the bottom edge of the lowest curl and a collection of dull, light scratches inside the wreath. Glossy chocolate brown. EDS, Manley state 1.0. There are no visible die clashmarks and the reverse is rotated 40 degrees CW. The date is clear and the legends are readable, but the repunching on the 179 is faint. The edge lettering is strong and is blundered reading “TWO HUNDRR A DOLLAR” thanks to operator error using the Castaing machine. Manley was aware of three examples of the variety with a blundered edge, all with similar errors where the end of HUN-DRED and the beginning of FOR were overlapped. We are aware of four examples, and two of them are offered in this sale. In addition, there is a minor planchet clip affecting only the rim over ME in AMERICA. Weight 93.9 grains. Davy #94.1a.7.

Estimated Value ....................................................................................................................................................... $400-UP

Ex Chris McCawley 4/20/07.

18

81794 C-1a R3 Liberty Cap, Head Right VF25. Incomplete (Tapered) Planchet. Repunched 179. Large Edge Letters. Breen Plate Coin. Attrac-tive glossy chocolate and steel with frosty slightly lighter steel brown toning in protected areas. No roughness or verdigris, only small marks. Most of the marks are pre-striking planchet chips that didn’t smooth out during the strike due to the uneven impression caused by the slightly tapered planchet. As a result the date is missing as is the opposing STATES while the remaining details are clear. Breen calls this a “Ta-pered Planchet” error, and this piece is plated to illustrate that type of

mint error on page 470 of Walter Breen’s Encyclopedia of Unit-ed States Half Cents 1793-1857. The only other marks are

a couple small planchet voids left of the L in LIBERTY and a dull scratch through the D in UNITED. LDS,

Manley state 3.0. The die clashmarks are clear and the reverse is rotated 30 degrees CCW. An attrac-tive half cent with additional cachet as the Breen plate coin for this type of mint error. Weight 91.8 grains (standard is 104.0 grains). Davy #94.1a.3.

Estimated Value .................................$1,000-UP

Ex Stack’s (Prock-Fenn Sale) 4/21/77:991.

BREEN PLATE COIN

91794 C-2a R2+ Liberty Cap, Head Right G5. Tab Dou-ble Strike. Small Edge Letters. Sharpness F12 but there are several pitmarks on the obverse and the surfaces display minor roughness elsewhere on both sides. No verdigris or signifi cant contact marks. Slightly glossy dark steel and olive brown. Double struck. The fi rst strike was normal but the coin failed to eject completely and it was struck a second time. The second impression was 95% off center and the obverse die created a tab at the top of the obverse while the new blank planchet left an indent at the opposing spot on the reverse. The obverse tab shows the bottom of the “17” from the date, which is a signifi cant bonus. M-LDS, Manley state 3.0, with strong die clashmarks at the neck. The date and legends are complete and clear except where affected by the tab strike. An extremely rare type of mint error, the only example known to this cataloger on a 1794 half cent. Weight 99.3 grains. Davy #94.2a.5.

Estimated Value ................................................ $400-UP

Ex Rick DeSanctis, McCawley & Grellman Auctions/Supe-rior 8/1/02:2453.

POSSIBLY UNIQUETAB DOUBLE STRIKE

19

101794 C-4a R3 Liberty Cap, Head Right VG8. Blundered Edge. Small Edge Letters. Sharpness VF25 but “1854” has been strongly punched over the 1794 date nearly obliterating the original numerals. Fortunately you can still make out the original digits, but the impact of this intentional defacement is very signifi cant and arriving at a net grade is diffi cult. The only other notable defect is a relatively large planchet chip under the I in AMERICA, as struck. Lightly cleaned and retoned glossy light olive and steel with golden tan toning in protected areas. M-LDS, Manley state 3.0, with strong swell-ing left of the date. The edge lettering is blundered with HUND clearly impressed over LAR of DOLLAR. The HUN is on top of the LAR while the D follows the R. Apparently this planchet went through the Castaing machine twice, once completely and another time only far enough to add HUND. The sequence is anyone’s guess, but this type of edge blunder is much rarer than the typical one created when the machine is not reset all the way to the starting position causing incom-plete lettering. Weight 107.2 grains. Davy #94.4a.7.


Ex Dr. Wallace Lee 5/9/86.

20

111794 C-4a R3 Liberty Cap, Head Right AG3+. Blundered Edge. Small Edge Letters. The obverse is slightly better and attractive for the grade while the reverse is a bit weaker and displays traces of microscopic roughness. Glossy chocolate brown with olive brown toning in protected areas. No marks or verdigris. The date is strong but only about half of the legends are clear. EDS, Manley state 1.0. The edge lettering is blun-dered and reads “TWO HUNDREDOR A DOLLAR” with the F impressed on top of the D in HUNDRED. The edge lettering is clear and the blunder is obvious. Yes another example of the type of error caused when the Castaing machine was improperly operated at the mint. Weight 104.1 grains. Davy #94.4a.12.

Estimated Value ...........................................................$300-UP

Ex Bill Weber, 2001 EAC Sale, McCawley & Grellman Auctions 3/31/01:30.

21

121794 C-8 R5 Liberty Cap, Head Right G4. Triple Edge Let-tering. Sharpness VF20 or so but moderately corroded under a glossy chocolate brown patina. The color is attractive but the surfaces are not. Fortunately the date and legends are complete and readable. No verdigris or contact marks. The edge lettering is blundered (tripled) with “DOLLAR” visible three times in succession indicating this planchet went through the Castaing machine at least 3 times. You would be hard pressed to fi nd a complete rendering of “TWO HUNDRED FOR A DOLLAR” thanks to the multitude of letters on the limited space available, but DOLL is clearly visible three times. All three impressions are oriented with the top of the letters on the obverse side of the planchet. An extremely rare error on a very rare die variety. Weight 105.4 grains. Davy #94.8.7.

Estimated Value .......................................................... $400-UP

Ex Richard Gross 4/27/07.

TRIPLE EDGE LETTERS

22

131794 C-9 R2 Liberty Cap, Head Right G5. Double Struck over Off Center Brockage. The obverse is sharper while the reverse is weaker. Both sides are covered with fi ne granularity but there are no marks or verdigris. The date and most of the legends are readable, but AMERICA is weak. Dark steel brown and chocolate. An arc of incuse dentils from an attempted initial strike is located about 65% off center on the right side of the reverse. LDS, Manley state 3.0. Weight 101.6 grains. Davy #94.8.6.

Estimated Value ............................................ $400-UP

Ex Cybercoins.net 9/21/06.

141794 C-9 R2 Liberty Cap, Head Right VG10. Blundered Edge Letters. Very slightly sharper, especially on the obverse, but there is a dull rim bruise at RTY and a light rim nick at the second S in STATES. The surfaces are smooth and the eye appeal is quite nice. Glossy chocolate and steel. LDS, Manley state 3.0, showing a clear die crack from the dentils to the cap. The edge let-tering is badly blundered and reads “TWO HUNDR DOLLAR” leaving half the edge void of any lettering. Weight 108.2 grains. Davy #94.9.7.

Estimated Value .................................................................. $500-UP

Ex Bill Weber 8/11/98.

23

151794 C-9 R2 Liberty Cap, Head Right G6. Blundered Edge Letters. Sharp-ness VG10 but the planchet is very slightly bent. The surfaces are smooth, free of any trace of corrosion or verdigris, but there are some obvious contact marks. These include a strong dig under the earlobe, a pair of dull pinpricks at the 17, a collection of dull marks at AT in STATES, and a few more small ones at MERI. Glossy medium brown. The date is strong and the legends are clear. MDS, Manley state 2.0. The die crack from the dentils to the cap is light. The edge lettering is blundered and reads “TWO HUNDREAD DOL-LAR” with the A jammed between the E & D in DOLLAR. Weight 112.3 grains. Davy #94.9.10.

Estimated Value ................................................................................ $800-UP

Ex Dan Trollan 4/22/05.

24

161794 C-9 R2 Liberty Cap, Head Right VG8. Thin Planchet with Lettered Edge. Sharpness slightly better but the plan-chet is covered with minor roughness. No verdigris, only some tiny rim nicks on the reverse, none notable. Slightly glossy dark olive and steel. The date and legends are complete and easily readable. EDS, Manley state 1.0, before the die crack from the dentils to the cap. The planchet is thin weighing only 79.1 grains (versus the 104.0 grain standard for 1794 half cents) and the edge is lettered. The lettering is clear although some of the letters hang off the planchet due its decreased thickness. This planchet is far closer in weight and thickness to those struck using the 84.0 grain standard authorized in January 1796. A very few examples are known similar to the piece offered here, and it has been suggested these were struck to test the Mint’s ability to strike pieces with the reduced thickness and weight. No other varieties of 1794 half cents are known struck on planchets this light, although a few examples of 1795 C-1 and 1795 C-2a are known on simi-lar lightweight planchets. It could be argued that the lightweight strikes deserve a different variety number (such as 1794 C-9b in this case) especially if you accept the theory that these were struck intentionally at the lighter weight. Weight 79.1 grains. Davy #94.9b.5.

Estimated Value .......................................................................................................................................................$400-UP

Ex Jonathan Kern (via Chris McCawley) 10/1/05.

THIN LIGHTWEIGHT PLANCHET 1794 C-9

25

171794 C-9 R2 Liberty Cap, Head Right VG8. Thin Planchet with Lettered Edge. Sharpness F15 or better but dark with patches of shallow pitting on the obverse and a few minor rim bruises on the reverse. The pitting is lo-cated mostly around the date and at ERTY. No verdigris. Glossy dark olive and steel with slightly lighter dark steel brown toning on the high points. The date and legends are complete and easily readable in spite of the iso-lated areas of roughness. MDS, Manley state 2.0. The die crack from the dentils to the cap is visible but not strong. Struck on a lightweight planchet (88.0 grains versus the 104.0 grain standard for 1794 half cents) and it has a lettered edge. Many of the edge letters hang off the thin planchet, but they all remain readable. Similar to the preceding lot, but slightly heavier and struck from a later state of the dies. We know of only 3 examples struck on a thin, lettered edge planchet (see page 45 in the Manley book on the series), and two of those are offered in this sale. Weight 88.0 grains. Davy #94.9b.4.

Estimated Value .............................................................................$400-UP

Ex Bill Weber, McCawley & Grellman Auctions/Superior 5/31/99:1396.

A SECOND LIGHTWEIGHT 1794 C-9

26

181795 C-1 R2 Lettered Edge VF30+. End-of-Strip Planchet Clip. Ten points sharper with some light marks, none serious or visible without the aid of a strong glass, plus a patch of minor roughness over the tip of the pole that may have been present when the coin was struck. Lightly cleaned and retoned a very attractive and natural-looking glossy medium brown and chocolate with a swipe of darker chocolate toning at LIBE to the top of the cap. The eye appeal of this half cent is fantastic and con-sistent with a signifi cantly higher grade. LDS, Manley state 2.0, showing a subtle bulge at AME. There is a relatively large ragged end-of-strip planchet clip at the top of the cap extending to the E in LIBERTY with a similar clip at UNI to the 2 in the denominator. A very impressive ex-ample of this type of mint error. Weight 105.5 grains. Davy #95.1.5.

Estimated Value .....................................................................$2,000-UP

Ex Moreira sale, part 3, Superior 1/29/89:3041.

FANTASTIC END-OF-STRIP CLIP

27

191795 C-1 R2 Lettered Edge VG8. Heavyweight Planchet. Attractive glossy chocolate and olive brown. Smooth and choice, virtually perfect for the grade. Nicely struck on an overweight planchet weighing 118.9 grains versus the mint standard of 104.0 grains. (This specifi c coin is mentioned in the last paragraph on page 45 of Man-ley’s book on the series where he lists two heavyweight examples: this piece and one from the Eliasberg collection.) EDS, Manley state 1.0, before the swelling at AME. Weight 118.9 grains. Davy #95.1.6.


Ex Ray D. Munde-Roger S. Cohen, Jr., Superior 2/2/92:41.

201795 C-1 R2 Lettered Edge G6. Thin, Underweight Planchet. Rather glossy reddish chocolate brown with medium brown toning cover-ing the devices. An attractive two-tone half cent. Nicely struck and well balanced showing a clear date and full legends. Extremely faint roughness covers the fi elds and protected areas, but the eye appeal is quite nice for the grade. A thin diagonal nick in the fi eld well right of the Y in LIBERTY is the only notable mark. LDS, Manley state 2.0, with minor swelling at AME. Struck on a thin planchet weighing only 92.7 grains (versus the standard of 104.0 grains). The edge lettering is strong but many of the letters hang off the planchet due to its reduced thickness. According to Manley, only three die varieties of lettered edge half cents are known struck on seriously underweight planchets weighing at or near the 84.0 grain standard for thin, plain edge half cents (94C9, 95C1, and 95C2a). All three are represented in this sale. Weight 92.7 grains. Davy #95.1b.2.

Estimated Value ................................................................... $600-UP

Ex Don Valenziano 6/19/91.

28

211795 C-1 R2 “Plain Edge” G5. “Plain Edge.” This reportedly is the example listed in Gilbert as a separate variety (his #2) struck on a plain edge (unlettered) planchet of normal thickness and weight. Unfortu-nately, the edge lettering was simply removed from a normal lettered edge example, and this alteration fooled at least that one expert. Sharp-ness F15 or better, but in addition to the edge smoothing that removed all traces of the edge lettering there is moderate corrosion covering much of the planchet and some dull rim nicks as well, strongest at ICA in AMERICA. No verdigris. Slightly glossy steel brown. An impres-sive half cent in its own right, but important today for its connection to

Gilbert and the error in his book on the series. Weight 103.6 grains. Davy #95.1c.1.

Estimated Value $200-UP

Ex Ozzie Oswald 7/27/84.

221795 C-2a R3 Lettered Edge VG10. Double Struck on Clipped Planchet. Attractive glossy chocolate and steel. The surfaces are smooth and nearly fl awless offering ex-cellent eye appeal. The best identifying marks are a tiny rim nick at BE in LIBERTY and a very tiny rim bruise over the A in STATES. LDS, Manley state 3.0, with strong swelling at AME and a faint die clashmark connecting the F in OF to the leaf below. The reverse is double struck, but the shift between impressions was less than a mil-limeter. Nonetheless, doubling is clearly visible on the wreath, legends, and dentils. In addition, the planchet is clipped at the top of the cap and over UNIT reaching slightly inside the dentils on both sides. The arc of this clip is consistent with a large cent rather than a half cent, so it is possible this planchet was cut from a spoiled large cent. Regardless, it’s a beautiful double-error half cent. Weight 102.2 grains. Davy #95.2a.5.

Estimated Value ........................................................................................... $600-UP

Ex Paul Munson-Roger S. Cohen, Jr., Superior 2/2/92:45.

THE GILBERT “PLAIN EDGE” 1795 C-1 (GILBERT #2)

29

231795 C-2a R3 Lettered Edge G6. Thin, Under-weight Planchet. Sharpness F12 but there is a strong, dull dent on the cap with a resulting bulge under the C in CENT. The planchet displays uni-form extremely fi ne roughness but no verdigris. The date and legends are strong except for CE in CENT thanks to the bulge. Slightly glossy chocolate and steel with darker olive brown toning in protected areas. MDS, Manley state 2.0. The swelling at AME is strong. Struck on a thin lettered edge planchet that is seriously underweight at 81.3 grains. Most of the edge letters hang off the edge as they are simply too tall to fi t. Manley lists three examples of this variety struck on a thin lettered edge planchet, and this one is the lightest of that group (see page 45 in Manley’s book). Since the transition from thick (104.0 grain) lettered edge planchets to thin (84.0 grain) planchets with a plain edge occurred during production of this variety, it is reasonable to assume that a few planchets got misdirected. Several of the thin planchets received edge lettering while at least one thick planchet escaped the Castaing machine and was struck without the edge lettering (see Manley page 49). Weight 81.3 grains. Davy #95.2c.1.

Estimated Value ......................................... $400-UP

Ex Julian Leidman 10/22/90.

LIGHTWEIGHT LETTERED EDGE 1795 C-2A

30

241795 C-4 R3 Plain Edge AU50. Off Center. Cohen Plate Coin. Five points sharper with a shallow depression (probably pre-striking) in the unstruck portion of the planchet outside the dentils opposite the neck. Otherwise free of contact marks, only the usual tiny planchet fl akes or chips showing on the portrait and center of the reverse where some of the normal planchet imperfections didn’t completely smooth out during the strike. Lustrous choco-late and steel brown with delicate splashes of reddish chocolate and olive on both sides. The fi elds are slightly refl ective and mint luster covers the reverse. Struck 10% off center to K-9. An outstanding example of an early mint error. Plated at page 21 in the second edition of the Cohen book on the “Little Half Sisters.” Weight 88.1 grains. Davy #95.4.4.

Estimated Value .........................................................$3,000-UP

Ex Kagin’s MANA Sale 11/74:3-NERCG FPL #4, 1975-Pine Tree’s Dr. Conway Bolt Sale, 11/75-Pine Tree 1/78:66-Benjamin Levin at the 1979 ANA Convention-Roger S. Cohen, Jr., Superior 2/2/92:48.

REMARKABLE OFF CENTER 1795 COHEN-4

31

251795 C-4 R3 Plain Edge VG10. Off Center. Slightly sharper but the obverse was lightly burnished to mini-mize traces of minor roughness and retoned glossy medium brown with a few tiny splashes of chocolate. The reverse is uniform glossy medium brown but the color is original on that side and the surfaces are smooth. No notable marks or other defects. E-MDS, Manley state 2.0 early. The bulge in the fi eld before the portrait is weak but present and the crack from

the fi rst T in STATES to the leaf is light. The date and legends are strong except for the usual

weakness inside the wreath. Struck 5% off center to K-10. Weight 82.4 grains. Davy

#95.4.7.

Estimated Value ................$600-UP


261795 C-4 R3 Plain Edge VG7. Flipover Double Strike with 2 Complete Dates. Slightly sharper but there are a half dozen small digs in the fi eld before the neck. Otherwise the surfaces are smooth and attractive with only minor contact marks. EDS, Manley state 1.0. This piece was dramatically double struck. The initial impression was 20% off center to K-3. The planchet was then fl ipped over and restruck prop-erly. Much of the reverse from the off center strike shows on the obverse, including TED on the cap, TES OF before the face, and wreath sprigs on the head and in the fi eld before the neck. Ample evidence of the obverse is clearly visible on the reverse, including a complete 1795 date where CA in AMERICA should be located. Double struck early half cents are rare, fl ipover double strikes are even rarer, and ones that show two dates are extremely rare. This piece is plated on page 481 of the Breen half cent encyclopedia to illustrate a fl ipover double strike error. Weight 77.6 grains. Davy #95.4.3.

Estimated Value .................................................... $400-UP


BREEN PLATE COIN

32

281795 C-5a R3 Plain Edge without Pole on Thin Planchet G5. Flipover Double Strike. Slightly sharper with a planchet void below the 17 of the second strike, as minted, and minor hairline scratches on both sides. Smooth surfaces, free of any trace of corrosion or verdigris. Glossy medium brown and light chocolate. Double struck, and the planchet was fl ipped over between those strikes. Both strikes were slightly off center causing the planchet to become egg-shaped in the process. Much undertype from the initial strike shows on each side, but only one date is visible. Above Ms Liberty’s head on the dated side is a very clear, complete fraction from the other strike. Weight 82.3 grains. Davy #95.5a.4.


Ex Harry Jones 8/25/76.

271795 C-4 R3 Plain Edge VG10. Beveled Edge Planchet Clip. Glossy chocolate brown with a splash of darker olive and steel toning above the O in OF. Smooth and attractive, the dark splash at OF and a few microscopic contact marks from choice. LDS, Manley state 2.0. The bulge before the portrait is obvious and the die crack from the fi rst T in STATES to the leaf is clear. An irregular planchet clip with a beveled edge is located left of the date and over TAT, but it affects only the dentils leaving the legends untouched. Weight 77.2 grains. Davy #95.4.5.

Estimated Value .......................................................................... $500-UP


33

291795 C-5b R4 Plain Edge without Pole on Thick Planchet G6. Struck over an Off Center 1795 S-76b Large Cent. Sharpness VG10 but there is an attempted hole at BE in LIBERTY. Otherwise this piece is smooth and very attractive, just some very thin rim cuts on the reverse from choice. Very attractive glossy chocolate brown. LDS. The die crack and swelling on the reverse are strong. This piece was struck over an off center 1795 S-76b large cent, and bold evidence of the cent remains clearly visible on both sides. The cent details are essentially untouched by the half cent dies. That’s because the area struck by the cent dies is thinner than the unstruck portion of the planchet, and the half cent dies didn’t quite reach the cent details. Apparently the strike pressure used on the large cent was stronger than that used for the half cent. This may be a result of the cent being struck off center so the force employed on that strike was concentrated on only a portion of the plan-chet thereby squeezing it to a signifi cantly reduced thickness. Regardless, the result is that this piece displays more of the spoiled cent impression than nearly all those known with visible cent undertype and the cent attribution is easy as a result. (Note: Several die variet-ies of 1795, 1797, 1800, and 1802 half cents are known to have been struck on cut-down planchets of spoiled US large cents or Talbot Allum & Lee Cents, and in a few cases they were struck on copper die trial strikes of 1794 and 1795 half dollars. The mint did this to utilize the rolled copper, which was a scarce commodity. Therefore, because the planchet source was intentional, half cents that display undertype from these previously struck cents or die trials are not “errors” in a technical sense.) Weight 108.3 grains. Davy #95.5b.4.

Estimated Value .................................................................................................. $1,000-UP

Ex Jules Reiver 10/3/85.

1795 C-5B OVER SPOILED 1795 S-76B LARGE CENT

34

301795 C-5b R4 Plain Edge without Pole on Thick Planchet VF20. Struck over a Spoiled Large Cent on an Irregular Planchet. Slightly sharper but the surfaces are covered with extremely faint granular-ity that is mostly offset by the rather glossy light chocolate and olive brown toning. No verdigris, but there are numerous very faint hair-line scratches hidden in the toning on the obverse and a planchet chip shows in the dentils at ST in STATES. Struck on an off center large cent of unknown date or variety. Only a strong impression of the cent dentils remains on both sides of the half cent. The half cent planchet was cut from the spoiled large cent in such a manner that the edge of the cent planchet became part of the half cent planchet. As a result, the half cent planchet is not round. This was done to minimize the portion of large cent strike included on the half cent planchet, so the cent edge is positioned at K-2.5 to K-5.5 (across from the cent den-tils). May seem like a lot of time and effort to produce a single half cent planchet, but these were real money at the time and planchets were hard to come by. A wonderful early mint error. Weight 112.7 grains. Davy #95.5b.1.

Estimated Value ............................................................... $1,000-UP

Ex Stack’s 2/4/72:191.

35

311795 C-5b R4 Plain Edge without Pole on Thick Planchet G6. Struck over a Spoiled Large Cent with Off Center Reverse Brockage. Very slightly sharper but there is a small patch of shallow greenish verdigris at the T in CENT and a few faint hairline scratches hidden in the patina on the reverse. Mostly glossy dark olive and steel. The date is very faint, virtually gone, and the legends are mostly visible. Struck on a spoiled large cent with an off center reverse brockage. The normal cent reverse is located on the obverse of the half cent with AM at the top of the cap and several leaves show in the fi eld left of the cap. The incuse reverse brockage impression shows at NITED STATES O on the half cent reverse. Incuse retrograde ITED from the large cent brockage is visible at TES-O and incuse leaves are visible at NITED ST. This piece is plated in Roger Cohen’s second edition of his half cent book (page 22). Weight 103.4 grains. Davy #95.5b.7.

Estimated Value .............................................................................. $300-UP

Ex Jon Hanson-Ray D. Munde-Roger S. Cohen, Jr., Superior 2/2/92:56.

COHEN PLATE COIN

36

321795 C-5b R4 Plain Edge without Pole on Thick Planchet VG7. Struck over a Spoiled Lettered Edge Large Cent. Very slightly sharper but the planchet is not perfectly smooth and there are some fi ne hairline scratches in the toning on both sides, mostly on the obverse. The most-notable defects are some very fi ne parallel planchet striations on the obverse, as struck. Partly glossy steel brown and chocolate with darker chocolate brown toning in protected areas. The date is weak but readable and the legends are nearly complete. Struck on an off center large cent with a lettered edge (which is excep-tionally rare). The half cent planchet was cut in a manner to minimize the appearance of the off center large cent, and only the dentils of the large cent show on the obverse of the half cent. In so doing, much of the cent edge was included on the half cent planchet and E HUNDRE from the edge lettering is clearly visible. The edge lettering is of the large style found on the cents of 1794 Sheldon-71 and 1795 Sheldon-76a, plus several others. An unintended consequence of cutting the half cent planchet with part of the cent edge included is that the half cent is oval-shaped rather than round. It appears that mint workers purposely cut these half cent planchets in a manner to minimize the amount of large cent design included on the smaller planchet, and that makes sense since you could only get a single half cent planchet out of each spoiled large cent. But sometimes they went a bit too far to escape the cent design (as on this piece). These errors tell us a lot about how things were done (and screwed up) in the early days of our mint. Weight a hefty 129.5 grains. Davy #95.5b.8.

Estimated Value ...................................................................................................................................................... $500-UP


STRUCK OVER SPOILED LETTERED EDGE LARGE CENT

37

331795 C-5b R4 Plain Edge without Pole on Thick Planchet VF20. Struck on a Spoiled Large Cent Planchet. Slightly sharper but covered with tiny planchet chips mixed with microscopic pitmarks scattered over the obverse. These defects are individually insignifi cant but there are too many to ignore. The best identifying mark is a tiny spot of reddish verdigris at the dentils above the Y in LIBERTY. Glossy light chocolate brown with specks of darker olive brown toning on the reverse. The date is weakly impressed, as usual on the thick plan-chet strikes of the variety, but it is readable and the legends are clear. Struck on a planchet cut from a spoiled large cent, although there is no visible undertype from the cent on either side. The half cent plan-chet was cut a bit too close to the edge of the cent planchet leaving a clearly out-of-round half cent. The cent edge remains intact from K-7 to K-10, and it is not lettered. Weight 109.3 grains. Davy #95.5b.6.

Estimated Value .................................................................... $800-UP


341795 C-6a R2 Plain Edge without Pole on Thin Planchet F12. Off Center over Talbot Allum & Lee (TAL) Cent. Choice glossy light chocolate brown with smooth, virtually fl awless surfaces. The only notable mark is a shallow, dark olive planchet void at the base of the L in HALF. LDS, Manley state 2.0, with a subtle bulge near the dentils right of Y in LIBERTY. The date and legends are complete and clear. Struck 5-10% off center to K-10 on a planchet cut from a Talbot Allum & Lee Cent. The TAL undertype is clearly visible at the top of the reverse. A choice example for the grade. Weight 85.0 grains. Davy #95.6a.21.

Estimated Value ................................................... $600-UP

Ex an unrecorded seller at the EAC Convention 3/20/87.

38

351795 C-6a R2 Plain Edge without Pole on Thin Plan-chet VG7. Off Center. Sharpness F12 but dark and lightly corroded. Slightly glossy dark olive and steel with chocolate brown toning on the high points of the obverse. There are some very faint hairline scratches hidden in the toning on the obverse and specks of raised very dark greenish verdigris scattered over the reverse. The date is weak but readable and the legends are strong. Struck 10% off center to K-10. Weight 77.6 grains. Davy #95.6a.23.


Ex Tom Reynolds 4/15/88.

361795 C-6a R2 Plain Edge without Pole on Thin Plan-chet G4. Off Center. Sharpness VG10 or slightly better but covered with light to moderate roughness, strongest under LIBE. No marks or other distractions. Slightly glossy dark olive and steel, nearly black. The date is weak but readable and the legends are mostly clear. Struck 20% off center to K-10.5. Weight 74.9 grains. Davy #95.6a.50.


Ex Doug Bird 4/25/03.

39

371795 C-6a R2 Plain Edge without Pole on Thin Planchet F15. Double Struck, the Second Strike Off Center. Sharpness VF30 but covered with uniform fi ne granularity on all but the high points, which are smooth. No verdigris, and the only mark is a tiny pit over the D in UNITED. Partially glossy dark olive brown with light chocolate toning on the devices. Double struck. The initial strike was properly centered but the planchet was par-tially removed from the press before being struck a second time 20% off center to K-8.5 and rotated about 140 degrees. The result is an error with an impressive look displaying two complete versions of LIBERTY and the fraction. However, neither of the dates is visible. This piece is plated on page 479 in the error (“Whoops”) section of Breen’s book on half cents. Weight 85.9 grains. Davy #95.6a.5.

Estimated Value ....................................................................... $1,000-UP

Ex William K. Raymond 12/6/74.

BREEN PLATE COIN

40

391795 C-6a R2 Plain Edge without Pole on Thin Planchet F15. Double Struck. Ten points sharper but there is a smoothed rim dent left of the top of the cap. The smoothing was done with excellent skill and could be missed quite easily. The only other mark on smooth, choice surfaces is a tiny rim nick at the L in LIBERTY. Glossy chocolate brown offering excellent eye appeal in spite of the rim bruise. LDS, Manley state 2.0. The subtle bulge near the dentils right of the Y is easily visible. Double struck. Both impressions were slightly off center to K-9, the fi rst one a bit more off target than the second. Evidence of the two strikes is clearest on the bust tip and on the right side of the reverse where AM from the fi rst strike shows under the AM of the second. Additional evidence of the fi rst strike is clearly visible on the reverse. Weight 85.6 grains. Davy #95.6a.19.

Estimated Value.............................................................................. $800-UP

Ex Tony Terranova 5/9/86.

381795 C-6a R2 Plain Edge without Pole on Thin Planchet VG7. Double Struck, the Second Strike Slightly Off Center. Glossy chocolate brown and olive. Smooth and attractive for the grade, only trivial contact marks from choice. A very light rim nick over the E in STATES is a good identifying mark. Double struck. The fi rst impression was centered on the planchet and the second was 5-10% off center to K-9. The complete date from the second strike is clearly visible but only the 9 and 5 from the fi rst strike remain vis-ible, and they are weak. The 9 from the fi rst date is hanging down from the 5 of the second date. Some of the fi rst strike is visible on the reverse as well with S OF showing (weakly) above and slightly to the right of the second S OF. Additional evidence of the fi rst strike can be found on the reverse with some effort, but you get the idea. Weight 83.9 grains. Davy #95.6a.48.

Estimated Value ..............................................................................$500-UP


41

401795 C-6a R2 Plain Edge without Pole on Thin Planchet EF40. Double Struck over Talbot Allum & Lee Cent. Very attractive glossy medium brown with reddish chocolate toning in protected areas and frosty mint luster showing on both sides. The only defect is a speck of carbon in the fi eld at the lips. Double struck on a cut-down TAL cent, and the TAL undertype shows over UNITED. The initial strike was slightly off center to K-5 while the second was centered on the planchet but rotated about 25 degrees CW relative to the fi rst. The 795 of the date from the initial strike shows off the bust tip and LI from that same strike shows clearly on the top of the cap. Much of the legend from the fi rst impression is visible on the reverse as well, including the denomina-tor of the fraction between the second denominator and the adjacent U. Another outstanding half cent error with superb eye appeal. Weight 75.0 grains. Davy #95.6a.2.

Estimated Value ................................................................... $3,000-UP

Ex Nate Smith, Stack’s 3/9/73:31.

42

411795 C-6a R2 Plain Edge without Pole on Thin Planchet VF20. Double Struck over 1794 Talbot Allum & Lee Cent with NEW YORK. Choice glossy chocolate and steel brown. No notable defects and the eye appeal is excellent for the grade. Undertype from the TAL Cent shows clearly below the date and bust tip and at S-OF, and NEW from NEW YORK shows at OF. This half cent was dramatically double struck. The initial strike was slightly off center to K-10 while the second impression was centered on the planchet and rotated 30 degrees CCW relative to the fi rst. The face of the fi rst strike shows clearly on the head of the second strike creating a remarkable “two-faced” Ms Liberty. The reverse, however, displays no evidence of the double strike. This suggests the reverse was struck against a new blank planchet during the second strike creating a reverse brockage impression on that planchet. (NOTE: It can be diffi cult to determine whether a double struck piece initially was struck uniface with one side against another blank planchet rather than a die and then struck normally using both dies, or if it was struck with both dies fi rst, then struck uniface with one side impressed against a new blank planchet during the second strike creating an incuse brockage on the new planchet. There are two indicators that can help you determine the sequence of events. First, when a normally struck piece fails to eject from the coining chamber and is struck a second time using a die on one side but into a new blank planchet on the other side, it emerges as a double struck brockage maker. The second strike leaves an incuse brockage impression on the new planchet, and the single-struck side that was pressed into the blank planchet tends to become swollen or “puffy.” The swelling is more pro-nounced if the second impression on the double-struck side is rotated relative to the fi rst strike. The larger the rotation on the double-struck side, the greater the swelling on the single-struck side. Second, the rotation between the double struck and single struck sides can be useful. A brockage maker is fi rst struck normally on both sides, and the orientation of the dies should be “normal” for that variety. If there is enough rotation between impressions on the double-struck side during the second strike, then the sequence of those strikes becomes easier to determine. On a brockage-maker, the single struck side will be aligned with the fi rst strike on the double-struck side. For a piece that was fi rst struck uniface, the single-struck side will be aligned with the second strike on the double-struck side. These indicators are helpful, but determining the exact sequence of events can be quite diffi cult if not impossible, especially on heavily worn pieces.) EDS, Manley state 1.0. A very attractive error offering a unique “look.” Weight 82.9 grains. Davy #95.6a.51.

Estimated Value ................................................................................................................................................... $1,000-UP

Ex Stuart Levine 4/25/03.

DRAMATIC “TWO-FACED” MS LIBERTY

43

421795 C-6a R2 Plain Edge without Pole on Thin Planchet F12. Double or Triple Struck over Talbot Allum & Lee Cent. Glossy medium brown and light chocolate with a splash of reddish chocolate toning at CA in AMERICA and traces of darker olive brown toning on both sides. Smooth surfaces showing only a few light contact marks, including a fi ne hairline scratch at the second S in STATES. Double struck (possibly triple struck as the lower edge of the cap shows clear triple outlines) over a cut-down TAL Cent. The TAL undertype is visible in the dentils right of the Y in LIBERTY and above RICA. Bold doubling shows all around Ms Liberty, HALF CENT, and the wreath with more subtle dou-

bling elsewhere on both sides. Both strikes were fairly well centered on the planchet but they were rotated slightly between impres-

sions. Weight 84.6 grains. Davy #95.6a.25.

Estimated Value .......................................................$400-UP

Ex McLaughlin & Robinson Auctions 2/27/88:18-Chris Mc-Cawley 6/23/88.

431795 C-6a R2 Plain Edge without Pole on Thin Planchet VG10. Double Struck on 1794 Talbot Allum & Lee Cent with NEW YORK. Five points sharper but there are a half dozen shallow planchet lamination fl akes on the obverse, including a large one on the throat and a smaller one in the dentils over the T in LIBERTY. The remainder of the planchet is smooth and the reverse is choice. Glossy chocolate brown with lighter brown toning in the laminated areas on the obverse. Undertype from the TAL Cent shows clearest left of the cap. Double struck, the fi rst strike reasonably well centered on the planchet and the second off 5-10% to K-9 and rotated perhaps 10 degrees relative to the fi rst. Evidence of doubling is obvious on both sides, clearest on the bust and at MER. The 5 from the fi rst strike shows (weakly) right of the date creating a new date reading 17955. Weight 84.1 grains. Davy #95.6a.1.

Estimated Value ........................................................................ $700-UP

Ex J. L. Brobston, Stack’s 6/12/71.

44

441795 C-6a R2 Plain Edge without Pole on Thin Planchet G6. Flip-Over Triple Strike. Very slightly sharper with a couple dozen very tiny rim cuts around the obverse. The surfaces are smooth and there are no other marks worthy of men-tion. Slightly glossy dark steel with lighter steel brown high points. The initial strike was 15% off center to K-3 and the second im-pression was almost properly centered. The third and fi nal strike occurred after the planchet fl ipped over, and this third strike was positioned 5% off center to K-8. Undertype from two strikes of the reverse die can be found in the right obverse fi eld. UNITED shows near the rim before the portrait and ED from an-other UNITED is located just off the bust tip. The bust line shows in the dentils above ATES. Additional traces of undertype can be found on both sides with extra effort. A neat multiple-error strike. Weight 78.9 grains. Davy #95.6a.17.

Estimated Value ........................$300-UP

Ex Ron Guth 9/4/82.

451795 C-6a R2 Plain Edge without Pole on Thin

Planchet VG8. Flip-Over Double Strike. Sharpness F12 with very fi ne granularity covering the planchet. No

verdigris, but there are fi ne hairline scratches hidden in the patina on both sides and a mint-made planchet chip at the rim

over N in UNITED. Dark olive brown with lighter steel brown and chocolate toning on the high points. Boldly double struck. The fi rst

impression was 10% off center to K-4. The planchet was then fl ipped over and struck slightly off center to K-9. The date does not show on either side, but there is ample bold undertype visible on both sides, including a complete fraction below the bust tip. A dramatic example of the fl ip-over double strike type of mint error, and it is plated on page 481 in the Breen encyclopedia for that very reason. EDS, Manley state 1.0. Weight 76.9 grains. Davy #95.6a.4.



BREEN PLATE COIN

45

461795 C-6a R2 Plain Edge without Pole on Thin Planchet VG7. Flip-Over Double Strike on 1794 Talbot Allum & Lee Cent with NEW YORK. Glossy steel brown and chocolate. Smooth and free of notable defects. The initial impression was slightly off center to K-10 and the second was prop-erly centered after the planchet was fl ipped over. MERICA and the fraction from the fi rst strike are visible below the bust and in the left obverse fi eld. TY from LIBERTY of the initial strike shows clearly at D-S on the reverse. Very little evidence of the TAL Cent undertype remains visible, but ORK from NEW YORK is faintly visible at OF. Another excellent example of this type of multiple error strike. Weight 81.4 grains. Davy #95.6a.29.

Estimated Value ........................................................................... $500-UP

Ex Pete Boisvert 10/22/90.

46

471795 C-6a R2 Plain Edge without Pole on Thin Planchet VF30. Oval-Shaped Planchet. Slightly sharper with a dull rim nick off the chin and a faint scuff of very fi ne scratches arc-ing through the top of the cap. Otherwise this cent is smooth and quite attractive offering outstanding eye appeal. Choice glossy chocolate and steel brown. The planchet is oval or egg-shaped (perhaps a rugby football?), but there is no trace of undertype from a cut-down planchet on either side (the out-of-round planchet shape usually indicates a larger planchet was cut down to the smaller half cent size). Plated on page 470 in the Breen book to illustrate what he calls an “Oval Clip.” We could argue about the terminology, but the “coolness” of this piece is not in question. EDS, Manley state 1.0. Weight 78.4 grains. Davy #95.6a.9.

Estimated Value ..................................................................................................... $2,000-UP

Ex Kagin’s 1977 ANA Sale, 8/23/77:4462.

BREEN PLATE COIN FOR HIS “OVAL CLIP”

47

481795 C-6a R2 Plain Edge without Pole on Thin Planchet F15. Chatter Strike Slightly Off Center on a Talbot Allum & Lee Cent. Five points sharper but there are specks of reddish verdigris near the dentils before the face, a corroded area on the rim over ES in STATES, a spot of reddish verdigris below the L in LIBERTY, and another left of the U in UNITED. The remain-der of the planchet is smooth and the only signifi cant contact mark is a light scratch arcing through the base of the 1 in the date. Struck slightly off center to K-9.5 with fi ne doubling on the right edges of the letters of LIBERTY (caused by die bounce). The planchet was cut from a TAL Cent and under-type shows in the dentils before the nose. The half cent planchet was cut too close to the edge of the TAL Cent and “TH” from the edge lettering is clearly visible on the edge of the half cent right of the Y in LIBERTY. The “TH” is from “THE” which could be from a 1794 TAL Cent (edge lettered “PAY-ABLE AT THE STORE OF”) or from the 1795 version (edge lettered “WE PROMISE TO PAY THE BEARER ONE CENT”). Weight 80.2 grains. Davy #95.6a.35.

Estimated Value ........................... $700-UP


48

491795 C-6a R2 Plain Edge without Pole on Thin Planchet F12. Struck on a 1794 Talbot Allum & Lee Cent with Edge Device Showing. Glossy chocolate brown. The only mark is a dusting of very fi ne crud at the top of UN in UNITED. Excellent eye appeal for the grade, just a few trivial marks from choice. Struck on a planchet cut too close to the edge of a TAL Cent. The resulting half cent planchet is clearly not round and much of the ornamental edge device from the 1794 TAL shows on the half cent. Another neat “error” from this remarkable collection. Weight 86.4 grains. Davy #95.6a.43.

Estimated Value ........................................$800-UP


49

501795 C-6a R2 Plain Edge without Pole on Thin Plan-chet VG10. Struck on a 1794 Talbot Allum & Lee Cent with Edge Letters Showing. Slightly sharper but there are a few dull contact marks hidden in the curls and near the edge on the left side of the obverse, plus a couple more at the U and D in UNITED. Otherwise the surfaces are smooth and attractive, free of any signifi cant defects. Glossy chocolate and steel. Undertype from a 1794 TAL Cent is visible on both sides, and YORK shows weakly at the base of the cap. The half cent planchet is not per-fectly round thanks to being cut too close to the edge of the TAL, and a couple letters of the TAL edge lettering show on the half cent over ST in STATES. The letters may be “RE” from STORE (PAYABLE AT THE STORE OF). Weight 79.6 grains. Davy #95.6a.38.

Estimated Value ............................................... $500-UP


50

511795 C-6a R2 Plain Edge without Pole on Thin Planchet F12. Struck on a 1794 Talbot Allum & Lee Cent with Edge Letters Showing. Sharpness EF40 but covered with fi ne to moderate granularity. The only marks are an irregular plan-chet fi ssure on the neck with another in the fi eld before the neck, both as struck. No verdigris or contact marks. Sharply struck with crisp details, and assigning a net grade presents a challenge. Olive and bluish steel with lighter steel brown toning in protected areas on the reverse. Struck on a cut-down 1794 Talbot Allum & Lee Cent with NEW YORK. Undertype from the TAL Cent is visible on both sides. The oval-shaped planchet was cut too close to the edge of the larger TAL Cent and “BLE AT” is visible on the edge (from the TAL edge let-tering PAYABLE AT THE STORE OF found only on the 1794 version). In addition, “ORK” from NEW YORK is faintly visible at ED S. Weight 80.2 grains. Davy #95.6a.34.

Estimated Value ...................................................... $600-UP


51

521795 C-6a R2 Plain Edge without Pole on Thin Planchet G6. Struck on a 1794 Talbot Allum & Lee Cent with Two Indents. Slightly sharper with ex-tremely fi ne roughness under a glossy olive brown and chocolate patina. No verdigris, and the only marks are a very tiny rim bruise at Y in LIBERTY and another at TE in UNITED. Struck on a 1794 Talbot Allum & Lee Cent that has “RE” on the edge from “STORE” (PAYABLE AT THE STORE OF) on the edge of the host TAL planchet. In addition there are two indents. The one before the portrait is large and displays strong design details of undetermined origin. This large indent and the smaller one at the top of the reverse both contain dentil indents (brock-age impressions of dentils). Some have suggested these were created when the TAL planchets acci-dentally overlapped as they passed through rollers used to reduce their thickness before punching out the half cent planchets. However, Breen speculated that the planchets were not rolled before cutting out the smaller planchets (his encyclopedia, page 468). Other experts, including Eric Newman, subscribe to the overlapping planchet theory. I agree. The thick-ness of the half cent planchets is certainly less than the thickness of a normal TAL Cent, so the roller idea makes sense. Perhaps some were rolled and some were not. The design in the indent, strong as it is, doesn’t offer an easy answer. Regardless, this is a very interesting and mentally challenging half cent. Weight 80.4 grains. Davy #95.6a.27.

Estimated Value ........................................ $300-UP

Ex Steven Cunningham 2/15/89.

CHALLENGING DOUBLEINDENT 1795 C-6A

52

531795 C-6a R2 Plain Edge without Pole on Thin Planchet G5. Struck on a 1794 Talbot Allum & Lee Cent with a Single Indent. A couple points sharper but covered with uni-form very fi ne granularity. No verdigris or marks. Dark steel brown and chocolate. The date and legends are complete and readable but not strong. Struck on an out-of-round planchet cut from a 1794 TAL Cent that left “PAYA” on the edge off the bust tip (from PAYABLE AT THE STORE OF). In addition, there is a clear, strong indent at the top of the cap, and obvious but unidentifi ed design details are visible in the indented area. This indent is very similar to the indents on the previous lot. Having two similar examples may help explain how this happened, and my money is on overlapping planchets being squeezed by rollers (sorry Walter). Weight 73.8 grains. Davy #95.6a.33.

Estimated Value ................................................................................... $300-UP

Ex Coin Galleries 4/15/92:2258.

1795 C-6A WITH SINGLE INDENT

53

541795 C-6a/b R6 Plain Edge without Pole on Spoiled 1794 S-26 Large Cent G6. Struck on a 1794 Sheldon-26 Large Cent. Rather glossy medium brown with a small splash of darker reddish chocolate brown on the shoulder. No notable defects other than microscopic ticks and planchet chips scattered over both sides. Many of the details are consistent with a higher grade, but the strike is weak at the date and STATES due to the uneven nature of the host planchet. The date is weak but readable with some effort and STATES can be made out if you employ a bit of imagination on a couple let-ters. The remainder of the legends and devices are clear. Struck on a cut-down 1794 S-26 large cent with ONE and some of the wreath visible on the left side of the obverse. While convention says pieces struck on spoiled large cent planchets should weigh more (at least 100 grains) and are classifi ed as the C-6b variant, this piece weighs only 83.4 grains (versus the 84.0 grain standard for the thin planchet half cents). The thickness is consistent with a normal thin half cent planchet, so it would be safe to assume the large cent was rolled down prior to cutting out the half cent planchet. (Breen says in his encyclopedia that normally this was not done. He says the rollers would have been saved for more important work, but he allowed some wiggle room for spoiled cents to be rolled on occasion.) This piece is mentioned in the Manley book, pages 62 & 63. It is the only known example confi rmed to have been struck on a cut-down 1794 large cent. Weight 83.4 grains. Davy #95.6b.5.


Ex 1997 EAC Sale, 4/19/97:55.

1795 C-6A/B ON 1794 SHELDON-26

54

551795 C-6a R2 Plain Edge without Pole on a 1794 Overton-105 Half Dollar Die Trial in Copper VG10. Struck on a Cut-Down 1794 Half Dollar Die Trial in Copper, Overton-105, Judd-17. Five points sharper with a dozen small rim nicks, mostly on the obverse, and some microscopic pinpricks scattered over the obverse. No other defects, and the surfaces are smooth. The reverse is choice. Nice glossy medium chocolate brown offering excellent eye appeal. EDS, Manley state 1.0, prior to any hint of swelling near the dentils right of the Y in LIBERTY. Struck on a planchet cut from a copper die trial of the 1794 Overton-105 (Judd-17) half dollar. The reverse of the undertype cut-down 1794 half dollar trial strike shows on the obverse of the half cent, nearly upset relative to the half cent design. There is enough undertype remaining to be certain of the half dollar attribution. The eagle’s head is clearly visible at the 17 of the half cent date, and it faces his left wing, which is even stronger. Stronger evidence of the half dollar wreath shows off the bust tip. On the reverse of the half cent, the LI of LIBERTY is visible at CA in AMERICA. One of only six half cents (all of this variety) known to have been struck over copper trial strikes of 1794 and 1795 half dollars (the Mint didn’t want to waste any planchet material). An ex-tremely important piece of our early mint history that proves we made copper trial strikes of larger silver coins of different die varieties in 1794 and 1795, and more signifi cantly that we recycled that copper into circulating half cents dated 1795. Weight 82.1 grains. Davy #95.6a.54.

Estimated Value ....................................................................................................................................................$5,000-UP

Ex American Numismatic Rarities 6/23/04:2081.

1795 C-6A STRUCK ON CUT-DOWN 1794 OVERTON-105 HALF DOLLAR DIE TRIAL IN COPPER

55

561795 C-6a R2 Plain Edge without Pole on a 1794 Overton-102 Half Dollar Die Trial in Cop-per G5. Struck on a Cut-Down Copper Die Trial of a 1794 Overton-102 Half Dollar. Sharpness VG10, even better on the reverse, but both sides are covered with fi ne granularity. No verdigris, but there is a strong rim nick over the second T in STATES and a scratch from the H in HALF down to the knot on the wreath bow. Slightly glossy dark olive and steel. The date is weak but easily readable and the legends are strong. This half cent was struck over a copper die trial of a 1794 half dollar. There is clear undertype from a portion of the half dollar wreath off the bust tip. The very bottom of a large “C” from AMERICA is located off the leaf tips at the upper end of this undertype. There isn’t much undertype to work with on this example (none on the reverse), but there is enough to match it to the 1794 O-102 reverse and to eliminate all the other possi-bilities. By our count, 6 examples of the 1795 C-6a half cent are known struck over a cut-down copper die trial of a 1794 or 1795 half dollar. Our census includes 1794 O-101 (1), 1794 O-102 (1), 1794 O-104(1), 1794 O-105 (2), and 1795 O-117 (1). It may be safe to assume there are a few more out there misidentifi ed as being double struck or struck over a TAL Cent. Weight 75.1 grains. Davy #95.6a.39.

Estimated Value ...........................................................................................................$5,000-UP

Ex Bowers & Merena (as double struck).

56

571795 C-6a R2 Plain Edge without Pole VG10. Double Struck on a Planchet with a Straight-Edge Clip. Glossy chocolate and steel. No corrosion or verdigris. Only a few light contact marks, includ-ing a pair of fi ne hairline scratches over AMERICA. Double struck. The offset between strikes is slightly more than a millimeter and is rotated about 5-10 degrees. The doubling is clearest along the profi le from the face down to the bust tip. Extensive doubling is also visible on the reverse, especially at STATES that now reads “SSATESS.” The outside edge of the straight-edge planchet clip over D-STA has a few light scrape marks that suggest the clip may

not be mint-made, but that is diffi cult to determine with certainty. The date is weak but can be made out with some effort and the

legends are complete. Weight 89.7 grains. Davy #95.6a.32.



581795 C-6a R2 Plain Edge without Pole G6. Struck on a Planchet with a Curved Clip. Very slightly sharper where properly struck up, but the lower part of the obverse and upper section of the reverse are a bit softly impressed. A patch of shallow planchet erosion under the bust tip nearly obliterates the 5 in the date but the 179 remain visible although weak. The legends are com-plete and easily readable. Slightly glossy steel brown with chocolate toning in protected areas. A curved planchet clip reaches just inside the dentils opposite the neck and AME. While all planchet clips are rare on early half cents, curved ones (created by the planchet cutter) are especially rare. Weight 80.9 grains. Davy #95.6a.14.

Estimated Value ................................................................................$200-UP

Ex Jack Borckardt 3/12/82.

57

591795 C-6a R2 Plain Edge with-out Pole G6. Struck on a Cracked Planchet. Sharpness VG10 but covered with fi ne granularity on all but the high points, which are smooth. No verdigris or contact marks, but there is an obvious planchet crack from the rim right of the bust tip reaching nearly to the throat, plus a less-visible one from the rim up through the 9 to the truncation above. Slightly glossy dark olive and steel. The date is weak but read-able and the legends are clear. Weight 77.1 grains. Davy #95.6a.15.

Estimated Value ......................................................................$200-UP


601795 C-6a R2 Plain Edge without Pole Fair-2. Struck on a Planchet with an Incomplete Planchet Cutter Impression. Slightly glossy chocolate brown. The center of the obverse is covered with tiny pitmarks and the surfaces are slightly uneven. The date is very faint, nearly gone, but most of the legends are readable. Basically a heavily worn half cent, but it comes with a re-deeming quality. A fi ne arc from an incomplete planchet cutter impression is located a millimeter or two inside the right edge on both sides. The mint worker started to cut the planchet, then repositioned the cutting tool and fi nished the job, thus creating this extremely rare type of early mint error for us to enjoy today. Weight 74.3 grains. Davy #95.6a.24.

Estimated Value ............................................................................ $100-UP

Ex Mike Packard 4/15/88.

58

611796 C-1 R6 Without Pole ANACS graded AG details net Poor-1. Sharpness Good-4, even better in many areas, but the obverse fi elds were tooled and a large (4-5 millimeter diameter) hole was drilled through the planchet before the mouth. The hole has been plugged with minimal skill leaving obvious toolmarks in the area and the plug retains a coppery tone while the remainder of the planchet is a rather glossy chocolate brown. Several planchet voids affect the reverse, but these mint-made fl aws are insignifi cant given the other post-minting defects. However, there are some positive features. The date is complete and easily readable, only the bottom of the 6 starting to fade away. LIBERTY, UNITED STATES, and the fraction are visible but the remainder of the reverse legend is gone. The ever-present bisecting die crack on the obverse is visible as a wave in the fi eld even with the bottom edge of the cap, strongest near the dentils, but the large hole and plug cover the area where the crack would have shown in front of the portrait. This may be the worst-known example of the variety, but it’s still a 1796 No Pole and that means a lot. You may ask why this piece is included in a sale of errors. It’s a stretch, but think “error of judgment.” Someone decided it would be a good idea to drill that big hole through a 1796 C-1, and that’s an egregious error. The attribution is noted on the ANACS label. Weight unknown since it’s slabbed. Davy #96.1.3.


Ex Bernie Trombly 4/4/98.

CERTIFIED 1796 C-1 WITHOUT POLE

59

621796 Edwards Copy Kenny-1 Rarity-7 EF45. Choice glossy medium brown. The surfaces are smooth and the eye appeal is excellent. A strong glass reveals that there are some extremely faint hairlines in the fi eld before the portrait, all well hidden under the glossy toning. The only notable mark is a faint, very light but fresh scuff down from the left ribbon end. The edge under the date is covered with very fi ne but uniform reed-ing, which is quite unusual. The Edwards copies of the 1796 half cent were struck using hand-made dies on rolled copper planchets. These planchets vary greatly in weight, with the cur-rently known specimens ranging from 59.4 grains to 94.5 grains and scattered rather randomly at various weights between these extremes. This piece is near the middle of the range. The work-manship is of good quality and the resulting design is a fairly accurate representation of the genuine article. These were struck sometime prior to 1865, and the fi rst auction appearance came in 1866. After the death of Dr. Edwards, Edward Cogan wrote that he had destroyed the dies and all but 12 of the remaining speci-mens. It is possible, of course, that Dr. Edwards had distributed a few additional specimens before his death. These copies are highly sought and seldom appear for sale, and the population of known specimens appears to match the reported survivorship, or nearly so. Weight 72.4 grains. Davy #96.3.4.

Estimated Value ........................................................ $7,500-UP

Ex Jim Jelinski (Essex Numismatics) 8/5/84.

BEAUTIFUL 1796 EDWARDS COPY

60

631796 Edwards Copy Kenny-1 Electrotype Copy AU50. Glossy dark olive brown and steel with chocolate brown high points. Satiny luster covers the protected areas on the reverse. The only mark is a small patch of carbon after the second A in AMERICA. A well-executed electrotype copy of a copy, so nice in fact that this is the plate coin in the Breen book (page 166) illustrating the Edwards Copy. Whether or not Breen knew this piece was an electrotype copy when he selected it for his illustration is unknown. Weight 83.4 grains. Davy #96.3.2.

Estimated Value .................................................. $500-UP

Ex Stack’s 5/79:9 (withdrawn).

1796 EDWARDS COPY BREEN PLATE COIN

61

641797 C-1 R2 1 Above 1 Variety VF20. Double Struck with 90 Degree Rotation Between Strikes. Choice glossy chocolate brown with smooth, very attractive surfaces. Great eye appeal, nearly fl awless. Double struck. The fi rst impression was 10% off center to K-6 leaving the bottom of the date off the planchet. The second strike was properly centered and rotated about 90 degrees clockwise relative to the fi rst strike. The end result is a dramatic, very attractive mint error with 2 dates and lots of bold evidence of both strikes. LDS, Manley state 5.0, with extensive die cracks on the obverse. Weight 80.4 grains. Davy #97.1.21.

Estimated Value ........................................................................ $2,000-UP

Ex an unrecorded seller at the 2003 EAC Convention 4/25/03.

BOLDLY DOUBLE STRUCK 1797 C-1

62

661797 C-1 R2 1 Above 1 Variety VG10. Double Struck with 1 Millimeter Shift. Sharpness VF20 or slightly better but there is a spot of shallow reddish verdigris covering ERT in LIBERTY and both sides are covered with myriad hairline scratches. Rather glossy chocolate and steel with splashes of reddish chocolate toning on the obverse. Double struck with a 1 millimeter shift between impressions. Clear evidence of the fi rst strike shows on both sides. The date reads 17977 (al-though the fi nal digit is weak) and the fraction has 200 resting on top of the second 200. Similar strong undertype shows on the portrait and legend outside the wreath. M-LDS, Manley state 4.0. Weight 79.7 grains. Davy #97.1.15.

Estimated Value ...................................................................................................................................................$1,500-UP


651797 C-1 R2 1 Above 1 Variety F15. Double Struck, the First Strike Off Center. Sharpness EF45 but there is an old, strong scratch in the center of the obverse. Slightly glossy dark olive and steel with very fi ne granularity covering the planchet, strongest on the reverse. No verdi-gris. Double struck. The fi rst strike was 30-40% off center to K-2 and

the second strike was centered on the planchet. The top of the upper 1 (the 1 above the normal 1 in the date) from the

off-center strike shows on the bust above the second 7 in the second date. Strong undertype from the fi rst strike shows on the right half of both sides.

Sharply struck EDS, Manley state 1.0, before any die cracks. Weight 86.2 grains. Davy #97.1.19.

Estimated Value ......................... $100-UP

Ex Bowers & Merena Walter Childs Sale 8/30/99:20-Don Valenziano 1/13/2000.

63

671797 C-1 R2 1 Above 1 Variety AG3+. Triple Struck with One Strike Off Center. Retoned glossy light blu-ish steel brown and chocolate. The surfaces are decent with only minor contact marks, including a scuff of very fi ne hairline scratches across the date, and no signifi cant corrosion. This piece was struck at least 3 times. Two of the strikes are centered on the planchet and separated by a 45-degree rotation. The bust tip of that undertype impression shows in the fi eld before the chin of the dominate impression, and on the reverse there is a strong AME followed by another strong AME. The off-center strike was 15-20% off center to K-8. Evidence of that impression includes a bust tip under the truncation of the dominate strike and the 79 of the date near the rim below the lowest curl. M-LDS, Manley state 4.0. Davy #97.1.10.

Estimated Value ........................................... $300-UP


64

681797 C-1 R2 1 Above 1 Variety VF30. Double Struck on a 1794 Talbot Allum & Lee Cent with NEW YORK. Nice glossy olive and chocolate brown. Virtu-ally fl awless, just lightly worn. Ample evidence of the TAL Cent undertype is visible on both sides, including “NEW” at the top of the cap. This piece was double struck with both impressions centered on the planchet but rotated 30 degrees between the impressions. The result is dramatic, especially on the obverse where the date reads “17971797” and LIBERTY has become “LIBELIBERTY”. M-LDS, Manley state 4.0. Weight 90.7 grains. Davy #97.1.18.

Estimated Value ........................................$2,000-UP

Ex Anderson Dupont Sale, Stack’s 11/54:1061-Dr. Thomas S. Chalkley, Superior 1/28/91:25-Tom Reyn-olds 12/9/94.

BEAUTIFUL DOUBLE STRUCK 1797 C-1

65

701797 C-1 R2 1 Above 1 Variety VG8. Struck on a 1794 Talbot Allum & Lee Cent with Edge Lettering. A couple points sharper with myriad fi ne hairline scratches on both sides. The scratches all blend into the glossy chocolate and steel toning and the eye ap-peal remains quite nice for the grade. The only other defects are a small planchet fl ake above the fi rst 7 in the date and a spot of very fi ne roughness at the H in HALF. E-MDS, Manley state 2.0. The date is strong. Struck on a 1794 TAL Cent with obvious undertype visible on both sides. The half cent planchet was cut out too close to the edge of the TAL Cent. As a result the planchet is not round and “HE STO” is clearly visible on the edge (from the normal 1794 TAL edge lettering that reads “PAYABLE AT THE STORE OF”). Weight 88.8 grains. Davy #97.1.8.


Ex Ron Guth 7/23/82.

691797 C-1 R2 1 Above 1 Variety AG3+. Double Struck on a 1794 Talbot Allum & Lee Cent with NEW YORK. Glossy chocolate brown with smooth surfaces. The only mark is a dull, light scratch or thin scrape above the C in CENT. Many of the details are con-sistent with a slightly higher grade, especially the portrait that grades at least G6, but portions of the legend on the reverse are worn smooth. Strong undertype from the TAL Cent shows on both sides, and RK from YORK is visible at ERT in the version of LIBERTY that is visible before the face of the bold-est version of Ms Liberty. This piece was double struck. Both impressions were nearly centered on the planchet and were rotated 35 degrees between strikes. Clear evidence of each strike is visible on both sides, but only the 97 of one of the dates is readable. A very nice example of this type of mint error in spite of the relatively low grade. Weight 84.3 grains. Davy #97.1.20.

Estimated Value ........................... $300-UP

Ex Lanny Reinhardt 4/24/93.

66

711797 C-1 R2 1 Above 1 Variety F15. Struck over a 1795 Talbot Allum & Lee Cent. Glossy chocolate brown. No roughness or verdigris and only a few trivial contact marks mixed in with lots of strong undertype from the 1795 TAL Cent. The aft of the ship shows clearly before the face of Ms Liberty and much of the compact legend of the reverse of the 1795 version is clearly visible under the date. The 1795 date is visible at TES in STATES, although the 5 is weak. While half cents struck on planchets cut from 1794 TAL Cents are relatively common, ones from the 1795 version are extremely rare. And this example displays lots of the distinctive 1795 reverse undertype in addition to the date, so the attribution is unquestioned. M-LDS, Manley state 4.0 late with die failure that severely weakens RICA. Weight 95.4 grains. Davy #97.1.7.

Estimated Value .....................................$1,000-UP

Ex Samuel Ungar-R. K. Ivey 3/12/82.

1797 C-1 WITH 1795 TAL CENT UNDERTYPE

67

721795 Talbot Allum & Lee Cent Breen-1035 AU55. Lustrous medium brown with darker steel brown toning on the high points and traces of faded mint color remain-ing in a few places. Excellent eye appeal, just a few trivial contact marks and a light touch of friction on the high points. The edge is lettered and reads “WE PROMISE TO PAY THE BEARER ONE CENT”. Obviously this is neither a half cent nor an error strike. But it is added here because of the important relationship between these TAL cents (or at least their planchets) and our half cents.

Estimated Value ................................................$200-UP

Ex Abner Kreisberg (Quality Sales Corp.) MBS 11/30/70:28.

731797 C-2 R3 F15. Double Struck Slightly Off Center. Sharp-ness VF20 or slightly better but the surfaces display extreme-ly faint roughness in the fi elds and protected areas, stron-gest on the reverse. No verdigris, only some barely visible hairline scratches hidden in the natural toning. Mostly glossy chocolate brown with traces of lighter brown toning around Ms Liberty. Double struck slightly off center to K-8.5. The offset between impressions is small, perhaps .5 to 1.0 milli-meters, but the doubling is obvious on both sides and the date reads 17977. Plated on page 479 in the Breen encyclopedia to represent what he calls “Close Centered Double Striking.” Weight 69.1 grains. Davy #97.2.7.


Ex Auction ‘80, Stack’s 8/15/80:1006.

BREEN PLATE COIN

68

741797 C-2 R3 VG10+. Double Struck Off Center over Talbot Allum & Lee Cent. Glossy chocolate brown with hints of light bluish steel overtone. Smooth and nearly fl awless, a tiny pinprick in the fi eld over the head offering the best identifying mark. Close to F12. Double struck over a TAL Cent. The fi rst strike was centered on the plan-chet while the second was slightly off center to K-8. The date from the initial impression remains readable just above the stronger second date, and clear doubling with a 1-millimeter offset is visible elsewhere on both sides. Evidence of the TAL Cent undertype shows at UNI in UNITED. This piece was cataloged as a triple strike when sold in the Roger Cohen sale (Superior 2/2/92), but the TAL undertype was thought to be evidence of another strike from the half cent dies. Either way, it’s a great half cent. Weight 91.8 grains. Davy #97.2.18.

Estimated Value ................................... $1,000-UP


69

751797 C-2 R3 G6. Double Struck with Rota-tion. Very slightly sharper but covered with extremely fi ne granularity on all but the high points. No verdigris. The only marks are faint hair-line scratches on both sides, all hidden in the slightly glossy chocolate and steel brown toning. Double struck. Both strikes are fairly well centered on the planchet but the second is rotated 10-15 degrees CCW relative to the fi rst. LIBERTY reads “LIBIBERYTY”, there are two strong poles at the bust, and the clearest fraction is offset well to the right relative to its normal position in the wreath. Sometimes referred to as “The Two-Pole Variety.” Weight 81.2 grains. Davy #97.2.4.

Estimated Value ....................................................... $1,000-UP


761797 C-2 R3 VG8. Double Struck Slightly Off Center with Rotation. Slightly sharper but there are small areas of shallow corrosion in the fi eld off the chin and another over the fi rst LI in LIBERTY, plus some extremely tiny pitmarks scattered over the reverse. Glossy chocolate and light bluish steel brown. Double struck in a manner vir-tually identical to the preceding lot. The fi rst strike was centered and the second very slightly off center to K-7 with a rotation of 10-15 degrees CCW between the strikes. There are two strong poles at the bust tip, LIBERTY reads “LILIBERYTY”, and the fraction is offset well to the right of its proper location. The similarity to the preceding lot is uncanny, but this one is slightly less worn. A second example of “The Two Pole Variety.” Weight 90.1 grains. Davy #97.2.2.

Estimated Value ..................................................$400-UP


70

781797 C-2 R3 G4. Double Struck Well Off Center. Several points sharper but the surfaces are uneven with small patches of shallow corrosion on both sides. No verdigris or notable contact marks. Rather glossy chocolate brown with darker steel and olive toning in protected areas. Double struck. One impression was about 45% off center to K-7 and the other was centered on the planchet. LIBE from the off-center strike shows at the bottom of the cap and UN is clearly visible at the upper left of the reverse. Ample additional evidence of the off-center strike is visible on both sides. The date from the main (centered) strike remains easily readable. Weight 87.1 grains. Davy #97.2.25.

Estimated Value .................................................................................................................................................... $1,000-UP

Ex Superior 6/2/97:9.

771797 C-2 R3 F15+. Double Struck on Center with Minor Rotation. Close to VF20 but there is a small spot of very fi ne roughness at the tip of the lowest curl. Otherwise the planchet is smooth and attractive and the only mark is a small rim nick just right of the fraction. Very attractive glossy chocolate brown. Nicely struck and well balanced. Double struck. Both strikes were centered on the planchet and the second was rotated slightly CCW relative to the fi rst. The result is fi ne but clear doubling on nearly everything leaving two poles at the bust, two mouths, two eyes, and sharp doubling on all 4 digits of the date. Weight 82.4 grains. Davy #97.2.23.

Estimated Value ...................................... $300-UP


71

791797 C-2 R3 VG8. Double Struck with Both Strikes Slightly

Off Center. Sharpness VF20 but covered with fi ne rough-ness under a slightly glossy dark chocolate and olive

brown patina. No verdigris, and the notable mark is a dull but obvious scratch from ES in

STATES to the F in HALF. Double struck. The fi rst strike was slightly off center to K-11 and the second was off a bit to K-6 and rotated 10-15 degrees relative to the fi rst. There is a stray “97” on the bust tip in addition to a complete date in the usual place and an extra “200” denominator

is located below and slightly left of the normal fraction. Additional clear doubling

is visible on both sides. Weight 72.4 grains. Davy #97.2.14.


Ex Kagin’s 9/78:9-Bowers & Merena 1989 ANA Sale 8/9/89:1115.

801797 C-2 R3 Fair-2. Flipover Double Strike. The obverse details are sharper but the reverse is weaker and most of those details are gone. There is a small but deep contact mark near the dentils at K-1 on the obverse that caused a tiny bump to stick out on the reverse. Slightly glossy dark chocolate and olive brown. Far from the most attractive half cent in this sale, but it does have a redeeming qual-ity. This piece was double struck and it was fl ipped over between impressions. Both strikes were centered on the planchet. Strong evidence of the reverse shows on the ob-verse, including a portion of the wreath across the bottom of the truncation, more of the wreath before the face, and AM from AMERICA clearly visible just right of the Y in LIBERTY. The 97 of the date is faint but readable. While double struck examples are relatively common (although very rare in a real sense), pieces that were fl ipped over be-fore being struck a second time are extremely rare. Weight 66.4 grains. Davy #97.2.28.


Ex Chris McCawley, McCawley & Grellman Auctions/Superior 9/23/02:1525-McCawley & Grellman Auctions/Superior 3/31/05:1086.

72

811797 C-2 R3 G4. Off Center. The obverse is better while the reverse is weaker thanks to being bulged outward slightly. Glossy medium brown and light chocolate. The date and LIBERTY are clear but only slightly more than half of the reverse legend remains readable. Struck 10% off center to K-8.5. Weight 82.1 grains. Davy #97.2.27.

Estimated Value ..................................... $300-UP

Ex an unrecorded seller at the 2003 EAC Conven-tion 4/25/03.

821797 C-2 R3 G6. Struck Over Off Center 1797 S-139 Large Cent. Glossy olive and dark chocolate brown with lighter chocolate toning covering the devices. The surfaces are smooth although not perfectly so and the only notable marks are some faint hairline scratches across the date. The half cent was struck very slightly off center to K-12 but only the length of the half cent dentils was affected. The planchet for this half cent was cut from an off-center 1797 Sheldon-139 large cent, and strong evidence of the large cent remains visible on both sides. Although the date of the large cent is not included and only the upper parts of AME and some of the dentils are visible, there is enough detail to attribute the cent. Of particular importance is the elongated dentil over the left edge of the M, which is of considerable help in the search. This is a fantastic early “error” (remember, spoiled large cent planchets were used intentionally to make half cents, so they are technically not “errors”). But they sure are neat! This piece is plated on page 482 of the Breen encyclopedia to illustrate a half cent struck on an off-center large cent. Weight 90.6 grains. Davy #97.2.6.

Estimated Value ............................................. $300-UP

Ex Roy Harte, Bowers & Ruddy 11/16/77:2049 (via Abner Kreisberg 11/26/77).

1797 C-2 OVER SPOILED 1797 S-137 LARGE CENT

73

841797 C-2 R3 VG7. Double Struck on 1794 Talbot Allum & Lee Cent with NEW YORK. Very slightly sharper but lightly cleaned and retoned a rather glossy light olive and chocolate brown, the obverse a couple shades lighter than the reverse. The surfaces are smooth and display only a few trivial marks. Among these are a small rim nick over the T in LIBERTY, a few faint hairline scratches across the date, and a minor planchet fi ssure at the rim left of the lower curls (as struck). The date is clear. Undertype from the 1794 TAL Cent includes NEW from NEW YORK at RTY and COM from COMMERCE at the dentils right of the fraction. Double struck with a small offset of less than a millimeter between the impressions. Everything displays doubling, which is clearest along the profi le of Ms Liberty. Weight 87.5 grains. Davy #97.2.20.


Ex Bowers & Merena 3/4/92.

831797 C-2 R3 G4. Struck over a 1794 Talbot Al-lum & Lee Cent with NEW YORK. Sharpness at least VG8 but lightly corroded. No marks or verdigris. The date is easily readable and the leg-ends are mostly clear. Rather glossy olive brown with lighter chocolate brown toning on the high points. Much of the TAL Cent undertype remains readable on both sides, including ORK from NEW YORK just above the head. Weight 90.5 grains. Davy #97.2.12.

Estimated Value .................................... $400-UP

Ex Don Valenziano at the 1988 EAC Convention.

74

851797 C-2 R3 G5. Struck over a 1795 Talbot Allum & Lee Cent with Edge Lettering. Attractive glossy chocolate brown with smooth surfaces. Just a few minor contact marks, including a dull, light scratch in the fi eld over the bust tip, a small rim bruise at the second T in STATES, and an even smaller one at IC in AMERICA. Struck over a 1795 TAL Cent with “ISE TO” on the edge (from WE PROMISE TO PAY THE BEARER ONE CENT). TAL Cent undertype from BERTY has obliterated the date of the half cent, and STORE from the reverse of the TAL Cent shows clearly at the top of the reverse. Half cents struck over cut-down 1794 TAL Cents are not especially rare, but ones on the 1795 version are quite rare and only a couple of those show remnants of the edge let-ters. Weight 83.2 grains. Davy #97.2.24.


Ex Gino Sanfi lippo.

75

861797 C-2 R3 VF25. Clipped Planchet. Very attractive glossy light olive and chocolate brown. No corrosion and only a few trivial marks, including a collection of micro-scopic pinpricks in the fi eld over the end of the pole and another small pinprick hidden in the dentils left of the lower curls. Nicely struck, although there are some tiny, pre-striking planchet chips inside the wreath that weaken LF and NT. A slightly curved mint-made planchet clip affects the dentils before the mouth. Great eye appeal for the grade, and an argument could be made for VF30. Weight 69.5 grains, which is signifi cantly underweight thanks to the planchet being thinner than normal. The thinness helps explain why all the central planchet chips didn’t completely strike out. The dies were set for strik-ing a slightly thicker planchet. Davy #97.2.17.

Estimated Value ..............................................$300-UP

Ex Charles Steigerwalt 1911 FPL-unknown-Loye Lauder, William Doyle Galleries 12/16/83:247-Roger S. Cohen, Jr., Superior 2/2/92:81.

76

871797 C-3a R3 Low Head with Plain Edge F15+. Slightly Off Center over Spoiled Large Cent. Sharpness EF40 or better but the surfaces are minutely rough under an attractive glossy light olive and medium brown patina. The color and eye appeal are excellent in spite of the roughness, which is strongest on the upper part of the reverse. No verdigris, and the only mark is a tiny nick in the fi eld under the I in LIBERTY. Close to VF20 in spite of the imperfect surfaces. Struck slightly off center to K-7 on a planchet cut down from an off-center large cent, but the date and legends remain on the planchet. There is an arc of cent dentils from the chin down to the shoulder of Ms Liberty. The reverse has several traces of cent undertype. These include and N of ONE left of the U in UNITED, D STAT arcing from the H in HALF to the second A in AMERICA, and the EN of CENT over UN in UNITED of the half cent. None of the cent undertype is strong, but there is a lot of it. MDS, Manley state 2.0. The die crack from the chin extends lightly to the rim at right. Weight 98.1 grains. Davy #97.3a.10.

Estimated Value .............................................................................. $2,000-UP

Ex Hugh Campbell-Jack Beymer-Roger S. Cohen, Jr., Superior 2/2/92:86.

SHARP 1797 C-3A LOW HEAD

77

881797 C-3a R3 Low Head with Plain Edge G6. Struck over Spoiled Large Cent. A couple points sharper, especially on the obverse, but covered with extremely fi ne granularity. No verdigris, just some old pinscratches on the portrait into the fi eld under the cap, all blend-ing into the natural toning. Rather glossy olive brown and chocolate with lighter choco-late toning covering the devices. The date is strong and the legends are clear except for weakness at the top of the reverse. Struck on a planchet cut from an off-center large cent. An arc of large cent dentils shows under the bust and a stronger arc of opposing dentils reaches from the rim at D-S to the O in OF. AMER from the off-center large cent shows rather clearly in large letters inside those cent dentils at the top of the reverse, and the cent design contributed to the weakness on STATES OF in the half cent legend. Weight 77.1 grains. Davy #97.3a.13.

Estimated Value ................................................................................................. $2,000-UP


78

891797 C-3a R3 Low Head with Plain Edge AG3. Struck over Off Center Large Cent. Glossy dark chocolate brown with lighter brown highlights on the reverse. No corrosion or roughness, but there are some dull contact marks, including one in the center of the obverse, another left of the L in LIBER-TY, and a third over the E in UNITED. The legends are mostly clear but there is no date as that area is covered with the bust of an off center large cent. The F from OF on the cent reverse is visible inside the oppos-ing arc of large cent dentils at the top of the reverse. Weight 76.5 grains. Davy #97.3a.9.

Estimated Value .......................................................................$300-UP


901797 C-3a R3 Low Head with Plain Edge AG3. Struck over Off Center Large Cent with Indent. Glossy chocolate and steel brown. No roughness or verdigris, but there are some scratches on both sides, including a strong one from the ear to the top of the head. The date is bold but most of the legends are worn smooth. Struck on a badly off-center large cent. A bold arc of the reverse of the large cent shows at the top of the obverse of the half cent, and “OF” from the cent is clearly visible. The large cent was struck with an indent error on the obverse (probably caused when a blank planchet partially overlapped this planchet as it was struck by the cent dies), and the indent shows opposite the struck portion of the cent at the top of the half cent obverse. There is some faint design in the indented area, possibly from an off-center brockage impression (see the next lot). Weight 73.8 grains. Davy #97.3a.6.


Ex Jim McGuigan at the 1982 ANA Convention (as part of a swap of 1796 half cents) 8/18/82.

79

911797 C-3a R3 Low Head with Plain Edge AG3+. Struck over Off Center Reverse Brockage Large Cent. The obverse is at least G4 with a clear date while the reverse is only AG3. Smooth and attractive, just worn. The only marks of any signifi cance are two light hair-line scratches in the fi eld under the cap. Glossy light chocolate brown. Struck on an off-center large cent showing strong evidence of the cent on both sides. “S OF” from the cent reverse is clearly visible before the head, and an incuse brockage impression of “TE” from the cent reverse shows in the reverse indent. This “TE” could be from UNITED or STATES, but it appears to be from UNITED based on what appears to be the faint top of a D following the E. Obviously the spoiled cent was an off-center brockage strike. Another wonderful example of the various anomalies found on our early half cents and the frugality of our Federal Mint during its infancy. Weight 70.4 grains. Davy #97.3a.4.

Estimated Value ....................................................................................$200-UP

Ex Bill Weber (part of a trade) 11/11/80.

921797 C-3a R3 Low Head with Plain Edge AG3. Off Center. A couple points sharper, especially on the obverse, but covered with microscopic granularity on all but the high points, which are nearly smooth. No verdigris, and the only marks are a few very thin rim nicks over the O in OF. The date is complete and easily readable and most of the reverse legend is vis-ible. Slightly glossy dark chocolate brown with lighter brown high points. Struck 10% off center to K-1.5. Weight 79.1 grains. Davy #97.3a.5.



80

931797 C-3a R3 Low Head with Plain Edge AG3. Off Center. Slightly sharper but banged up a bit. The surfaces are uneven with traces of very light corrosion but no verdigris. The notable marks are a couple nicks close above the head, a dull rim nick under the 17, another at the top of the cap, and a rim cut right of the fraction. Mostly glossy dark olive with lighter steel brown toning on the devices. The date is clear and most of the legends remain visible. LDS, Manley state 3.0. Struck 5% off center to K-2. The edge has numerous contact marks that have led some serious collectors to believe this piece has a gripped edge, but unfortunately they are post-striking contact marks. Weight 80.4 grains. Davy #97.3a.11.

Estimated Value ......................................................................... $200-UP

Ex Frank E. Wilkinson (who thought the edge marks were from a gripped edge) 8/86-Roger S. Cohen, Jr., Superior 2/2/92:89.

81

941797 C-3b R4 Low Head with Lettered Edge VG8. Struck over Off Center Large Cent. Sharpness F12 but covered with microscopic roughness. No verdigris and only a few contact marks, including a couple very light scratches hidden in the hair below the ear. Slightly glossy light olive and chocolate brown. The date and legends are easily readable although a few letters are relatively weak. Struck over a cut-down off center large cent with an arc of the dentils of the large cent strongly impressed at 179 (of the half cent date) to the left of the lower curls. An opposing arc of large cent dentils shows at TATES of the half cent reverse. The date and legends are all readable, and the edge lettering is strong (although most of the letters hang off the thin planchet, as usual). Weight 80.1 grains. Davy #97.3b.6.


Ex 1984 EAC Sale 3/31/84:422 (where miscataloged as “double struck”).

LETTERED EDGE 1797 C-3B OVER OFF-CENTER LARGE CENT

82

951797 C-3b R4 Low Head with Lettered Edge AG3. Struck over Off Center Large Cent. Very slightly sharper but there is a patch of light corrosion that contains traces of raised emerald green verdigris on the cheek and some more on the reverse rim at K-9 to K-12. The remainder of the planchet is relatively smooth but does have microscopic roughness under the rather glossy olive brown and chocolate patina. No contact marks of any signifi cance. The date is strong and LIBERTY is clear, but much of the reverse legend is gone. Struck on an off-center large cent with “AM” of AMERICA clearly visible before the throat and opposing arcs of cent dentils show on both sides. The edge lettering is complete and strong except for the last few letters of DOLLAR, which are weakened by the light corrosion. Weight 79.0 grains. Davy #97.3b.4.

Estimated Value ........................................................................................... $1,500-UP

Ex Joe Flynn 3/24/80.

83

961797 C-3b R4 Low Head with Let-tered Edge G4. Struck over Off Center Large Cent. Sharpness VG10 but covered with light to moderate corrosion. No ver-digris or contact marks. Slightly glossy dark olive and steel. The date is strong and the legends are complete except for STATES OF, which are faint or missing. Struck very slightly off center to K-5 on a spoiled large cent planchet. The only clearly visible evidence of the cent is a large “A” positioned over the C in AMERICA. The edge lettering is complete and clear, although many of the letters hang off the thin planchet. Weight 82.0 grains. Davy #97.3b.8.

Estimated Value ......................................................................... $500-UP

Ex American Numismatic Rarities 9/13/03:116.

971797 C-3b R4 Low Head with Lettered Edge G5. Struck over a Large Cent that was Double Struck Off Center. A couple points sharper but fi ne roughness covers both sides and there are patches of very fi ne reddish verdigris dusted on the obverse, especially at LIB and in the fi eld before the eye. In addition, there are some light hairline scratches down the portrait and a few rim nicks on the reverse. Slightly glossy light olive brown and chocolate. Struck over a double struck cut-down large cent. The hair ribbon from one of the cent strikes shows strongly on the lower curls, and the cent under-type obliterates the 1 in the half cent date. On the reverse is strong cent undertype of ATE from STATES covering the area where STATES would have been on the half cent, and weaker but unmistakable undertype from STATES also shows at the tops of OF-AMER (which proves the double-struck status of the cent undertype). The edge lettering is mostly strong but a few of the letters are distorted by the rim nicks. The reverse is plated on page 29 in Roger Cohen’s second edition of his half cent book to illustrate the “Large Cent Planchet” undertype because the evidence is so strong. Weight 90.0 grains. Davy #97.3b.7.

Estimated Value ......................................................... $400-UP

Ex Robert Batchelder-Roger S. Cohen, Jr., Superior 2/2/92:93.

COHEN PLATE COIN

84

991800 C-1 R2 G4. Struck over Off Center Large Cent. Glossy light olive and chocolate brown. No roughness, only faint hairlines and trivial contact marks including some tiny pinpricks on the portrait and a couple tiny hairline scratches in the indented area at the top of the head. Struck over an off-center large cent with TAT from STATES on the cent at the bottom of the reverse. The opposing area on the obverse is indented and it contains faint evidence of what appears to be a large “A”. Roger Cohen stated on page 35 in the second edition of his book on the half cent series that he was aware of only 6 examples of 1800 half cents that showed clear undertype from a spoiled large cent. The 1992 catalog of his collection updated this number to 8 examples, and none of those is in high grade. Today that number is slightly higher thanks to the discovery of a few more low-grade pieces, but it’s still in the Rarity-7 range. Don’t let the fact that 5 are being offered in this sale lead you to think they are “common.” Weight 73.5 grains. Davy #00.1.20.


Ex Barry Knastle 7/28/92.

981800 C-1 R2 G5. Struck over Off Center Large Cent. A couple points sharper with a dull scratch from the eye to the rim at right and a dozen small pinpricks on the reverse, especially below CENT, plus a few other small contact marks. Glossy chocolate brown. The date and legends are clear. Struck on a cut-down spoiled large cent showing TED from UNITED of the large cent in the fi eld over the bust, the undertype clearly vis-ible to the unaided eye. No undertype is visible on the reverse, which suggests the cent was spoiled at least in part due to an error in striking the reverse. LDS, Manley state 5.0. Weight 76.6 grains. Davy #00.1.3.

Estimated Value ................................................................................ $1,000-UP


85

1001800 C-1 R2 G4. Struck over Off Center Large Cent, Possibly 1798 Sheldon-173. Glossy chocolate and olive brown. No roughness or verdigris, but there are some dull contact marks near the obverse rim at K-9 to K-12 plus a couple more on the left edge of the reverse. Struck over an off-center large cent with bold undertype showing on the lower half of the reverse. A careful examination of those cent details suggests the spoiled cent was a 1798 of the Sheldon-173 die variety, but it is diffi cult to be absolutely certain of the attribution. What is certain is that this half cent displays lots of strong undertype from the reverse of a spoiled large cent, which is extremely rare. Weight 78.2 grains. Davy #00.1.17.


Ex Roger S. Cohen, Jr., Superior 2/2/92:103.

1011800 C-1 R2 G4. Struck over Off Center Large Cent with Indent. Bold undertype from the off-center large cent shows on both sides, which is especially rare. Slightly sharper but there is a small but obvious punchmark in the fi eld off the chin and a dull rim nick at the top of the obverse. Otherwise the surfaces are reasonably smooth and attractive for the grade. Glossy olive brown with medium brown and light chocolate toning covering the devices. Struck on a planchet cut down from an off-center large cent with UNITED arcing across the head and LI from LIBERTY at RI in AMERICA. The back of Ms Liberty’s head from the undertype cent is visible below the LI. In addition, there is an indent near the rim right of the fraction. This was (most likely) cre-ated during the rolling process as a group of spoiled large cent planchets were being rolled down to a thinner, more appropriate thickness for a half cent. An indent is caused when two of those planchet overlap slightly when pressed between the rollers. We observed similar indents on some of the Talbot Allum & Lee Cent planchets that were rolled down to make earlier-dated half cents. Another excellent example of the frugality of our mint during its early years. Weight 85.8 grains. Davy #00.1.18.


Ex Len’s Coins, Sale #69, 9/21/92:429.

86

1021800 C-1 R2 AG3. Struck over Off Center Large Cent with Indent. Glossy chocolate and olive brown with some coppery tan high points on the obverse. No defects, just heavily worn. Struck over an off-center large cent that has clear undertype on the obverse and an indent at the opposing area on the reverse. A bold “D” from UNITED of the large cent is at the bust tip of the half cent, and a weaker but still easily readable remnant of “ST” in STATES shows well right of the D. The indent on the reverse was not caused by overlapping spoiled planchets going through the rollers (as on the preceding lot). Rather this one was caused during the off-center strike of the large cent as it overlapped another planchet while being struck. Obviously there were a lot of things that could (and did) go wrong during the minting process. And we are indeed fortunate that some of those errors have survived for us to study and enjoy today. Weight 79.0 grains. Davy #00.1.22.

Estimated Value ....................................................... $500-UP


87

1031800 C-1 R2 VF35. Double Struck Off Center. Glossy olive brown and chocolate with hints of reddish chocolate toning nestled into the most-protected areas on both sides. M-LDS, Manley state 4.0. Great eye appeal with only a few light contact marks. These include a faint hairline scratch in the hair below IB in LIBERTY and a rim nick at UN. What may appear to be a stronger rim nick at ER in LIBERTY and another above the bust tip, plus a lightly impressed arc across the face, were caused when this piece was struck a second time 70% off center to K-2.5 and rotated 30 degrees CW relative to the fi rst strike. The second strike left the shoulder, lower curls, and upper half of the 18 boldly present in the fi eld before the face of the fi rst strike. The second strike also left an impressed arc from the outer edge of the die extending across the face with notches on the rim at ER and off the upper edge of the bust. During this off-center strike, the reverse was pressed against a new blank planchet rather than the reverse die, thus creating an indent on the reverse where the die would have struck. We know the indent came after the fi rst strike because the dentils from the half cent are faintly visible in the indent. Apparently this piece was struck properly but failed to eject completely before the dies came together to strike the next planchet. The badly off-center second strike also caused this half cent to bend slightly from the impact since it was pressed against an uneven surface (part of the second planchet got in the way). That kind of strike can’t be good for the dies or the press, but it’s good for collectors. This is one of the most impressive error strikes in the sale and we are so lucky it survived in such great condition. Weight 81.5 grains. Davy #00.1.13.

Estimated Value .................................................................................................... $500-UP

Ex Howard Gursky-McLaughlin & Robinson Auctions #4053, 2/16/85:12-Jack Robinson, Superior 1/29/89:1894.

FANTASTIC OFF CENTER DOUBLE STRUCK 1800 C-1

88

1041800 C-1 R2 F15. Double Struck with Off Center Reverse Brockage. Five points sharper but there are a few too many light contact marks for the higher grade, including a light scratch through the bust tip and second 0 in the date. Glossy olive and steel brown mixed with chocolate. No roughness or verdigris. LDS, Manley state 5.0, with the loop of the lowest curl open thanks to excessive die lapping. Double struck. One strike was properly centered on the planchet and the second was 85% off center. The second strike was a reverse brockage impression with an incuse “RIC” from AMERICA left of the lower curls and traces of the normally struck (raised) wreath on the rim at D-S. The traces of the wreath at D-S appear to be from the wreath design just left of the H in HALF. In addition, there are faint traces of raised dentils at the rim over TE in STATES. All the “stuff” that’s going on suggests this half cent is the fi nal product of a series of mint errors. Weight 83.7 grains. Davy #00.1.11.


Ex Richard Gross (the “Baltimore Collection”) via Ron Guth 3/20/83.

89

1061800 C-1 R2 F15. Double Struck against Off Center Blank Planchet. Glossy light chocolate brown. Smooth and attrac-tive. There are some tiny contact marks scattered over both sides, including a couple diagonal nicks under the earlobe and a very light rim bruise at the B in LIBERTY. Double struck. The fi rst strike was properly centered on the planchet, but the coin failed to eject before a new blank planchet was inserted about half way into position and another strike occurred. The result was an impression from the blank planchet about 40% off center on the reverse (creating an off center reverse brockage on the second planchet) while the obverse was struck with the obverse die a second time. There was a slight rotational shift between the obverse impressions with the offset more noticeable at the bottom. The date reads “1188000” with clear doubling on the lower half of the portrait but none on LIBERTY. Removed from a PCGS slab graded F15 (PCGS label included). Weight 85.0 grains. Davy #00.1.26.


Ex Heritage Internet Auction 7/28/04:13013-Ed Fuhrman 4/19/06.

1051800 C-1 R2 F12. Double Struck with Off Center Reverse Brockage. Sharpness near VF20 but lightly burnished and nicely retoned glossy olive and dark chocolate brown. No marks, roughness, or verdigris, and the reason for the light burnishing is unknown. Great eye appeal. Double struck. One strike is normal and properly centered while the other is a 40% off-center reverse brockage. Clear incuse impres-sions of the H in HALF, NT in CENT, and elements of the wreath are vis-ible on the left side of the obverse. On the opposing area of the reverse is a normal (positive or raised) impression of the same design elements, and these are even clearer than the incuse ones found on the obverse. Another fantastic mint error. Weight 85.7 grains. Davy #00.1.23.

Estimated Value ..................................................................... $1,000-UP


90

1071800 C-1 R2 VG10. Double Struck/Reverse Brockage Maker. Frosty olive and steel brown. Excellent surfaces, void of any hint of corro-sion or verdigris. Only trivial contact marks, including a tiny hairline scratch under the O in OF. MDS, Manley state 3.0, with the reverse slightly misaligned to K-7. Double struck. Both strikes were reason-

ably well centered on the planchet but there was a 20-degree rotation between the impressions. The result is two strong

faces on Ms Liberty (a “Two-Faced Lady”) plus addition-al less dramatic doubling on the hair and bust. The re-

verse was struck against a new blank planchet during the second impression rather than against the reverse die, thereby creating a reverse brockage impression on that planchet. Nothing special about the reverse, but the “Two-Faced Lady” really catches your eye. Weight 89.1 grains. Davy #00.1.21.

Estimated Value .......................................$400-UP


1081800 C-1 R2 VG10. Double Struck/Reverse Brockage Maker. Rather glossy steel and choco-late brown with subtle specks of darker olive brown toning sprinkled over the obverse. These specks of darker toning contain traces of ex-tremely fi ne roughness, and there is a small area of similar roughness that weakens the 8 in the date. Double struck. Both strikes were centered on the planchet but there was a 55-degree rotation between impressions. There is a clear face looking upward in the hair below BER, curls and the top of an “18” on the bust, and LIBER left of the normal LIBERTY. The reverse was struck against a new blank planchet instead of the reverse die (similar to the preceding lot) creating a reverse brockage on that planchet, so there is no doubling on that side. Another “Two-Faced Lady” for us to enjoy. Weight 87.8 grains. Davy #00.1.12.

Estimated Value ................................ $600-UP


91

1101800 C-1 R2 G5. Flipover Double Strike. Sharpness VF20 but covered with moderate granularity. No verdigris or notable marks. Matte dark bluish steel brown and olive. Double struck. Both strikes were properly centered on the planchet, which was fl ipped over between impressions. The fraction and parts of the wreath show clearly on the bust tip of the principal strike, and the upper half of the portrait and all of LIBERTY are clearly visible on the upper right part of the reverse. A terrifi c mint error in spite of the poor surface quality. Weight 82.6 grains. Davy #00.1.10.

Estimated Value ........................................................................................................................................................ $300-UP


1091800 C-1 R2 VG10. Double Struck/Reverse Brockage Maker. Glossy steel and light olive brown. No roughness, just a few contact marks. The notable ones are a dull but obvious rim nick before the neck and a short struck-through line (from a short piece of wire stuck to the die or plan-chet as it was struck) over CA in AMERICA. Double struck. Both strikes were centered on the planchet but it was rotated about 5 degrees between the impressions. The doubling is obvious along the back of the head and from the neck down to the bust, but the doubling is not as dramatic as that seen on the previous two lots. The reverse displays no trace of dou-bling (also similar to the last two lots) suggesting the reverse was struck against a new blank planchet creating a reverse brockage. Same type of mint error but with less impact due to the smaller rotation between strikes. Weight 81.7 grains. Davy #00.1.25.

Estimated Value .........................................................................$300-UP

Ex Ed Fuhrman 4/19/06.

92

1111800 C-1 R2 VG8. Off Center. Sharpness F12 or slightly better but covered with uniform microscopic roughness on all but the high points, which are nearly smooth. No marks or verdigris. Slightly glossy dark steel brown and olive. MDS, Manley state 3.0. Struck at least 5% off center to K-3. The date and legends are complete and clear. Looks better than the surface quality might imply. Weight 83.0 grains. Davy #00.1.27.


Ex Heritage 9/05:660-Ed Fuhrman 5/19/06.

1121802/0 C-1 R6 Overdate 2 over 0, Reverse of 1800 AG3. Struck over a Spoiled Large Cent. Sharpness VG7 in some areas and only AG3 in others, but this piece has some obvious marks. The most serious of these marks is a small, crude puncture near the dentils off the lower end of the hair ribbon. There are three smaller digs in the center of the obverse plus another in the fi eld off the chin. Daylight does not show through the puncture, but it certainly catches your eye. The small digs on the obverse were strong enough to cause two tiny bumps at the opposing areas on the reverse. The marks are obvious and certainly affect the eye appeal, but there are some positive aspects to this piece as well. The surfaces are smooth, free of any hint of cor-rosion or verdigris. The date is clear (including the overdate), as is everything else except for the bust tip and ES-OF-AMER, which are weak or missing (the strike is always weaker in those areas on this variety). The reverse details clearly identify this as the “Reverse of 1800” style. Slightly glossy chocolate and dark steel brown. Struck over a cut-down spoiled large cent with “ON” or “OF” showing below the 18 in the date. The “O” is clear but only the left top of the next letter is vis-ible, and it could be an “N” or “F” (“N” is my choice). EDS, Manley state 1.0. Far from perfect, but the rela-tively strong details are a big plus for this extremely rare and popular variety. Weight 77.1 grains. Davy #02.1.1.

Estimated Value .............................................$500-UP

Ex Roger S. Cohen, Jr. FPL 10/17/72. Earlier from Wil-liam K. Raymond, Ralph Pfau, and Jon Hanson.

RARE 1802/0 C-1 REVERSE OF 1800 WITH LARGE CENT UNDERTYPE

93

1131802/0 C-2 R3 Overdate 2 over 0, Reverse of 1803 VF25. Struck over Spoiled Large Cent. Glossy chocolate brown with bluish steel overtones and faint hints of reddish brown toning in protected areas. The only notable defects are very tiny rim bruises at E in ERTY and F in OF, plus traces of microscopic roughness at 02 and the bust above with similar faint roughness at TED in UNITED. E-MDS, Manley state 2.0. Struck over a cut-down spoiled large cent with strong undertype from the cent reverse visible on the obverse of the half cent. Portions of the cent wreath are clearly visible in the fi eld and dentils behind the head, and the “O” from ONE shows at the upper ribbon end. No cent undertype is visible on the reverse of the half cent, possibly because the cent was struck uniface. The overdate feature is sharp. An attractive example of this popular overdate variety, made even more desirable with the strong cent undertype. This example is mentioned on page 94 of the Manley book on the series and is plated on page 39 in the second edition of the Cohen book. Manley estimates less than a dozen examples of this variety show undertype from a spoiled large cent. Weight 79.3 grains. Davy #02.2.4.

Estimated Value ........................................................................................... $8,000-UP

Ex Anderson Dupont, Stack’s 11/11/54:1067-Willard C. Blaisdell-William K. Raymond 8/24/77.

COHEN PLATE COIN

94

1141802/0 C-2 R3 Overdate 2 over 0, Reverse of 1803 VG7. Struck over Obverse Brockage Spoiled Large Cent, Possibly 1802 Sheldon-231. Glossy chocolate and steel brown. Smooth and attractive for the grade with only a few minor marks, including a light vertical scratch in the fi eld before the face. Struck over a cut-down spoiled large cent with an obverse brockage, and the undertype appears to be of an 1802 Sheldon-231 die variety (al-though this is not 100% certain). Breen felt the undertype was from a misstruck 1802 S-231, and he knew of only two examples with attributable cent undertype (see page 207 in his half cent encyclopedia). What we do know for sure is the 18 of the date and lower hair details of the cent show clearly under the fi rst A in AMERICA. The obverse of the half cent is struck over the incuse off-center brockage side of the large cent. Incuse letters from the undertype cent show along the throat and jaw. The incuse undertype of the spoiled cent does not line up with the normal undertype on the other side of the planchet, so the cent must have suffered from more than a single type of mint error (off center, multiple strikes, etc., in addition to the brockage). Another fascinating mint error that is mentioned in the Breen and Manley books. M-LDS, Manley state 4.0, showing strong die rust on both sides. Weight 73.3 grains. Davy #02.2.5.

Estimated Value ....................................................................................................................................$6,000-UP

Ex Stack’s (Emrick & Coffey sale) 11/20/76:578.

95

1151802/0 C-2 R3 Overdate 2 over 0, Reverse of 1803 VG8. Struck over Spoiled Large Cent. Sharpness F15 but there are specks of greenish verdigris on the reverse and traces of very light roughness on both sides. Several small contact marks are scattered over both sides, including a fi ne diagonal scratch on the cheek and a nick in the fi eld under the tip of the chin. Glossy chocolate brown with slightly lighter toning on the devices. Struck over a spoiled large cent showing the O of ONE and a few leaves left of the date. No cent undertype is visible on the reverse. Not the most attractive half cent in this sale, but the date and devices are all strong and the large cent undertype is obvious. E-MDS, Manley state 2.0. Weight 82.6 grains. Davy #02.2.11.


Ex McLaughlin & Robinson Auction #4369, 2/27/88:22.

1161802/0 C-2 R3 Overdate 2 over 0, Reverse of 1803 G4. Struck over Double Struck Large Cent. Rather glossy chocolate and olive brown. The surfaces are decent but do show microscopic roughness in the fi elds and protected areas. Some faint hairline scratches can be found on both sides, but they blend perfectly into the toning and are insignifi cant. The date is not strong but it is easily readable and the legends are clear. Struck on a spoiled large cent that was double struck off center. Cent undertype from both strikes is deeply impressed on the upper part of the reverse where “STA” from STATES is included. Both cent impressions were made at an angle (die face not parallel to the cent planchet) causing them to be especially bold. No evidence of cent undertype can be found on the obverse. This half cent is plated on page 482 in Walter Breen’s half cent encyclopedia to illustrate the “off center double struck cent” undertype. The boldness of the cent undertype is a big plus and explains why Breen selected this piece to illustrate the type of error. Weight 73.1 grains. Davy #02.2.10.

Estimated Value .......................................................................................$600-UP

Ex McLaughlin & Robinson Auction #4369, 2/27/88:21.

BREEN PLATE COIN

96

1171802/0 C-2 R3 Overdate 2 over 0, Reverse of 1803 AG3+. Struck over Off Center Large Cent. Slightly sharper on the obverse but this piece was recolored glossy olive and chocolate brown. The surfaces are smooth and the only defects are a mint-made planchet fi ssure at the edge under the 18 and some fi ne scratches near the rim left of the fraction. The date is clear and the overdate is obvious. Struck over an off center large cent with “TAT” from STATES clearly evident in the upper right quadrant of the half cent reverse. There is an indent at the opposing area on the obverse rather than cent undertype, so the cent er-ror was more than a simple off-center impression. Although this piece is in relatively low grade, the strong cent undertype is a big plus. Remember, Manley estimated that less than a dozen of these are known showing cent undertype, and only a very few of those have undertype this bold. Don’t let the “abundance” of examples offered in this sale fool you; this is the mother lode amassed over almost 40 years. Weight 72.9 grains. Davy #02.2.6.

Estimated Value ....................................................................... $500-UP


1181802/0 C-2 R3 Overdate 2 over 0, Reverse of 1803 G4. Struck over Off Center 1802 Large Cent. A couple points sharper but covered with uniform microscopic granularity that dulls the natural gloss. Slightly glossy dark steel brown and chocolate. No verdigris, and the only mark is a dull nick or pit touching the lower curls. The date is clear and the overdate feature is obvious. Struck over an off center 1802 large cent, and cent undertype shows on both sides. The entire “1802” date of the large cent is visible under UN, with the 1 close to the UN and the 2 at the bottom of the H in HALF. On the obverse, ATES O(F) is visible arcing at the back of the portrait. The A is located under the L in LIBERTY, the lower half of the S shows at the curl under the hair ribbon, and the O from OF is clearest of all just left of the lowest curl. None of this cent undertype is visible without the aid of a good glass, but once you see it, it becomes clear. The spoiled cent appears to have been a simple off-center strike. Weight 78.2 grains. Davy #02.2.22.

Estimated Value ................................................. $800-UP


97

1201802/0 C-2 R3 Overdate 2 over 0, Reverse of 1803 G6. Struck over Spoiled Large Cent. Glossy chocolate and light olive brown with traces of reddish chocolate toning around STATE. The surfaces are smooth and display only a few trivial marks including a shallow pit on the T in LIBERTY. The date and legends are clear and the overdate is obvious. Struck over a spoiled large cent with strong undertype from the cent reverse visible behind the portrait. Most of the leaves from the right side of the cent wreath are present, but there is no evidence of cent undertype on the reverse of the half cent. M-LDS, Manley state 4.0 showing fi ne die rust (tiny lumps on the coin) around the date and legends on both sides. Weight 79.3 grains. Davy #02.2.19.



1191802/0 C-2 R3 Overdate 2 over 0, Reverse of 1803 G6. Struck over Spoiled Large Cent. Very slightly sharper but cleaned and retoned glossy dark steel brown and olive with peeps of tan in protected areas, especially on the reverse. No corrosion or verdigris and only a few trivial contact marks including a light rim bruise at NI in UNITED and a pair of fi ne pinscratches under that U. The date is strong and the over-date is obvious. Struck over a spoiled large cent with “O(N)E CENT” clearly evident inside the wreath. There is no trace of cent undertype on the obverse. M-LDS, Manley state 4.0, with fi ne die rust around the date and legend on both sides. Manley said in his book that the pieces with visible undertype tended to be in either the early (his state 2.0) or late (his state 4.0) die states, and this appears accurate for all the pieces in the Davy collection. Weight 83.7 grains. Davy #02.2.18.



98

1211802/0 C-2 R3 Overdate 2 over 0, Reverse of 1803 G4. Struck over Off Center Large Cent. Glossy chocolate brown with slightly lighter toning on the high points thanks to a very light cleaning. The surfaces are smooth and the only mark is a dull but obvious pinch on the rim at the bust tip and opposing area at OF. The date is clear and the overdate is obvious. Many of the details suggest a slightly higher grade, but there are areas of weak-ness as well, particularly at UNITED and OF. Struck over an off center large cent with “D STA” arcing through the center of the reverse. The “D” is hidden in the top of the wreath ribbon while STA is obvious without any magnifi cation. There is no trace of cent undertype on the obverse, but a shallow indent on the cheek of Ms Liberty was likely from the spoiled cent since it is directly opposite the undertype STA. E-MDS, Manley state 2.0. Weight 72.3 grains. Davy #02.2.14.


Ex Stephen Cunningham 6/20/89.

99

1221802/0 C-2 R3 Overdate 2 over 0, Reverse of 1803 VG7. Double Struck Off Center. Slightly sharper but there are myri-ad fi ne scratches on the portrait. None of these scratches is notable and all blend perfectly into the natural patina, but there are too many to ignore. Glossy dark olive and steel. The surfaces are decent but not perfectly smooth with microscopic roughness under the relatively thick patina. The date and legends are strong and the overdate is bold. Double struck. The fi rst strike was centered on the planchet but the coin failed to eject completely and was struck a second time about 80% off center to K-3. The back edge of the lower curls show before the mouth, and D STAT is boldly evident on the lower right edge of the reverse. A very impressive mint error. E-MDS, Manley state 2.0. Davy #02.2.12.



BOLDLY DOUBLE STRUCK 1802/0 C-2

100

1231802/0 C-2 R3 Overdate 2 over 0, Reverse of 1803 VG8. Double Struck Off Center. Glossy chocolate brown and steel with smooth, attrac-tive surfaces. The only defect is a very light rim bruise off the bust tip. The date and legends are complete

and clear and the overdate is obvious. This piece was clearly double struck.

One impression (probably the fi rst) was a 90% off center, and the other was a normal

strike properly centered on the planchet. Under-type from the off-center strike shows under the 2 in

the date (possibly the O from OF) and a stronger impression of arcing dentils shows at OF. This was thought to be struck over an off center large cent, but the arc of dentils is consistent with a half cent diameter. M-LDS, Manley state 4.0. Weight 81.7 grains. Davy #02.2.17.

Estimated Value ....................................................................... $1,000-UP


1241802/0 C-2 R3 Overdate 2 over 0, Reverse of 1803 G5. Flipover Off Center Double Strike. Slightly sharper but there are a couple small dents or pitmarks hidden in the hair left of the throat plus a few old pinscratches right of the fraction. No corrosion or verdigris, and the color is an attrac-tive glossy chocolate and steel brown. The date is strong and the overdate is clear. Struck two times, and the planchet was fl ipped over between im-pressions. One impression was properly centered on the planchet while the other was at least 80% off center after the planchet was fl ipped over. The off-center strike left the lower curls clearly evident at RIC in AMERICA. At the opposing area on the obverse there is a depression but no identifi -able undertype. There may have been something there when the coin was new, but we will never know for sure. In this cataloger’s opinion, the off-center strike came fi rst and it squeezed the planchet more than normal resulting in an arc of abnormally thin planchet metal (all the striking force was concentrated in one small area). When the second (centered) strike occurred, there was not enough planchet thickness in the previously struck arc to bring out the die details. Regardless, it’s a neat error. M-LDS, Man-ley state 4.0. Weight 79.6 grains. Davy #02.2.13.

Estimated Value .......................................................................$1,000-UP


FLIPOVER DOUBLE STRIKE 1802/0 C-2

101

1251803 C-1 R1 F15. Off Center Obverse Brockage. Sharpness VF20 and the eye appeal is excellent, but there are a few dull contact marks on the incuse brockage side. These are in the center of the cheek and in the fi eld behind the portrait. Very attractive glossy chocolate brown with smooth surfaces. Struck 5% off center to K-3 with a previously struck piece still in the press creating an obverse brockage on this planchet. There is no shift between the normal and incuse impressions (they line up perfectly opposite one an-other). While this obverse die was used to strike the C-1, C-2, and C-4 die varieties (employing three different reverse dies, of course), the die state of this piece suggests it was struck during the C-1 marriage. The repunching at the left top of the 3 in the date and on the feet of the T in LIBERTY are con-sistent with the earlier C-1 marriage. Regardless, it’s a beautiful and very impressive double error. Davy #03.1.11.

Estimated Value ......................................................................... $4,000-UP

Ex Richard Picker collection (Mrs. Picker) via Stack’s 2/15/89.

BEAUTIFUL 1803 OFF CENTER OBVERSE BROCKAGE

102

1261803 C-1 R1 F12. Double Struck Off Center. Slightly sharper but there are a few dull rim nicks on the obverse, the strongest of these opposite the chin. Otherwise this piece is smooth and attractive offering excel-lent eye appeal. Glossy light chocolate brown with darker chocolate toning in protected areas. Dramatically double struck. The fi rst impres-sion was normal and centered on the planchet. The struck planchet then failed to eject completely from the press and was struck a second time 80% off center. The obverse die left a bold impression of Ms. Liberty’s bust tip left of the date while the opposing arc on the reverse was pressed against a new blank planchet (leaving an off center brock-age impression on that planchet). EDS, Manley state 1.0. The reverse is rotated 15 degrees CCW relative to the normal head-to-foot die orien-tation. A very impressive mint error offering great eye appeal. Davy #03.1.12.

Estimated Value ...................................................................$2,000-UP


DOUBLE STRUCK OFF CENTER 1803 C-1

103

1281803 C-1 R1 F15. Off Center. Five points sharper but there are too many tiny ticks for the higher grade, none notable or at all distracting. Glossy chocolate and olive brown. Smooth and attractive for the grade in spite of the tiny contact marks. Struck 15% off center to K-9. LDS, Manley state 3.0. The reverse is now rotated 15 degrees CW. In addition, there are two small but clearly present rim cud breaks right of the bust, and these are not mentioned in the Manley book. A very at-tractive mint error. Davy #03.1.8.



1271803 C-1 R1 VG8. Double Struck with Rotation in Collar. Glossy choco-late and steel brown with reddish chocolate toning inside the wreath. Smooth and virtually fl awless. The obverse details are weaker than those on the reverse, perhaps due to the double strike. Both strikes were centered on the planchet and the rotation was rather small. The date reads “18033” and the legends display similar strong doubling that will give

you a headache if you stare for too long. This is a really nice example of the “double struck in collar with rotation” type of mint error.

M-LDS, Manley state 2.0, with the reverse rotated 15 degrees CCW. Davy #03.1.17.


Ex Ray D. Munde-Roger S. Cohen, Jr., Superior 2/2/92:115.

OFF CENTER 1803 C-1

104

1291803 C-1 R1 VG7. Off Center. Slightly sharper but there are numer-ous small pitmarks or planchet voids on the portrait and in the fi eld to the left. Otherwise the surfaces are smooth and void of distractions. No verdigris. Glossy light chocolate and steel. Struck 10% off center to K-9.5. LDS, Manley state 3.0, with the same two unreported small rim cud breaks opposite the bust as seen on the previous lot. Howev-er, the state 2.0 die crack from the dentils over the right top of the M through the tops of ER is not present on this example, and the reverse is rotated 10 degrees CW. Davy #03.1.10.

Estimated Value............................................................ $300-UP


1301803 C-1 R1 VG10. Off Center. Glossy light olive and chocolate brown. Both sides show several very light contact marks under magnifi cation, but none are distracting or inconsistent with the grade. A faint hairline close under the hair ribbon is a good identify-ing mark. No trace of corrosion or verdigris. Struck 10-15% off center to K-8. EDS, Manley state 1.0. The reverse is rotated 10 degrees CW. Davy #03.1.3.

Estimated Value ..........................................$600-UP


105

1311803 C-1 R1 VF25. Off Center. Very attractive glossy chocolate brown with lighter brown toning in protected areas. Great eye appeal, virtually fl awless. A planchet fl ake in the dentils above the R in LIBERTY is the only defect. Struck 5-10% off center to K-8.5. EDS, Manley state 1.0, before any die cracks. The reverse is not rotated. Davy #03.1.9.

Estimated Value ................................ $2,000-UP

Ex Jim McGuigan 7/25/84.

106

1321803 C-1 R1 EF45. Underweight Beveled Planchet. Glossy light olive brown with a small splash of reddish brown toning in the fi eld off the upper ribbon tip and a dark spot under the E in CENT. This piece shows very little wear, but the upper half of the obverse and lower half of the reverse are softly struck thanks to an underweight planchet that gets increasingly thinner on its upper half. LDS, Manley state 3.0, with the reverse rotated 15 degrees CW. Although this piece is plated in the Manley book to illustrate his die state 2.0, the state 3.0 die crack down through the L in HALF to the N below is clear and the two small rim cud breaks off the bust are visible as well. Weight 71.3 grains versus the usual 84-85 grains found on the variety (see page 99 in the Manley book). Davy #03.1.15.

Estimated Value ..................................................................... $1,000-UP


1331803 C-3 R2 VG8. Double Struck Off Center. Glossy light to medium chocolate brown. No roughness or verdigris, only some very light contact marks on both sides. A few faint hairline scratches down the neck and a tiny rim bruise at IT in UNITED are the notable defects. Double struck. One strike (most likely the fi rst one) was 60% off center to K-1. The other strike was centered on the planchet. Strong evidence of the off center impression remains on both sides, including “1803” clearly readable across the head of Ms Liberty and ED STA at the opposing area on the reverse. In addition, the centered strike is fi nely but clearly doubled on the entire reverse (so this piece is really triple struck). MDS, Manley state 3.0. A great “double-dated” mint error. Davy #03.3.4.


Ex Bill Weber (trade) 11/11/80.

MANLEY PLATE COIN

DRAMATIC DOUBLE STRIKE WITH 2 DATES

107

1341803 C-3 R2 VF20+. Double Struck Reverse/Obverse

Brockage Maker. Attractive glossy light olive and choco-late brown with traces of frosty luster showing in

protected areas, mostly on the reverse. The sur-faces are smooth and offer excellent eye appeal

for the grade, which is close to VF25. Just a few trivial contact marks, including a faint hairline scratch arcing under ALF in HALF. The reverse is double struck with a small offset down to the left between impres-sions, perhaps half a millimeter (slightly more than the width of a dentil). The dou-bling is very clear on the leaves, UNITED,

and MERICA. The obverse, however, shows no evidence of doubling. This suggests it was

pressed into a new blank planchet rather than against the obverse die during the second strike,

thereby creating an obverse brockage on that planchet. Davy #03.3.11.

Estimated Value ............................ $600-UP


1351803 C-4 R4 G5. Off Center. Sharpness VG10 or slightly better but covered with uniform fi ne granularity on all but the high points, which are mostly smooth. No marks or verdigris. Slightly glossy olive and dark bluish steel. Struck 10% off center to K-4.5 leaving the lower half of the date off the plan-chet. The reverse is not upset (as so often seen on this variety). Davy #03.4.7.



108

1361803 C-4 R4 VG8. Double Struck Obverse with Rotation/Reverse Brockage Maker. Glossy chocolate and steel brown with some lighter reddish chocolate toning in protected areas on the reverse. No roughness or verdigris, only trivial contact marks of no signifi cance. Double struck on the obverse. The strongest strike is centered on the planchet, but there is a second impression that is slightly off center to the bottom and rotated about 35 degrees CW relative to the fi rst. The neck and bust from the second strike are clearly visible on the lower part of the portrait above the 3, and the outline of the back of Ms Liberty’s head shows in her hair below BE in LIBERTY. The reverse, however, displays no trace of doubling. This suggests the reverse was struck into a new blank planchet during the second strike, thus creating an off center incuse brockage impression on the second planchet. The reverse is not upset. Davy #03.4.6.



1371803 C-4 R4 G6. Double Struck Obverse/Reverse Brockage Maker. Slightly sharper but cleaned and retoned glossy light olive and bluish steel brown. No roughness or marks. Double struck on the obverse with a small offset between impressions. The tiny offset created an odd look to the date and LIBERTY, which appear thin and distorted while an outline surrounds Ms Liberty. The reverse displays no evidence of doubling, which suggests it may have been pressed against a blank planchet during the second strike creating a reverse brockage. The reverse is nearly upset on this example, rotated 165 degrees CCW from the normal head-to-foot die orientation. Davy #03.4.5.



109

1381804 C-1 R3 VF20. Double Struck in Collar. Sharpness VF30 or slightly better but there is a swipe of fi ne corrosion and verdigris covering the left third of the reverse. The remainder of the plan-chet is smooth and very attractive offering excellent eye appeal. Glossy chocolate and steel brown with frosty lighter brown toning in protected areas and darker reddish chocolate toning on the left part of the reverse. Double struck with a small offset between impressions, less than a half millimeter. Sharp but fi ne doubling shows on both sides, clearest on LIB-ERTY and AMERICA. EDS, Manley state 1.0. Davy #04.1.10.

Estimated Value ............................................................................ $400-UP


1391804 C-4 R5 VG7. Clipped Planchet. Sharpness near F12 but covered with microscopic roughness, strongest in the fi elds and protected areas. No verdigris or notable marks. Slightly glossy chocolate and steel brown offering decent eye appeal for the grade in spite of the imperfect surfaces. A slightly curved mint-made planchet clip is located opposite the eye and at the oppos-ing area above IC in AMERICA. The clip is small and does not affect anything inside the dentils. MDS, Manley state 2.0. Davy #04.4.5.

Estimated Value .......................... $600-UP


110

1401804 C-5 R4 Spiked Chin VG8. Obverse Brockage. Lightly cleaned and retoned glossy medium brown and light olive. No roughness or verdigris, only a few minor contact marks. The best identifying mark is a light diagonal hairline scratch from just left of the lower end of the hair ribbon into the fi eld below. The strike is a full obverse brockage impression (the reverse was struck against the obverse of a previously struck piece that failed to eject from the press). The brockage impression is well balanced and deeply impressed, and those details suggest a signifi cantly higher grade than you get from the “normal” side. Both sides are centered on the planchet and there is no rotation between the normal and incuse impres-sions. This piece is plated on page 483 in Breen’s half cent encyclopedia to illustrate the “Brockage of Obverse” type of mint error. The attribution as C-5 is tenuous since this obverse die was used to strike several die varieties (C-3, 5, 6, 7, and 8), but the die state suggests the C-5 marriage (although C-7 or perhaps C-6 early are possibilities since there is a gentle bulge in the fi eld before the face). The “Spiked Chin” feature is obvious. An attractive example of this dramatic type of mint error. Davy #04.5.3.

Estimated Value .....................................................................................................................................................$1,000-UP

Ex Fred Weinberg (Numismatics Limited) 8/1/79 at the ANA Convention. This piece was also offered in the summer cata-log distributed by that fi rm.

BREEN PLATE COIN

111

1421804 C-6 R2 Spiked Chin VG10. Double Struck Off Center/Off Center Brockage Maker. Sharpness F12 with a collec-tion of fi ne hairline scratches in the fi eld before the portrait plus a couple more on the portrait. All the scratches are old and blend into the attractive glossy chocolate brown toning. No roughness or verdigris. The details and eye appeal certain-ly look better than the assigned grade might imply, but that part really isn’t too important. What is important is that this piece was double struck. The fi rst strike was normal and centered on the planchet, but the piece failed to eject completely before being struck again. The second strike was 85% off center leaving the Y of LIBERTY near the rim left of the hair ribbon. The corresponding arc at ED STA on the reverse resulted from being struck against a new blank planchet that had been inserted into the press (presumably leaving an off center brockage impression on that planchet). EDS, Manley state 2.0. The “Spiked Chin” is clear. Davy #04.6.29.

Estimated Value ........................................................................................................................................................$500-UP


1411804 C-5 R4 Spiked Chin VG10. Double Struck over Obverse Brock-age. Glossy chocolate and steel. Smooth, nearly fl awless surfaces. This piece was double struck in the collar with a 15 degree rotation between impressions. The upper half of the “4” shows on the bust of the princi-pal (second) strike and additional clear evidence of the fi rst impression shows along the bottom of the bust, in the fi eld above the bust tip, and on the chin. The reverse of the fi rst impression was an obverse brock-age (incuse) strike, and this shows clearest at TES OF where incuse remnants of the bust are obvious. It appears this piece started out as an obverse brockage strike that was “recoined” to make a more-presentable half cent. Again, we would need that time machine to be sure of the se-quence of events. But maybe we are better off just “noodling” through it. Davy #04.5.8.


Ex 1997 EAC Sale, 4/19/97:63 (where the brockage undertype was not mentioned).

112

1431804 C-6 R2 Spiked Chin VF 20. Double Struck. Ten points sharper but there are a few tiny pitmarks at LIB and traces of black crud in protected areas on both sides. No verdigris, and the only marks are some faint hairline scratches in the fi eld before the face and a dull void in the dentils left of the lower curls, plus a nick on the edge over the L. Glossy dark steel and olive brown. Double struck with a 30-degree rotation between impressions. The only clear evidence of the extra strike is on the cheek left of the mouth where the jaw, throat, and neck show. Remnants of a “4” are faintly visible on the bust tip, but there is no evidence of another strike on the reverse. M-LDS, Manley state 9.0. The “Spiked Chin” is clear. Davy #04.6.30.

Estimated Value ....... $500-UP

Ex Peter Boisvert 2/19/92.1441804 C-7 R4 Spiked Chin VG10+. Double Struck with Rotation over Obverse Brockage. Glossy chocolate and steel brown. No cor-rosion or verdigris, only tiny contact marks. A very small pinprick left of the lowest curl is a good identifying mark. Close to F12. Double struck over an obverse brockage. The fi rst strike was the obverse brockage, and the incuse obverse is under the reverse of the normal second strike. The obverse was rotated 10-15 degrees between strikes leaving two clearly defi ned faces on Ms Liberty, a faint extra L left of the strong L, and clear evidence of the earlier bust above the second one. Trac-es of the incuse LIBERTY show at the bottom of the reverse and remnants of the incuse bust lines show under OF. There is a lot to see on this one if you take the time, but the two clear eyeballs on Ms Liberty are the most interest-ing feature. EDS, Manley state 1.0, before the reverse die cracked. Davy #04.7.10.

Estimated Value ............................$300-UP

Source not recorded.

113

1451804 C-8 R1 Spiked Chin F15. Obverse Brockage. Very attractive glossy chocolate brown with frosty lighter steel brown toning in the protected areas. Possibly retoned long ago, but this piece offers excellent eye appeal. Just a few trivial ticks from fl awless, includ-ing a small planchet chip in the fi eld before the neck on the incuse side. This is a centered obverse brockage impression (the previously struck piece failed to eject from the press and this one was struck between the obverse die and the obverse of the struck half cent). The normal and incuse impressions are not rotated (they are aligned with each other, which indicates the earlier struck piece did not shift be-tween strikes). The brockage impression is bold and the hair details on that side are stronger than those on the normal side since they are protected. Another great error, but it is a challenge to stand out in such a remarkable collection. The attribution to the C-8 die marriage is based on the die state, but you could argue for C-6 late—as if that really mattered. The “Spiked Chin” feature is clear. Davy #04.8.17.



BEAUTIFUL 1804 C-8 OBVERSE BROCKAGE

114

1461804 C-8 R1 Spiked Chin F15. Flipover Double Strike. Sharpness VF35 but the planchet is uneven and delicately bent, perhaps at least partially a result of getting really jammed up in the press. No rough-ness and only a few trivial contact marks. Frosty dark steel and choco-late brown. This piece was struck at least twice. Clear evidence of a 20% off center reverse is visible on the obverse, including a fraction and ICA above the bust tip and the A from STATES left of the L in LIBERTY. There is no evidence of undertype on the reverse, however, which suggests the initial strike may have been a uniface impression (two planchets inserted at the same time with this one struck by the re-verse die 20% off center). The second strike was normal and centered on the planchet. E-MDS, Manley state 2.0. The “Spiked Chin” is clear. Davy #04.8.28.


Ex Tom Reynolds-Ed Fuhrman 4/19/06.

1471804 C-8 R1 Spiked Chin VG10. Triple Struck Reverse. Five points sharper but covered with uniform very faint granularity under a slightly glossy dark steel brown and olive patina. No verdigris, and the only mark of any signifi cance is a small dig high on the shoulder. The reverse was struck three times in the collar, but the offset between impressions was very small. Fine but clear triple outlines show on many of the devices and letters of the legend, strongest on HALF CENT and the lower half of the wreath. The obverse displays no trace of double or triple outlines. Perhaps this is just a strong chatter strike (die bounce), or maybe the obverse was struck against another blank planchet following the initial strike. Another question that will go unanswered. The “Spiked Chin” remains visible. Davy #04.8.27.

Estimated Value ................................. $200-UP

Ex Tom Reynolds 6/95.

115

1481804 C-8 R1 Spiked Chin VF20. Triple Struck in Col-lar. Glossy chocolate and olive brown with darker steel overtones. No roughness or verdigris. A collection of tiny marks at the Y in LIBERTY and a small, dull nick just left of the denominator are the best identifying marks. Struck three times in the collar with a very small offset between impressions, perhaps a half millimeter at most. Double and triple outlines are strongest on the reverse, but the bottom edge of the bust displays fi ne triple out-lines as well. EDS, Manley state 1.0. The “Spiked Chin” is obvious. Davy #04.8.25.


Ex JGM Numismatics (Peter Boisvert), McCawley & Grellman Auctions/Superior 9/19/99:353.

1491804 C-9 R2 F15. Double Struck Off Center. Choice glossy chocolate brown. Smooth and very attractive, virtually fl awless. Boldly double struck. One strike is centered and the other is 40% off center to K-10. Bold evidence of the off center strike shows on both sides, including ERTY arcing down into the head and RICA up from the numer-ator. M-LDS, Manley state 4.0, with a strong cud break connecting RTY to the rim above (once in the usual place and again on the head thanks to the off center impression). The reverse is rotated 25 degrees CW. A choice example of a dramatic mint error. Davy #04.9.3.

Estimated Value ................................$1,000-UP

Ex Dr. Charles L. Ruby, Superior 2/11/74:233 (where plated)-William K. Raymond.

116

1501804 C-9 R2 VG10. Double Struck Off Center. Glossy dark olive and chocolate. The surfaces are decent but a strong glass reveals traces of extremely faint rough-ness, mostly on the left side of the reverse. No verdigris and only a few minor marks, including a rim bruise at IC in AMERICA. Double struck. One strike was 50% off cen-ter to K-10.5 and the other was centered on the planchet. Bold evidence of the off center impression remains on both sides, including “04” at the lowest curl, Ms Liberty’s face left of the L in LIBERTY, and the A in HALF over the E in UNITED. Davy #04.9.6.

Estimated Value ..........................................................$400-UP

Ex Bill Weber (trade) 11/11/80.

1511804 C-9 R2 VF35. Double Struck Off Center. Ten points sharper but lightly burnished on the obverse and retoned. No notable marks or other fl aws and the eye appeal is quite nice in spite of the retoning. Boldly double struck. The fi rst strike was 20% off center to K-10.5 while the second was properly centered on the planchet but rotated 10-15 degrees CW relative to the fi rst impression. There is sharp, clear undertype visible on both sides, and the majority of the undertype details are obvious, which is unusual. The face of Ms Liberty shows in her hair, the top of a 4 is located in the drapery above the other 4, and most of the wreath and all of HALF CENT from the fi rst impression remain visible on the reverse. A spectacular example of a double struck half cent. EDS, Manley state 1.0, before the die crack at RTY. Davy #04.9.7.

Estimated Value .................................................. $2,000-UP

Ex Richard Gross (the “Baltimore Collection”)-unknown-McLaughlin & Robinson Auctions #4369, 2/27/88:402-Chris McCawley 5/88.

117

1521804 C-9 R2 VG10. Double Struck. Glossy chocolate and steel brown. The only marks are a pair of dull depressions on the rim before the neck and chin, possibly a result of being struck two times. The surfaces are mostly smooth but traces of microscopic roughness can be found using a powerful glass. No verdigris. Double struck. One impression is slightly off center, about 5-10% to K-12 with a slight rotation, and the other is centered on the planchet. BERTY is clearly visible on the rim at the top of the ob-verse and a stray “A” (from the second A in AMERICA) touches the right edge of the denominator. LDS, Manley state 6.0. The cud break at RTY is strong and the die crack through the bust tip is clear. (This coin was the subject of an article in Penny-Wise, Volume X, 15 July 1976 by Dr. Ernest J. Montgomery. Dr. Montgomery made an argument that this piece was struck on a cut-down spoiled large cent. Walter Breen mentions this coin for the same reason in his encyclopedia on pages 247 and 476. I see no reason to accept the good doctor’s argument, and Breen made his remarks without seeing the coin. But the “story” is important and you can make your own judgment.) Davy #04.9.15.

Estimated Value ...........................................................................$200-UP

Ex Dr. Ernest J. Montgomery, Heritage 1997 ANA Sale, 7/30/97:8097.

118

1531804 C-9 R2 VF20. Triple Struck. Glossy light olive and chocolate brown with subtle overtones of light bluish steel on the reverse. Smooth and very attractive. The only marks are a small spot of darker olive brown toning near the dentils behind the neck and a very light pinch on the rim (possibly as struck) over the E in STATES. Triple struck. The fi rst impression was 15% off center to K-1 and the next two were only slightly off center to K-12. Evidence of the fi rst strike is visible above the hair ribbons and head, and bold evidence of the initial strike shows on the rim above AMERICA. The second and third strikes are separated by a minor shift that left fi ne doubling around much of the legend and wreath, strongest at LIBERTY. EDS, Manley state 1.0. Davy #04.9.12.

Estimated Value ..................................................... $4,000-UP


119

1541804 C-10 R1 MS60. Double Struck with Rotation. Very attractive lustrous steel brown and chocolate with generous trac-es of faded mint red remaining on both sides, especially on the reverse. This piece is essentially fl awless except for a small spot of very fi ne carbon on the leaf below the C in CENT and a faint spot of reddish toning just left of the numerator. Double struck. The fi rst strike was slightly off center to K-7 and the second was centered on the planchet and rotated 25 degrees CCW relative to the fi rst. The result is spectacular with two dates on the obverse and an additional TED STATES on the reverse. While error half cents and large cents are often available in the marketplace, they are almost always in low grade. This piece is an extremely rare exception to the rule and stands as a highlight in this landmark sale. Plated on page 479 in the Breen encyclopedia to illustrate a “rotated centered double strike.” MDS, Manley state 2.0. Davy #04.10.12.


Ex NASCA auction 7/81:500.

LUSTROUS 1804 C-10 WITH 2 DATES

120

1551804 C-10 R1 F12. Double Struck Off Center. Glossy light chocolate and steel brown. Smooth and attractive for the grade. A rim bruise over IBE is the only notable defect. Double struck. The fi rst strike is 15% off center to K-5 and the second is centered and rotated 10-15 degrees CCW relative to the fi rst. There are two dates on the obverse and LIBE shows on the top of Ms Liberty’s head. An extra STATES OF A is visible near the rim along the top of the reverse. MDS, Manley state 2.0. The reverse is rotated 30 degrees CW. Davy #04.10.2.

Estimated Value ..........................................................................$500-UP

Ex Dr. Conway A. Bolt-William K. Raymond 11/7/75.

1561804 C-10 R1 EF40. Double Struck Off Center. Very attractive glossy chocolate brown with frosty lighter steel brown toning in the protected areas. A great half cent with very little wear and the surfaces of a higher grade (which it very well may deserve but multiple strikes tend to blunt some of the fi ner details). Double struck. The fi rst strike is 10% off center to K-8 and the second is centered on the planchet but rotated about 20 degrees relative to the fi rst. The error is very similar to that seen on the pre-ceding two examples, so there must have been a common fl aw in the planchet ejection procedure. There are two dates and an additional UNITED STATES, plus more undertype from the fi rst strike on both sides. Plated on page 480 in the Breen encyclopedia to illustrate the “fi rst striking centered, second off center” type of mint error. Well, it appears he had the sequence reversed, but it’s still a great mint error. MDS, Manley state 2.0. Davy #04.10.14.



BREEN PLATE COIN

121

1581804 C-10 R1 G4. Double Struck Off Center. Slightly sharper with splashes of reddish chocolate toning on both sides, and there are traces of greenish verdigris in some of those splashes. Otherwise the surfaces are smooth and toned a glossy light chocolate and steel brown. Double struck. The fi rst strike is 15% off center to K-3 and the second is centered. There are two dates plus ample additional evidence of the fi rst strike on both sides. In addition, the reverse displays a chatter strike on the centered impression which is clearest on the bow and lower half of the wreath. LDS, Manley state 3.0. Davy #04.10.18.


Ex Jack Beymer-Jack Robinson, Superior 1/29/89:1945.

1571804 C-10 R1 VF30. Double Struck Off Center. Glossy chocolate brown with slightly lighter steel brown toning in protected areas on the reverse. Frosty fl owline luster covers the protected areas. The only mark is a small spot of darker toning off the upper edge of the bust tip. Double struck. The fi rst strike is 30% off center to K-5 and the second is centered but rotated 40 degrees CW. The B and Y of LIBERTY show on Ms Liberty’s head and much of the lower curls and bust show under the date and bust. Bold evidence of the fi rst strike shows at the top of the reverse, including ED, AM, and parts of the wreath. It appears the mint had some trouble striking this variety. We can imagine an apprentice learning a new job and fearing for his fi ngers—or possibly an extra ration of rum for the staff during duty hours. Whatever the cause, we are the benefi ciaries. LDS, Manley state 3.0. Davy #04.10.15.



122

1591804 C-10 R1 G6. Double Struck Far Off Center. Glossy light chocolate and medium brown with a few small splashes of dark reddish chocolate toning on the reverse. Smooth surfaces void of notable contact marks. Double struck. One impression is properly centered and the other is 95% off center leaving the tops of TY near the rim behind the portrait. The reverse displays an arc in the opposing area at D-S, and it appears this was pressed in by a new blank planchet rather than the reverse die during the off center strike. Apparently this one failed to eject completely before the dies came together to strike a new planchet. LDS, Manley 3.0. Davy #04.10.10.

Estimated Value ........................$100-UP


1601804 C-10 R1 EF45. Chatter Strike Reverse. Glossy olive and steel delicately mottled with lighter steel brown toning on the obverse. The fi elds and protected areas are covered with attractive fl owline luster. No marks or other de-fects. The reverse is double struck, but the offset is small, less than a half millimeter. The dou-bling is clearest on the right side of the wreath but it can be found on nearly every part of the wreath and legend. This doubling may be from die bounce, or it could be from a second strike with the obverse pressed against a new blank planchet during the second impression (creat-ing an obverse brockage). Can’t be sure. LDS, Manley state 3.0. Davy #04.10.19.

Estimated Value ................................ $300-UP

Ex Massachusetts Historical Society, Bowers & Merena 11/18/94:3299 (as C-9).

123

1621804 C-10 R1 VG8. Off Center. Slightly glossy light chocolate with darker chocolate toning in protected areas. A couple points sharper than the assigned grade and the eye appeal is decent, but the surfaces show uniform extremely fi ne rough-ness under strong magnifi cation. No verdigris or notable marks. Struck 5% off center to K-1, but the legends remain completely on the planchet. LDS, Manley 3.0. Davy #04.10.23.


Ex Stuart Levine 4/3/98.

1611804 C-10 R1 VF25. Chatter Strike Reverse. Sharpness near EF45 but there is some faint graffi ti in the fi eld before the portrait. Other-wise the surfaces are attractive and void of notable defects. Frosty chocolate and steel brown with a small splash of darker chocolate toning high on the neck. Struck slightly off center to K-12, and the reverse is double struck with an offset of about a half millimeter between the im-pressions. The doubling is sharp and clear with a separation greater than normally seen on a simple chatter strike (die bounce). The obverse displays no trace of doubling, so there is a chance it was struck against a new blank planchet during the second strike (creating an obverse brockage). LDS, Man-ley 3.0. Davy #04.10.6.


Ex Bowers & Ruddy 2/77:13.

124

1631804 C-10 R1 VF30. Broadstruck. Ten points sharper but there are a half dozen light hairline scratches on the obverse, the strongest one across the bottom of the neck to the shoulder. Otherwise this piece is choice and offers outstanding eye appeal. Glossy chocolate brown with frosty lighter brown toning in the protected areas on the reverse. The fi elds and protected areas are covered with satiny fl owline luster. Broad-struck with wide fl at rims around both sides. MDS, Manley state 2.0. Davy #04.10.26.



1641804 C-10 R1 F12. End-of-Strip Planchet with Clamshell Lamina-tion. Glossy chocolate brown. The right two-thirds of this half cent is well struck and free of marks. The left third of the planchet is very thin and never received any of the designs from the dies. This unstruck area shows some light scratches and graffi ti that blend into the glossy toning. In addition, the thicker, well struck part of the planchet is split along the edge with a clamshell lamination that reaches halfway around the coin, as struck. You are unaware of the clamshell error until you look at the edge and then the error becomes quite obvious. A really neat and extremely rare type of mint error. EDS, Manley state 1.0. Weight 69.8 grains. Davy #04.10.24.


Ex Rick DeSanctis, McCawley & Grellman Auctions/Superior 8/1/02:2457.

125

1651804 C-10 R1 G4. Clipped Planchet. Sharp-ness F12 but covered with fi ne to moderate roughness that weakens many of the details. No verdigris or marks. Slightly glossy mix of olive, dark chocolate, and lighter choco-late brown. The date and legends are com-plete and easily readable. A curved planchet clip reaches slightly into the fi eld before the neck and nearly touches the top of the M on the reverse. LDS, Manley state 3.0. Davy #04.10.20.

Estimated Value ............................. $50-UP


1661804 C-10 R1 VF20. Cracked Planchet. Glossy light olive and chocolate brown. Very lightly cleaned leaving microscopic hairlines on the devices and in the fi elds. No corrosion or verdigris and only minor contact marks, including a hairline scratch arcing through the hair left of the neck. Struck on a badly cracked planchet. The crack passes completely through the planchet extending through the B into the hair and up through the fraction into the wreath. The crack is so dramatic that Breen selected this coin to illustrate the cracked planchet type of error in the “Whoops!” chapter in his half cent ency-clopedia (page 469). It happens to be the fi rst photo included in that chapter. LDS, Manley state 3.0. Davy #04.10.11.



BREEN PLATE COIN

126

1671804 C-11 R2 Plain 4 with Stems VF35. Close-Centered Double Strike. Glossy chocolate and dark steel brown with frosty light brown toning faded down from mint color in pro-tected areas. No marks or other distractions, and this piece offers excellent eye appeal. Double struck with a small shift (less than a half millimeter in places and nearly a full millimeter in others) between strikes. Nonetheless, the doubling is obvious. The offset on the obverse is relatively small, clearest on Ms Liberty, while the doubling on the reverse is wider and affects everything. Breen selected this piece to illustrate what he calls “Close centered double striking” on page 479 in his ency-clopedia. Another great mint error, and an impressive example of the die variety in its own right. M-LDS, Manley state 2.0 late. Davy #04.11.8.


Ex NASCA auction #75, Grand Central 1988:702-Don Valenziano 11/11/88.

1681804 C-11 R2 Plain 4 with Stems VF25. Double Struck/Reverse Brockage Maker. Glossy chocolate and lighter steel brown. Smooth and attractive with only minor contact marks, including a short scratch in the fi eld over the hair ribbon. The obverse is boldly double struck. One impression is 10-20% off center to K-8 and rotated CW relative to the second strike, which is cen-tered on the planchet. Obvious evidence of the off center strike shows on the head and face of Ms Liberty, and parts of RTY are visible on her forehead. The reverse, however, shows no trace of doubling. Instead of being struck by the reverse die a second time, it (most likely) was pressed into a new blank planchet creating a reverse brockage. M-LDS, Manley state 2.0 late, with obvious swelling on the reverse. Davy #04.11.19.

Estimated Value ..............................................$800-UP


BREEN PLATE COIN

127

1691804 C-11 R2 Plain 4 with Stems VG10. Double Struck/Reverse Brockage Maker. Choice glossy chocolate brown with lighter brown toning covering the protected areas on the reverse. Great eye appeal for the grade, nearly fl awless. A small planchet chip in the leaves under the T in UNITED is the best identifying mark. Double struck on the obverse, and both strikes were centered on the planchet but rotated about 140 degrees between the impressions. The bust tip of the weaker fi rst strike is located at ER in LIBERTY, the neck and throat show clearly on the back of Ms Liberty’s head, and the mouth and lips are visible on her hair ribbon. The reverse shows no trace of doubling. Instead of being struck by the reverse die a second time it was pressed into a new blank plan-chet creating a reverse brockage. Very similar to the preceding lot. LDS, Manley state 3.0, with strong swelling on the reverse. Davy #04.11.9.

Estimated Value ................................................................ $200-UP

Ex Nick Stolfi 8/1/84-Jack Robinson, Superior 1/29/89:1947.

1701804 C-11 R2 Plain 4 with Stems G6. Flipover Triple Strike. A couple points sharper with microscopic rough-ness covering the planchet, strongest in the protected areas, a shallow scratch below the LI in LIBERTY, and a thin nick in the dentils over the I in UNITED. Slightly glossy dark steel brown and chocolate with darker olive toning in protected areas. Struck three times with the planchet fl ipped over at least once between strikes. Strong remnants of the wreath show on Ms Liberty’s head and an arc of dentils from a different strike slant across her neck. The dentils and wreath are positioned such that they could not have been from the same strike. There is no trace of undertype on the reverse (although the low grade may have eliminated that evidence), and there is a good chance that side was a reverse brock-age maker during at least one of the additional strikes. Not one of the more attractive errors in this sale, but the strong wreath segment on the head is a big plus. MDS, Manley state 2.0, with minor weakness inside the wreath due to the usual swelling in that area. Davy #04.11.12.

Estimated Value .............................................. $200-UP


128

1711804 C-11 R2 Plain 4 with Stems VG7. Double Struck over Reverse Brockage. Slightly sharper but recolored glossy steel brown and chocolate. No cor-rosion or verdigris, and the only signifi cant mark is a small dig on the neck near the hair. Double struck over a reverse brockage (total of three strikes). The shift between the two normal strikes is small, about half the width of a dentil. The doubling is obvious over the entire reverse but shows only on the throat and chin on the obverse. The obverse was struck over a reverse brockage (incuse) impression with ED STAT located in the fi eld behind the portrait. A decent example of a very rare type of multiple mint error. Davy #04.11.11.

Estimated Value ....................................... $200-UP


1721804 C-11 R2 Plain 4 with Stems VF35. Triple Struck, One Off Center. Glossy chocolate brown with frosty lighter brown toning in protected areas. Sharpness EF40 but there are a few light contact marks on the portrait, including a vertical hairline from the temple to the throat, but none of these is distracting. Struck at least 3 times. One strike (most likely the fi rst) was 80% off center leaving impressed dentils arcing across the upper reverse through the leaf tips below ES-O, but there is no trace of a similarly off-center strike on the obverse. Instead, the obverse shows at least three strikes that were centered on the planchet with only a small offset between the impres-sions, but these strikes left sharp, clear outlines on every detail. The reverse shows weaker doubling with a tiny offset between the strikes, clearest on the lower part of the wreath and on the fraction. This one spent more time in the press than was warranted. E-MDS, Manley state 2.0 early, with only a hint of swelling in the center of the reverse. This is an impressive example of the variety without the mint errors; they just make it better. Davy #04.11.6.

Estimated Value ............................................... $800-UP


129

1731804 C-12 R2 Crosslet 4 without Stems EF40. Chatter Strike Reverse. Frosty steel brown and chocolate with lighter brown toning covering the protected areas. Great eye appeal with only a few minor marks, including a small nick in the fi eld off the nose tip and a spot of darker chocolate toning under the U in UNITED. The reverse shows clear doubling on all the devices and legend. The offset between impressions is only the width of a dentil, but it is wider than you would expect from a simple chatter strike (die bounce). The obverse, however, shows no trace of dou-bling and may have become a brockage maker when a new planchet entered the press. It’s a great-looking half cent either way. LDS. Davy #04.12.8.

Estimated Value ...................... $300-UP


1741804 C-12 R2 Crosslet 4 without Stems VF20. Chatter Strike Reverse. Sharpness VF30 but lightly burnished and expertly retoned glossy chocolate brown. The eye appeal of this piece is especially nice and it has the look of a signifi cantly higher grade. A swipe of darker chocolate toning at D-ST is the best identifying mark. The reverse was double struck with an offset between impressions of only a half millimeter (about the width of a dentil). The doubling is clearest on the wreath and it looks more like a real double strike than die chatter (die bounce). The obverse is not doubled making this piece very similar to the preceding lot. LDS. Davy #04.12.9.

Estimated Value ................................................................$200-UP


130

1761804 C-13 R1 Plain 4 without Stems VF30. Double Struck Off Center. Ten points sharper but there are patches of very fi ne roughness on the obverse, including one covering the back of the head into the fi eld under LIB plus a smaller one in the fi eld off the chin. The remainder of the planchet is smooth and the reverse is choice. Frosty chocolate and steel brown with a faint reddish overtone in the roughened areas on the obverse. Boldly double struck. The fi rst strike was normal and centered on the planchet. The struck half cent then failed to eject completely as a new blank planchet was partially insert-ed into the press. The result was a strike about 35% off center on the obverse leaving a strong impression of LIB behind the portrait. The reverse has a deep indent from the blank planchet affecting UNIT. This is an impressive piece that is plated on page 480 in the Breen encyclopedia illustrating the “fi rst striking centered, second off center” type of mint error. MDS, Manley state 2.0. Davy #04.13.10.

Estimated Value ................................................................................................................................................. $1,000-UP

Ex Shelly Schultz at the ANA Convention 7/27/81.

1751804 C-12 R2 Crosslet 4 without Stems AU50+. Clipped Planchet. Lustrous light olive and golden brown with darker olive tones in pro-tected areas. Great eye appeal with only a trace of friction on the highest points of the design. Very close to AU55. The only marks are a small nick low on the neck and a tiny planchet chip above the L in HALF. A curved planchet clip nearly touches the top of the Y in LIBERTY and reaches inside the dentils over CA in AMERICA. The dentils across from the clip are weakly struck, the so-called “Blakesly effect” that oc-curs opposite signifi cant planchet clips. (The effect also helps certify the authenticity of planchet clips.) A very attractive example of this type of mint error, which Breen says is much rarer than the “end-of-strip” type of clip on half cents. MDS. Davy #04.12.7.

Estimated Value .................... $400-UP


BREEN PLATE COIN

131

1771804 C-13 R1 Plain 4 without Stems G6. Double Struck Off

Center. Sharpness VG10 or slightly better but there are nu-merous dull scratches on the obverse, mostly on the

portrait. All the marks are old and blend perfectly into the attractive glossy uniform chocolate

brown toning. No roughness or other defects. Double struck. The fi rst strike was 50% off center to K-7.5, and the second strike was centered on the planchet. The head and L of LIBERTY from the off center strike are clearly visible on the obverse and much of the off center reverse is visible in the op-

posing area on the left side of the reverse. A dramatic mint error that is relatively easy

to explain. Davy #04.13.15.

Estimated Value ....................................$200-UP

Ex Abe Kosoff estate, Bowers & Merena 11/4/85:4149.

1781804 C-13 R1 Plain 4 without Stems VF30. Double Struck/Reverse Brockage Maker. Glossy chocolate brown with some small spots of darker chocolate brown toning on the reverse. The surfaces are smooth and the only notable mark is a small dig on the right side of the fi rst E in LIBERTY (yes, the “fi rst” E). Double struck with a rotation of 15-20 degrees CCW between the impressions on the obverse. Clear evidence of the fi rst strike remains on the date (now reading 181804), portrait, and LIBERTY (which now reads LIBEERTY). The reverse was struck against a new blank planchet rather than the reverse die during the second strike creating a reverse brockage on that planchet. One of the consequences of being a “brockage maker” is that the side of the struck piece that functions as a die (the reverse in this case) becomes a bit swollen or “puffy.” If you see enough of these you learn to spot the “brockage maker” effect, and that swelling is clearly evident on this half cent. E-MDS, Manley state 1.0. Davy #04.13.13.


Ex Jim McGuigan at the 1982 ANA Convention (as part of a swap of 1796 half cents) 8/18/82.

132

1791804 C-13 R1 Plain 4 without Stems F15. Dou-ble Struck with Rotation/Reverse Brockage Maker. Five points sharper with a fi ne hairline scratch from the bottom of the neck to the rim left of the hair rib-bon and a small rim nick over the second S in STATES. Otherwise the surfaces are smooth and void of any notable marks. Glossy steel brown and chocolate. Double struck with a 30 degree CW rotation between impressions on the obverse. Bold, dramatic evidence of the fi rst strike is visible to the unaided eye, including an extra “04” on the bust. LIBERTY now reads LIBERERTY and much of the portrait from the fi rst strike shows as well. The reverse shows no doubling because it was struck against a new blank planchet creating an incuse brockage impres-sion. The “puffi ness” or swelling on the reverse resulting from its involuntary use as a die is strong on this example as well (see the preceding lot). MDS. Davy #04.13.26.

Estimated Value ............................................................................... $300-UP

Ex Bowers & Merena 2/8/90.

1801804 C-13 R1 Plain 4 without Stems F12. Double Struck with Rotation/Reverse Brockage Maker. Very at-tractive glossy chocolate brown with the eye appeal of a slightly higher grade. The surfaces are smooth and display only trivial contact marks, including a pair of small rim nicks at the bottom of the reverse. Double struck in the collar with a rotation of 30 degrees CW between strikes. Evidence from the fi rst strike shows on the obverse where Ms Liberty has two clear faces (one looking skyward to-wards RTY) and a “4” on the bust tip. The reverse shows no doubling at all because it was pressed against a new blank planchet during the second strike creating an incuse brockage of the reverse on that planchet. The reverse displays the usual swelling or “puffi ness” that results

when it has served as a “die.” That swelling is obvious on this piece thanks to the in-collar rotation between strikes. The rotation created unusual, uneven pres-sures on the obverse because the planchet was no longer fl at, and the reverse became wavy as a result. You can see this effect on several similarly struck pieces in this sale. MDS, Manley state 2.0. Davy #04.13.21.



133

1821804 C-13 R1 Plain 4 without Stems F12. Double Struck over Off Center Reverse Brockage. Slightly sharper but lightly cleaned and recolored a somewhat glossy mix of dark steel, olive, and chocolate brown. There is a small patch of mi-croscopic roughness at the bust tip, a dull nick on the back of the head, and a few faint hairline scratches on the portrait. Struck over a slightly off center reverse brockage with the incuse (brockage) side under the obverse of the second strike. Strong, clear brockage undertype shows on the left side of the obverse, including S OF AMER and ALF plus parts of the wreath. Undertype from the normal reverse is visible in the left side of the wreath of the second impression. MDS, Manley state 2.0. Davy #04.13.50.


Ex Ed Fuhrman 4/19/06.

1811804 C-13 R1 Plain 4 without Stems AU58. Double Struck over Reverse Brockage. The obverse is lustrous light steel brown with darker chocolate brown toning covering most of the lower half of that side. The reverse is lustrous uniform chocolate brown. The only defect is a spot of darker toning in the drapery over the 04 in the date. Great eye appeal, just the faintest hint of rub on the highest points from mint state. Struck over a reverse brockage strike with incuse (brockage) designs showing clearly on the upper half of the obverse of the normal strike. The normal (not incuse) reverse from the fi rst strike is strongest around the fraction where part of the wreath is obvious. The second strike was rotated 90 degrees CCW relative to the fi rst. A very attractive double mint error, so nice that Breen used it to illustrate the “Overstruck on a reverse brockage” type of mint error on page 484 of his half cent encyclopedia. EDS, Manley state 1.0. Davy #04.13.11.

Estimated Value ......................................................$1,000-UP


BREEN PLATE COIN

134

1831804 C-13 R1 Plain 4 without Stems VG8. Double Struck over Off Center Reverse Brockage. Sharpness F12 but the fi eld behind the portrait is covered with light scratches and there is a dig on the 4 that makes it look a lot like a “1”. A similar dig is located on the second S in STATES, but the effect is less distracting. Glossy olive and dark steel brown. Struck over a reverse brockage that was 50% off center. The incuse brockage undertype shows clearly on the right side of the obverse and the normal “C” from AMERICA of the fi rst strike is visible on the rim over the M in AMERICA of the second impression. In addition, the second strike is off center about 5% to K-10.5. They just never got this one right. Davy #04.13.48.

Estimated Value ...........................................................................$500-UP

Source unrecorded 1993-1996.

1841804 C-13 R1 Plain 4 without Stems EF40. Double Struck over Off Center Reverse Brockage. Glossy chocolate and steel brown with frosty light brown toning in protected areas of the obverse. Attractive fl owline luster covers the fi elds and protected areas offering excellent eye appeal. The only mark is a thin nick on the rim under the 04 in the date. This piece is a fl ipover double strike, and the fi rst strike was a reverse brockage struck 25% off center. The second strike was normal and properly centered, with the incuse reverse brockage undertype showing on the reverse of the second strike, clearest at the fraction and wreath rib-bon. The strongest undertype on the obverse is on the head and forehead of Ms Liberty where portions of the wreath show clearly. A sharp, very attractive example of this type of mint error. MDS, Manley state 2.0. Davy #04.13.38.

Estimated Value .......................................... $500-UP


135

1851804 C-13 R1 Plain 4 without Stems EF45. Triple Struck in Collar/Reverse Brockage Maker. Glossy chocolate and medium brown with frosty lighter toning in protected areas. Attractive fl owline luster covers the fi elds and protected areas and this piece offers excellent eye appeal. No notable marks or other distractions. This half cent was struck three times. The fi rst strike was properly centered and the second was also centered but rotated 30 degrees CCW relative to the fi rst leaving two dates and LIBERTY reading LIBERTRTY. The third impression was centered as well, and it was rotated only slightly relative to the second leaving a strong double profi le along the neck and upper edge of the bust, with weaker doubling on the rest of the profi le. The reverse shows no doubling but instead was a brockage maker on the second and third strikes. It displays the usual puffy or swollen look that results from being pressed into a blank planchet during a rotated additional strike(s). The evidence indicates this piece remained in the die following the fi rst strike and received the additional two strikes with another planchet against the reverse, thereby creating a reverse brockage error. These error strikes offer a wonderful opportunity to “noodle through” the probable sequence of events that resulted in the fi nal product. You may consider this a science, but an educated guess is often the best answer available. MDS, Manley state 2.0. Davy #04.13.5.

Estimated Value .................................................................................. $2,000-UP


136

1861804 C-13 R1 Plain 4 without Stems EF40. Triple Struck with Two Strikes Off Center/Off Center Reverse Brockage Maker. Glossy chocolate brown with subtle overtones of light bluish steel. The surfaces are smooth and the only defect is a small spot of very fi ne carbon or crud at the bottom of the F in OF. The obverse of this piece was struck three times, all with different rotations. One of the strikes (probably the last) was centered on the planchet, another was about 25% off center toward K-7, and the third (not necessarily in that order) was slightly off center. The lips and nose of the 25% off center strike show on Ms Liberty’s neck, and the E from LIBERTY is visible in her hair above the ribbon knot and the Y is just left of her eye. Evidence of the other off center strike shows on her neck. The reverse has no doubling and was struck only once by the reverse die. The additional strike(s) on this side were struck against a blank planchet posi-tioned about 30% off center creating an off center reverse brockage on that planchet. The reverse displays some of the usual swelling that occurs when it creates a brockage on a new planchet. This piece is plated on page 481 in Breen’s half cent encyclopedia illustrating what he terms “First two impressions variously off center and rotated.” Davy #04.13.6.

Estimated Value ..................................$1,000-UP


BREEN PLATE COIN

137

1871804 C-13 R1 Plain 4 without Stems VF30. Triple Struck with Detached Tab. Fifteen points sharper but there is a swipe of fi ne verdigris near the rim before the chin and a trace of micro-scopic roughness at the L in LIBERTY. There are tiny specks of microscopic roughness scattered over the reverse plus a few contact marks, including a thin nick on the bust and a dull one in the hair right of the ribbon. Only the crud before the chin is distracting. Frosty chocolate and steel with fl owline luster covering the protected areas. This piece was struck three times. Two of the strikes were centered on the planchet with an offset between impressions of no more than a half millimeter (the width of a dentil), clear-est on the reverse. The third strike was 95% off center creating a tab at the bust tip and S-OF, and the tab shows clear dentils from the die on both sides. The tab was so heavily struck (all the pressure of the coining press was concentrated in a very small place) that its attachment to the half cent was tenuous—and it broke off. Perhaps the mint workers intentionally removed it before releasing the coin, but it’s gone. Another very interesting error half cent. MDS, Manley state 2.0. Davy #04.13.20.



1881804 C-13 R1 Plain 4 without Stems VG10. Triple Struck Off Center over Off Center Reverse Brock-age. Glossy chocolate and olive brown with darker steel toning over parts of the reverse. The surfaces are decent but not perfectly smooth and there are just a few minor marks, including a small rim nick just left of the date and a dull one over ED in UNITED. This piece was struck at least three times. One strike is centered on the planchet, and under this is an off center reverse brockage with clear remnants of the incuse fraction at the bust tip. An impression of an off center blank planchet arcs down through the O in OF into the wreath. The most interesting strike was

90% off center at K-9 leaving LIB visible behind the portrait and the U from UNITED over TE in UNITED. A neat multiple mint error. Sometimes you have to wonder how much time and energy was invested by our mint workers in some of these “lowly” half cents. Davy #04.13.36.



138

1891804 C-13 R1 Plain 4 without Stems F15. Misaligned Reverse. Glossy choco-late brown with frosty light steel gray ton-ing or crud nestled into the most-protected areas on the reverse. Otherwise this piece is choice. The reverse is slightly misaligned to K-12.5 while the obverse is properly centered on the planchet. MDS, Manley state 2.0. Davy #04.13.49.

Estimated Value ................................................... $1,000-UP

Ex Walter Dudgeon, McCawley & Grellman Auctions 1/7/95:289 (via Don Valenziano).

1901804 C-13 R1 Plain 4 without Stems AU55. Cracked Planchet. Lustrous medium brown with darker chocolate brown toning covering two-thirds of the obverse. Hints of very faded mint red are peeking through in a couple protected areas on the reverse. An obvious planchet crack extends from the rim through the lowest curl and extends into the hair under the ear where it fades away. The crack extends completely through the planchet and reaches down through the second T in STATES to the H in HALF. A beautiful half cent with an obvious mint defect. MDS, Manley state 2.0. Davy #04.13.19.

Estimated Value ................................................................................... $500-UP

Ex Bowers & Merena 9/88:3179 (via Don Valenziano).

139

1921804 C-13 R1 Plain 4 without Stems VG8. Large Struck-Through Planchet Void. Glossy light chocolate brown. The surfaces are smooth and the only circulation mark is a very light rim bruise right of the bust tip. The obverse is dominated by a large and relatively deep fl aw that covers nearly the entire head and much of the neck. While this defect has been classifi ed as a delamination (peeled away lamination fl aw) for quite some time, I believe it is a struck-through fl aw created when a piece of debris got stuck on the die or to the planchet itself before striking. The entire depressed area is smooth, even the margins, which is more consistent with a struck-through error. Delaminations just don’t look like this. And the weigh is 83.8 grains, which is consistent with the normal 84.0 grains standard. Considering all the evidence, the struck-through assessment is the only logical choice. LDS, Manley state 3.0. Davy #04.13.22.


Ex McLaughlin & Robinson Auctions #4053, 2/16/85:78-Jack Robinson, Superior 1/29/89:1951.

1911804 C-13 R1 Plain 4 without Stems EF45. Laminated Planchet. Frosty choco-late and steel brown mottled with darker olive brown toning on the obverse. Satiny mint frost covers the protected areas on both sides. A choice half cent except for an obvious planchet lamination that reaches from the rim under the bust tip through the bust into the hair left of the ear. The upper end of this lamination is starting to peel. A very nice example of this type of mint error. MDS, Manley state 2.0. Davy #04.13.47.

Estimated Value .............................................................. $300-UP


140

1931805 C-1 R2- Stemless Wreath AU58. Triple Struck over Reverse Brockage. Lustrous bluish steel brown with frosty lighter brown in protected areas. A light hairline scratch from the eyebrow to the ear is the only mark. Double struck over a reverse brockage (total of three strikes). The initial strike was a reverse brockage that was struck about 10% off center. The second im-pression was a normal strike, centered on the planchet, with the obverse struck over the incuse reverse brock-age. The third impression was another normal strike, also properly centered, with a small offset of less than half a millimeter from the second strike, and sharp doubling from this third strike shows on both sides. There is strong undertype from the incuse brockage impression on the shoulder and head of Ms Liberty, and clear undertype from the fi rst impression (normal reverse side of the brockage strike) shows at the top and bottom of the wreath. In addition, small parts of AMERICA from the off center brockage strike are visible on the rim over S-OF-A. A sharp, attractive multiple-error strike. LDS, Manley state 2.0. The small cud break right of the fraction is clear and extends over at least 6 dentils. Davy #05.1.4.

Estimated Value ........................................ $2,000-UP

Ex Philip M. Showers (Stack’s privately 1969)-Willis I. DuPont-Fred Werner (from New York, also known as Freddie Werner) 2/20/77-Larry Goldberg 2/22/77-Joe Flynn 4/26/77. (Note: There is a story that comes with this provenance. In Larry Goldberg’s own words, “I bought the deal from Fred Werner of New York. Fred was at our February 1977 auction and he showed the Showers collection to us prior to the auction. I re-member looking at the coins and by the time I fi nished looking at the 1797 half cents I decided to buy the collection from him. The coins were wonderful. The 1796 half cents were the best I have ever seen. I then saw Joe Flynn during lot viewing a day or so later and showed him this great half cent collection. He was shown the coins an hour before our US session in the back of the store on 7th Street. I quoted Joe a price and he bought the deal after looking at only half the collec-tion. We bought the collection to make an auction sale; however it was sold to Joe.”).

BEAUTIFUL 1805 C-1EX SHOWERS COLLECTION

141

1941805 C-1 R2- Stemless Wreath VF20. Triple Struck over Reverse Brock-age. Ten points sharper but there are fi ne hairline scratches on the portrait with a few more in the fi eld to the right. Lightly cleaned and retoned glossy bluish steel brown and chocolate. Triple struck. The fi rst strike was a slightly off center reverse brockage. The next two strikes were normal and centered on the planchet with a small offset between those two impressions, about the width of a dentil or slightly larger. Undertype from the incuse reverse shows on the obverse with CENT across the head, the fraction at LIB, and weaker remnants of UNITED behind the portrait. There is no doubling on the obverse. The normal reverse from the fi rst (brockage) strike shows clearly on the reverse and is rotated about 15 degrees CCW relative to the next two strikes. The entire reverse is covered with undertype, and there may be evidence of 4 impressions. The lack of additional impressions on the obverse suggests that side may have been struck against a new blank planchet creat-ing an obverse brockage, but that’s only a guess. Regardless, this is a really neat multiple error strike. Davy #05.1.19.

Estimated Value ........................................................................... $1,000-UP

Ex Fred Weinberg-Ed Fuhrman 4/19/06.

142

1951805 C-1 R2- Stemless Wreath F15. Flipover Triple Strike/Reverse Brockage Maker. Frosty dark chocolate brown. Close to VF20 but there is a light rim bruise before the chin and minor contact marks scattered elsewhere over both sides. This piece was struck three times, and it was fl ipped over between the strikes. The obverse was struck twice by the obverse die and once by the reverse die. A berry from the wreath is clearly visible just above Ms Lib-erty’s eye and another is hidden in the curl above the 1. Evidence of an additional slightly off center (and rotated 25 degrees) strike from the obverse die is obvious on her neck and in the hair under IBER,

and the top of another 8 is located on the curl left of the date. Removed from an NGC slab, and the NGC

label calls it “double struck,” so they must have missed the reverse undertype on the obverse.

There is no doubling on the reverse. Instead, that side displays the swelling characteristic of pieces that were struck into a new blank planchet creating a brockage impression. The swelling or puffi ness is strong on this piece. Another neat multiple error half cent

in this landmark offering. Davy #05.1.18.

Estimated Value .............................. $300-UP

Ex Goldberg’s 2/16/01:191-Don Valenziano 3/30/01.

1961805 C-1 R2- Stemless Wreath F15+. Double Struck with Rotation/Reverse Brockage Mak-er. Very attractive glossy chocolate brown with smooth surfaces. The only marks are two thin rim nicks over the E in LIBERTY. Close to VF20. Double struck and rotated 90 degrees between impressions. Bold doubling shows on the obverse where an additional face of Ms Liberty is looking straight up at BER. A mesmerizing error. The reverse is not doubled. That side was struck into a new blank plan-chet creating a reverse brockage, and the usual swelling that results from being pressed into the second planchet is evident. Davy #05.1.5.

Estimated Value ............................... $500-UP


143

1971805 C-1 R2- Stemless Wreath VG8. Double Struck with Rotation/Reverse Brockage Maker. Glossy chocolate and steel with specks of darker steel brown ton-ing on the portrait. Smooth and attractive for the grade, void of any notable defects. Double struck with a rotation of 30 degrees between impressions. Ms Liberty has two clear faces, one normal and one looking at RT in LIBERTY. The reverse is not dou-bled. Instead it was pressed into a 20% off center blank planchet creating an off center reverse brockage. The blank planchet left an arcing depression through the bottom of the reverse even with the fraction bar, and that tells us the brockage was off center. Seems to be a “common” type of mint error for this variety, and this one is very nice for the grade. Davy #05.1.11.

Estimated Value.. $100-UP

Ex Jim McGuigan.

1981805 C-1 R2- Stemless Wreath VG8+. Double Struck Off Center with Rotation/Reverse Brock-age Maker. Glossy chocolate brown. Smooth and attractive, close to VG10. Double struck, and one of the impressions was 15% off center to K-9. A strong countenance of Ms Liberty faces up looking at TY in LIBERTY while the “normal” one looks to the right rim. The reverse is not doubled but was struck against a blank planchet creating a reverse brockage. The usual swelling that results from being pressed into the blank planchet is obvious. Davy #05.1.10.



144

2001805 C-1 R2- Stemless Wreath VF20. Double Struck/Off Center Brockage Maker. Glossy chocolate and steel brown with traces of lighter brown toning in some of the protected areas. Five points sharper but there are two rim nicks under the 05 in the date and a light rim bruise at D-S. Otherwise the surfaces and eye appeal are excellent. The obverse was double struck very slightly off center to K-1.5 with a small offset between impressions, about the width of a dentil or less. The doubling is clear on the date and along the back profi le of Ms Liberty. The reverse has no doubling. Instead it was struck into a new blank planchet that was positioned about 55% off center (creating an off center reverse brockage). An impression from the off center planchet arcs through the upper right part of the reverse. Davy #05.1.12.

Estimated Value ..................................................................................................................................................... $200-UP


1991805 C-1 R2- Stemless Wreath VF25. Double Struck with Rotation/Reverse Brockage Maker. Frosty olive brown and steel with fl owline luster in the protected areas. The only marks are a light rim bruise left of the lowest curl and traces of a faint planchet lamination on the bow of the wreath ribbon. Great eye appeal for the grade, which may be quite conservative. Double struck with a rotation of 30 degrees between strikes. Bold evidence of the additional strike shows on the neck and bust, and the top of the “0” from the second date is positioned on the curl left of the date. There is no doubling on the reverse because it was struck against a new blank planchet during the second strike creating

a reverse brockage. The reverse displays the usual swelling associated with being a brockage maker. LDS, Manley state 2.0. Davy #05.1.2.



145

2011805 C-1 R2- Stemless Wreath VG8+. Double Struck with Rotation/Off Center Brockage Maker. Choice glossy chocolate brown. Great eye appeal for the grade, nearly fl awless. Close to VG10. Double struck in the collar with a small offset between im-pressions, perhaps 1-2 millimeters near the borders thanks to a slight rotation between strikes. The doubling is clear along the upper edge of the bust and neck and along the back of the head. There is no doubling on the reverse. Instead, that side was pressed into a new blank planchet that was positioned about 20% off center, thereby creating an off center reverse brockage. A depression from this planchet arcs under ICA, and that shows us that it was off center. The relative abundance of this variety displaying a similar mint error may indicate a temporary quality control problem at the mint. Perhaps a new worker was concerned for his fi ngers or they were working late to meet a production goal. We can only guess. Davy #05.1.7.

Estimated Value ..............................................................................$200-UP

Ex Jim Corrado 3/12/82.

2021805 C-1 R2- Stemless Wreath VG8. Tab Double Strike. Sharp-ness near F12 but the rim was gently tapped to smooth out a tab created by a second strike that was 95% off center. The tab was effectively smoothed out but the rim across the planchet was gently fl attened in the process leaving what looks like a rim cud in that area. Mostly glossy chocolate brown with darker steel and olive toning in protected areas. There are traces of fi ne roughness on both sides, strongest around the date and fraction. The tab strike left an arc of dentils on the obverse but the opposing area on the reverse was struck against a new blank planchet creating an indent in that area. Obviously this half cent didn’t get out of the way fast enough. Davy #05.1.17.

Estimated Value ..............................................................$200-UP


146

2031805 C-1 R2- Stemless Wreath VG7. Off Center. Sharpness VG10 or slightly better but covered with tiny contact marks. No corrosion or verdigris, and the toning is an attractive glossy light chocolate brown. Struck 10% off center to K-12 leaving the upper part of LIB-ERTY and lower part of the denominator off the plan-chet. Based on the error populations we can observe in the Davy Collection, a single strike off center is a much rarer type of mint error than a double strike for half cents. Davy #05.1.8.


Ex Fred Weinberg (Numismatics Limited) 8/18/82.

2041805 C-3 R4 Small Date with Stems F12. Double Struck. Glossy chocolate and olive brown. Smooth and very at-tractive. A small mark on the upper edge of the bust and a linear planchet void inside the left part of the wreath are the notable marks. Double struck. The fi rst strike was 80% off center leaving a bold arc of dentils in the fi eld behind the portrait. The reverse has no positive evidence of the fi rst strike, but the linear depression inside the wreath is nearly opposite the arc of dentils and it may be a result of the off center impression. The second strike was normal and cen-tered on the planchet. An attractive example of this scarce die variety, and the off center strike is obvious. LDS, Manley state 2.0. Davy #05.3.6.

Estimated Value ................................................. $2,000-UP

Ex Jonathan Kern 1/25/92.

147

2051805 C-4 R2- Large 5 F15+. Double Struck Off Center. Choice glossy chocolate and olive brown. Just a few trivial marks from fl awless, close to VF20. There is an arc of dentils 55% off center through the head, ear, and throat fading out in the fi eld before the neck. These dentils appear to be from an off center brockage, and there is no evidence of corresponding dentils or undertype on the re-verse. LDS, Manley state 2.0, with a die crack through the bust tip. Davy #05.4.9.



2061805 C-4 R2- Large 5 VF30. Tab Double Strike against a Blank Planchet. Glossy chocolate and steel brown with traces of slightly lighter steel brown toning in protected areas. The sharpness is very close to VF35 but there are a few too many tiny contact marks than you like to see on the higher grade. This piece was struck normally but failed to eject completely and subse-quently was struck against a new blank planchet that just nipped the edge off the bust tip. A neat and obviously very rare type of mint error. LDS, Manley state 2.0. The die crack through the bust tip is clear. Davy #05.4.8.



148148

2071805 C-4 R2- Large 5 VF20. Clipped Planchet. Ten points sharper but there are some light contact marks, including a thin arc impressed through the head and a few light hairline

scratches in the fi eld before the portrait. Glossy chocolate and steel brown. There is a curved planchet clip op-

posite the neck and at the opposing area above the fi rst A in AMERICA. In addition, the dentils

across the planchet are weak and smeared, the so-called Blakesly effect that helps authenti-cate real mint clips. LDS, Manley state 2.0. Davy #05.4.7.

Estimated Value ........................ $150-UP


2081806 C-1 R1 Stemless Wreath EF45. Double Struck with Rotation/Reverse Brockage Maker. Frosty chocolate brown with lighter steel brown toning covering the protected areas. Traces of satiny mint luster remain on both sides. Great eye appeal, only a few trivial contact marks from fl awless. Double struck with a 45 degree CCW rotation between impres-sions. There are two full dates, the main (strong) one and another weaker but complete date to the left ending at the lowest curl. LIBERTY reads LIBERTBERTY and a phantom image of Ms Liberty appears to be looking down her own cleavage. There is no doubling on the reverse, which is heavily swollen from being pressed into a new blank planchet creating a reverse brock-age. A dramatic mint error in a beautiful grade. Davy #06.1.8.

Estimated Value ............................... $1,000-UP


BREEN PLATE COIN

149

2091806 C-1 R1 Stemless Wreath VG8. Double Struck with Rotation. Slightly sharper with a few dull contact marks on the rim, the most obvious of these over TE in UNITED. Rather glossy dark steel brown and chocolate. Double struck in the collar with a small rotation between impres-sions, about 5-10 degrees. The doubling is strongest the farther you look away from the centers thanks to the center pivot, but it is obvious everywhere. The date looks like 188006 with all the digits jammed together. The legends offer a similar challenge to a reader. A modest mint error with real character. Davy #06.1.14.


Ex J. J. Teaparty 3/24/82-Jack Robinson, Superior 1/29/89:1958.

2101806 C-1 R1 Stemless Wreath VF30. Double Struck. Sharp-ness VF35 but lightly cleaned and retoned frosty light olive brown. No notable marks. Double struck on the reverse with a small offset between strikes, perhaps the width of a dentil. The doubling is clear over the entire reverse, but there is no trace of doubling on the obverse. Perhaps the obverse was struck against a new blank planchet during the second strike creating an obverse brockage, but this is only a guess since there is no swelling on that side. Davy #06.1.19.

Estimated Value .......................................................$300-UP


150

2111806 C-1 R1 Stemless Wreath VF30. Triple Struck. Sharpness EF40 but there are a couple faint hairline scratches on the portrait and a few more obvious marks in the fi eld to the right. Glossy chocolate brown with frosty lighter brown toning in protected areas and a touch of darker olive toning at the bust tip. Triple struck on the reverse with a small offset between strikes, perhaps the width of a dentil. The triple outlines are clearest on HALF CENT but evidence of the three strikes shows over the entire reverse. There is no trace of more than a single impression on the obverse. Perhaps the obverse was struck against a new blank planchet during the additional strikes creating an obverse brockage, but this is only a guess since there is no swelling on that side. Davy #06.1.9.



2121806 C-1 R1 Stemless Wreath VG8. Tab Double Strike. Sharpness F15 but covered with uniform moderate granularity under a slightly glossy dark chocolate brown and olive patina. No verdigris, and the only marks are a couple small nicks on the reverse, one at the U in UNITED and another at the fi rst S in STATES. Double struck. The fi rst strike was normal and centered on the planchet. The struck half cent failed to eject completely and was struck a second time 90% off center leaving “LIB” clearly visible behind the portrait. The reverse was struck against a new blank planchet rather than the reverse die during this second strike leaving a depressed arc at the opposing area at TED-S. A neat error in spite of the relatively low grade. Davy #06.1.11.


Ex Abe Kosoff, Bowers & Merena 11/4/85:4151.

151

2131806 C-1 R1 Stemless Wreath VG8. Reverse Brockage. Sharpness F12 or slightly better but covered with fi ne granularity, mostly in the protected areas. No verdigris, but there is a subtle depression (dent?) on the right side of the fraction on the incuse side with a correspond-ing bulge on the normal side. Slightly glossy dark steel brown and chocolate with reddish chocolate toning in protected areas. The normal and incuse brockage impressions are both centered on the planchet but are slightly rotated relative to each other. This piece is plated on page 484 in the Breen encyclopedia illustrating the “(1805-6) Brockage of Stemless Reverse.” Since this reverse was used to strike 4 different varieties (1804 C-12 and C-13, 1805 C-1, and 1806 C-1), assigning an attribution to this piece depends entirely on the die state. Roger Cohen, Frank Wilkinson, and Walter Breen (all genuine heavyweights in this hobby) determined this piece was struck during the 1806 C-1 marriage. I respectfully disagree. There is no trace of a rim cud at the second A in AMERICA, which limits this to the 1804 C-13 marriage. While the brockage error is what really counts here, assigning the correct attribu-tion is important. Davy #06.1.7.

Estimated Value ................................................................. $1,000-UP

Ex Fred Weinberg (Numismatics Limited) 6/10/74.

BREEN PLATE COIN

152

2151806 C-1 R1 Stemless Wreath VF35. Broadstruck. Five points sharper but there are faint wisps of very fi ne roughness in the fi eld before the portrait. Otherwise the surfaces are very nice, nearly fl awless. Glossy steel brown and chocolate with lighter brown toning in protected areas, especially on the reverse. The rims are wide and squared all the way around both sides giving this piece a distinctly different look characteristic of a broadstruck error. (The rims on Draped Bust half cents are almost always narrow and rounded.) EDS with clear die clashmarks on the obverse and the reverse rotated 15 degrees CCW. Davy #06.1.12.

Estimated Value ......................................................................................................................................................$200-UP


2141806 C-1 R1 Stemless Wreath VG8. Reverse Brockage, Rotated and Slight-ly Off Center. Glossy olive brown with lighter chocolate and steel toning on the high points. No corrosion or verdigris, and the only mark is a thin vertical planchet fi ssure on the right side of the fraction on the normal side. This is a reverse brockage that was struck 5% off center to K-7. The incuse side is similarly off center in the same direction but is rotated about 30 degrees relative to the normal side. Although we are listing this brockage as coming from the 1806 C-1 marriage, it may have been struck during any of the other die marriages that employed the Stemless Wreath reverse (1804 C-12, 1804 C-13, and 1805 C-1). Davy #06.1.15.

Estimated Value ...............................................................$1,000-UP


153

2161806 C-1 R1 Stemless Wreath EF40. Clipped Plan-chet. Five points sharper but there is a small blob of verdigris or hard crud on the rim off the bust tip. The remainder of the planchet is smooth and attractive with only a few trivial contact marks. Glossy steel brown and chocolate with frosty tan and light brown toning in protected areas. A small curved planchet clip is located left of the hair ribbon and above the D in UNITED. The dentils across the planchet are weak, the so-called Blakesly effect that is usually present opposite a genu-ine mint clip. The reverse is rotated 25 degrees CCW relative to the normal head-to-foot die orientation. Davy #06.1.13.


Ex Carvin Goodridge 4/15/88.

2171806 C-2 R4 Small 6 with Stems VG10. Double Struck Off Center. At least 5 points sharper but there are small patches of raised verdigris on both sides, including one under the bust tip, another at ED in UNITED, and a broken swipe of similar crud from ST in STATES across to AM in AMERICA. The remainder of the planchet is smooth. Glossy chocolate and steel brown mixed with darker olive and steel toning. Double struck. There is a clear arc of dentils 50% off center on the reverse from the fi rst S in STATES to the N in CENT, and these dentils appear to be from an incuse brockage impression. In addition, the entire reverse displays fi ne doubling, clearest on the tops of HALF CENT. There is no evidence of doubling on the ob-verse. MDS, Manley state 2.0. Davy #06.2.7.



15415

2181806 C-4 R1 Large 6 with Stems VG8. Double Struck with Rotation/Reverse Brockage Maker. Slightly sharper but there are light contact marks scattered over the obverse and some graffi ti in the fi eld before the portrait. Glossy chocolate and olive brown. Dramatically double struck with two complete, strong dates. One of the strikes is centered on the planchet and the other is slightly off center and rotated 110 degrees. The rotation helped create a stunning visual effect on the obverse, but there is no trace of doubling on the reverse, which is centered on the planchet like its mated obverse impression. Instead, the reverse

was a brockage maker im-parting an incuse image of that side on a new planchet. This piece is plated on page 480 in Breen’s encyclopedia to illustrate the “Two impressions about 114 degrees apart” error. In addition, the reverse is rotated 80 degrees CW relative to the centered obverse impression. A stunning mint error in spite of the marks. Davy #06.4.4.

Estimated Value ............... $800-UP

Ex University of Wisconsin sale, Su-perior 10/77:138 (via Julian Leidman 10/3/77).

2191806 C-4 R1 Large 6 with Stems EF40. Triple Struck over Off Center Brockage. Slightly sharper but there are some light contact marks. These include a horizontal scuff in the fi eld off the chin and neck and a collection of thin nicks under AME. Glossy chocolate brown with frosty light golden brown and tan in protected areas. This piece was struck three times. One strike was a brockage impression about 65% off center leav-ing an arc of dentils on Ms Liberty’s shoulder. There is a tiny depression on the reverse rim over NI in UNITED and an-other over the A in STATES. These depressions correspond to where the edge of another planchet directly opposing the arc of dentils on the obverse would contact the rim, but there is no trace of undertype on that side. The other two strikes were

centered on the planchet and are separated by a tiny offset, about half the width of a dentil. This doubling is sharp and clear, however, and shows over both sides. The reverse is rotated 25 degrees CW on this example (this variety is known for numerous reverse rotations suggesting at least one of the dies was not properly secured in the press). Davy #06.4.15.

Estimated Value ................................................ $1,000-UP

From an unrecorded source 1993-1996.

BREEN PLATE COIN

155

2211806 C-4 R1 Large 6 with Stems EF45. Slightly Off Center with Misaligned Dies. Very attractive lustrous olive brown and chocolate with a couple thin wisps of lighter brown toning on the reverse. Great eye appeal for the grade. The only mark is a tiny planchet fl ake in the dentils over the D in UNITED. Very little if any wear shows on this piece, but the usual soft strike on the bust tip and opposing wreath under TATE makes assigning a higher grade diffi cult. E-MDS, Manley state 1.0. The repunching on the 6 is strong and the reverse is rotated 45 degrees CW. The dies are slightly misaligned and the strike is a bit off center, but the legends remain comfortably on the planchet. Davy #06.4.10.



2201806 C-4 R1 Large 6 with Stems AG3. Off Center. Sharpness VG10 but covered with moderate roughness under a glossy reddish chocolate patina. There are traces of waxy greenish verdigris in the protected areas but no notable marks. Struck 20% off center to K-8.5. The bottom of the 18 is off the planchet but the 06 part is strong. Not an especially attractive piece, but this type of error is very rare for the variety. Davy #06.4.12.



156

2231806 C-4 R1 Large 6 with Stems AG3. Cracked Planchet. Glossy dark steel brown and chocolate. No roughness or contact marks, just well worn. The planchet is cracked from the rim nearly to the nose with a corresponding crack to the wreath right of the F in HALF. The reverse is rotated 45 degrees CW. Davy #06.4.11.

Estimated Value ......................................................................................................................................................... $50-UP

Ex Frank E. Wilkinson 8/14/91.

2221806 C-4 R1 Large 6 with Stems VF25. Clipped Planchet. Sharpness VF35 but there are some faint hairline scratches well hidden in the patina on both sides. Glossy olive brown and chocolate mixed with some frosty lighter brown on the obverse. Excellent eye appeal in spite of the faint marks. There is a small planchet clip under the 18 and above ST in STATES, and the dentils across from this clip are weak (the Blakesly effect on pieces struck with planchet clips). The reverse is rotated 30 degrees CW. Davy #06.4.14.

Estimated Value ....................... $200-UP

From an unrecorded source 1993-1996.

157

2251807 C-1 R1 VF30. Double Struck/Off Center Brockage Maker. Sharpness EF45 with a diagonal scratch through EN in CENT and a few spots of extremely fi ne roughness on both sides. Glossy light chocolate brown mixed with darker choco-late and olive tones. In addition, there are traces of silvery toning on both sides, mostly along the profi le of Ms Liberty. Double struck. The fi rst strike was normal and centered on the planchet. The second was slightly off center and rotated 10-15 degrees on the reverse. There is strong evidence of the off center second strike on the left side of the reverse, especially inside the wreath. The obverse was not struck against the die on the second strike. Instead, it was pressed into a new blank planchet positioned 50% off center to K-7.5, thereby creating an off center obverse brockage. The indent from this second planchet is strong. Another great error that is obvious to the unaided eye. LDS, Manley state 3.0. Davy #07.1.16.


Ex NASCA auction #75, Grand Central 1988:703-Don Valenziano 11/11/88.

2241807 C-1 R1 VF25. Triple Struck with Tab. Sharpness near EF40 but covered with uniform microscopic roughness under frosty dark steel and olive toning. No marks or verdigris. The protected areas are covered with attractive fl owline luster. This piece was struck three times. One strike is normal and centered on the planchet. Another was way off center to K-4 creating a tab. The tab occurred when a second planchet was struck while resting over the rim of this piece. It appears the tab came prior to the normal, centered strike. The third strike (not necessarily in that order) was against a blank planchet 10% off center to K-4 on the obverse. Evidence of this strike comes in the form of an indent arcing from K-7 to K-1 on the obverse. This arc is relatively subtle compared to the tab indent, which is bold. Plated on page 483 in the Breen encyclopedia to illustrate an “Obverse indent.” A dramatic example of this very rare type of mint error. LDS, Manley state 3.0. Davy #07.1.2.



BREEN PLATE COIN

158

2261807 C-1 R1 F15. Double Struck Off Center. Five points sharper but there is a scratch-like line in the wreath under ENT (which may be an indent from the off center strike) and traces of extremely fi ne reddish carbon in protected areas at the top of the lower head of Ms Liberty. Frosty chocolate and steel brown. Double struck. One strike (probably the second) was centered on the planchet and the other was 45% off center to K-6. Evidence of the off center strike is strong and abundant on both sides. The date from the centered strike is clear and is positioned on the off center face of Ms Liberty. A

wonderful example of this type of mint error. LDS, Manley state 3.0. Davy #07.1.14.



2271807 C-1 R1 VG7. Double Struck Off Center. Slightly sharper but covered with very fi ne granularity, strongest on the reverse. No verdigris, and the only mark is a strong nick under TA in STATES. Double struck way off center. The fi rst strike was centered on the planchet, but it failed to eject completely and was struck another time 90% off center. RTY from the second strike is clearly visible left of the curls, and the denominator is strongly impressed at D-STA. The sequence of these strikes is questionable, and there is a chance the off center impression came fi rst. What’s certain is that this is a dramatic error in spite of the relatively low grade. Davy #07.1.33B.

Estimated Value ............................ $400-UP

Ex Colonel Ray Bright-2008 EAC Sale, Mc-Cawley & Grellman Auctions 5/10/08:95.

159

2291807 C-1 R1 VF20. Double Struck over Off Center Obverse Brockage. Lightly cleaned and retoned glossy chocolate and olive brown with very faded red remaining in protected areas. The only notable mark is a small nick-like planchet void at the dentils off the nose tip, as struck. Double struck over an off center obverse brockage impression. The fi rst strike is 40% off center to K-1 on the obverse while the initial strike on the reverse is an incuse obverse brockage impression 20% off center to K-7. The misstruck half cent was then reinserted into the press and struck slightly off center to K-5.5. Strong undertype of the off center obverse strike covers the lower half of the second obverse impression. Ms Liberty is rotated about 180 degrees between the two strikes. Most of the date from the second impression did not strike up, but the top of the 7 is strong. The reverse shows incuse BERTY from the off center brockage through the top of the wreath. Another fantastic multiple-error half cent. LDS, Manley state 3.0 early. Davy #07.1.28.



2281807 C-1 R1 VG8. Double Struck in Col-lar with Rotation. Glossy chocolate brown. Smooth surfaces, void of any hint of corro-sion or verdigris. There are some tiny ticks scattered over the obverse, mostly on the neck. Double struck. Both strikes are cen-tered on the planchet but rotated 25 degrees between the impressions. Evidence of the fi rst strike is strongest on the neck, bust, and back of the head. The undertype on the reverse is more subtle, clearest in the leaves under UNITED. In addition, the M from AMERICA

is positioned between the F of OF and adjacent A in AMERICA. E-MDS, Manley state 1.0. Davy #07.1.15.



160

2301807 C-1 R1 G5. Double Struck over Off Center Obverse Brockage. Several points sharper but the planchet is slightly bent and there are several dull contact marks in the fi eld before the face and at the rim left of the hair ribbon, plus a faint scuff in the hair at the back of the head. Otherwise the surfaces are smooth and attractive. Glossy chocolate brown with a swipe of lighter brown on both sides. Boldly double struck over a 10% off center obverse brockage. Two dates separated by a 45 de-gree rotation are visible on the obverse, and Ms Liberty is two-faced. The reverse is struck over the slightly off center obverse brockage with most of the incuse and retrograde LIBERTY showing at the bottom and the drapery folds at the top. The in-cuse brockage impression does not line up perfectly with either of the normal obverse impressions. Brockage impressions often do not line up with their opposing normal impressions when one of the two planchets (one that has been struck and the new blank) is only part way into the press or both planchets are off center in different directions or to a different degree. LDS, Manley state 3.0. Davy #07.1.11.



161

2311807 C-1 R1 VG7. Double Struck over Obverse Brockage. Very slightly sharper but covered with light contact marks, including myriad faint hairline scratches on the portrait and a dull diagonal scratch through the C in CENT. Glossy chocolate and olive brown with peeps of lighter brown in protected areas on the reverse. Double struck over an obverse brockage. The obverse is over the normal side of the brockage strike but rotated 25 degrees. The re-sult is two clear faces and busts for the lady. There are two dates as well, but the second one is less ob-vious. The second 18 is positioned on either side of the stronger 7, and the 7 of the second date is on the bust tip. The obverse brockage is positioned under the normal reverse and the strongest evidence of the incuse strike is from the bust lines below OF. The brockage came fi rst, then the normal strike. LDS, Manley state 3.0. Davy #07.1.33.


Ex John Hipps 7/30/94.

2321807 C-1 R1 VG8. Double Struck over Off Center Ob-verse Brockage. Glossy chocolate and steel with two small spots of darker reddish chocolate on the neck. Smooth surfaces with only a few minor marks, including a thin scratch in the fi eld before the neck and a small nick-like planchet void on the neck. Double struck over an off cen-ter obverse brockage. One strike is normal and centered on the planchet. The other is an off center obverse brock-age with the lower curls of the “normal” side of that strike visible at the bust tip. Those curls distort much of the 7, but it remains readable. On the reverse there is an arc from an 80% off center obverse brockage visible at F-AME. Apparently there were many things going wrong. LDS, Manley state 3.0. Davy #07.1.25.


Ex Jerry Wienzierl 5/3/96.

162

2331807 C-1 R1 EF40. Off Center. Frosty chocolate and steel brown with a splash of darker chocolate toning on the leaves under ME in AMERICA. No defects other than some uneven surface on the unstruck portion of the planchet, as minted. Struck 15-20% off center to K-6.5. Only the top of the 7 shows because the date is mostly off the planchet. A dramatic error with excellent eye appeal. This piece is plated on page 478 in the Breen encyclopedia to illustrate an off center type of mint error. LDS, Manley state 3.0 early. Davy #07.1.4.

Estimated Value ......................................................$2,000-UP

Ex Willard C. Blaisdell (via Del Bland)-William K. Raymond 9/8/76.

BREEN PLATE COIN

163

2351807 C-1 R1 VG8. Misaligned Dies. Slightly sharper, especially on the reverse where the details suggest a VF grade, but there are faint hairline scratches covering the obverse plus a couple obvious digs at the shoulder and left of the date. The reverse is very nice, essentially fl awless. Glossy dark olive brown and steel with reddish chocolate in protected areas on the reverse. The obverse high points are a lighter shade of chocolate and steel. Struck with the obverse die misaligned to K-9 while the reverse is centered on the planchet. Curiously the L in LIBERTY was not struck up at all and is missing while everything else is normal. This is most likely the result of the die misalignment. EDS, Manley state 1.0. The reverse is not rotated, which is unusual for this variety. Davy #07.1.20.



2341807 C-1 R1 F15. Off Center. Glossy dark olive brown with steel brown toning on the high points. Five points sharper but there are a half dozen small pinpricks in the right obverse fi eld, the largest at the dentils off the brow, plus a small planchet crack on the rim over the bust tip, as struck. The surfaces are mostly smooth and attractive, but a glass reveals traces of microscopic crud or verdigris on both sides. Struck 15% off center to K-7, but the upper half of the date is on the planchet and is easily readable. MDS, Manley state 2.0, with the reverse rotated 20 degrees CCW. Davy #07.1.19.

Estimated Value $1,000-UP


164

2361807 C-1 R1 G6. Clipped Planchet. Glossy chocolate and steel. Smooth and attractive. The only mark is a dull but ob-vious nick in the hair tucked close under the hair ribbon. A curved planchet clip is located even with the upper edge of the bust and at the opposing area over AM. A modest piece in this remarkable collection, but this type of error is quite rare (Breen encyclopedia, page 470, paragraph 7). LDS, Manley state 3.0. Davy #07.1.18.

Estimated Value ...................................................$50-UP

Ex Bob Grellman 12/18/90.

2371808/7 C-2 R3 Overdate 8 over 7 VG8+. Clipped Planchet. Choice glossy chocolate and steel. Smooth and very attractive for the grade, close to VG10. A curved planchet clip is positioned left of the lowest curls and over ST in STATES. EDS, Manley state 1.0, before any die cracks on the obverse. The overdate feature is obvious. Davy #08.2.14.



1655

2381808/7 C-2 R3 Overdate 8 over 7 VG7. Struck over Folded Planchet Lamination. Glossy chocolate brown. Smooth and attractive with only a few minor marks. The notable ones are a couple nicks at the C in CENT. Struck over a folded-back planchet lamination near the rim before the eye. The lamination now appears as a fl attened burr in the fi eld pointing to the eyebrow. An extremely rare type of mint error that creates a look that could be confused with undertype. EDS, Manley state 1.0. Nicely struck everywhere except for OF, which was not struck up at all. The overdate is obvi-ous. Davy #08.2.15.


Ex Rick DeSanctis, McCawley & Grellman Auctions/Superior 2002 ANA Sale, 8/1/2002:2462.

2391808 C-3 R1 VG7. Double Struck in Collar with Rota-tion. Nice glossy chocolate and olive brown. Smooth and attractive for the grade, but not perfect. The reverse is covered with faint hairline scratches and there is a dull nick over the right edge of the R in LIBERTY. Dou-ble struck in the collar with a rotation of 130 degrees CW between the impressions. The result is a dramatic error that is evident to the unaided eye. There is no date visible from either of the strikes, but an additional LIB-ERT is clear where one of the dates should have been and shadow images of Ms Liberty show in the obverse fi elds around the strong impression of her image. Simi-lar obvious doubling shows on the reverse. UNITED now reads UNRICA and there is an extra fraction where STATES should have been. This one is impressive, and Breen plated it on page 480 of his encyclopedia to il-lustrate a “rotated centered double strike.” LDS. Davy #08.3.14.

Estimated Value ...........................................$1,000-UP


BREEN PLATE COIN

166

2401808 C-3 R1 EF45. Double Struck Off Center. Very attractive frosty chocolate brown with light brown faded down from mint color in some of the protected areas. Essentially fl awless except for the effects of the off center strike. This piece was double struck. One of the impressions was centered on the planchet and the other was 55% off center. A clear arc of dentils passes through the head and the “18” from the date is partially visible at the E in LIBERTY. The 8 is obvious on the rim while part of the 1 shows on the body of the E. Similar evidence of the off center strike shows on the reverse. The “2” from the denominator is obvious on the rim over the second S in STATES and the fi rst A in AMERICA can be made out on the rim above the R in AMERICA. There is more stuff from the off center strike on both sides, but you get the idea. Another really neat error. EDS, Manley state 1.0, with the reverse rotated 165 degrees CW from a normal head-to-foot die orientation. Davy #08.3.2.


Ex Robert Batchelder 5/13/71.

2411808 C-3 R1 G5. Double Struck in Collar with Rotation. Glossy chocolate brown. Smooth and attractive for the grade, only a few trivial marks in the fi eld left of the portrait. Double struck in the collar but rotated 30 degrees between the strikes. There is ample undertype from the fi rst impression on the obverse, including “80” on the bust tip, and the face of Ms Liberty faces oddly upward. The most obvious evidence of doubling on the reverse is an extra wreath ribbon left of the “normal” one. LDS with relatively weak design details caused by the double strike, especially on the reverse. Davy #08.3.16.

Estimated Value ..................................................... $300-UP


167

2421808 C-3 R1 F15. Flipover Double Strike/Reverse Brockage Maker. Glossy chocolate and steel brown with traces of lighter brown in protected areas around the portrait. No notable marks and the surfaces are nice, but a glass reveals traces of microscopic roughness on the face. Double struck, and the planchet was fl ipped over between strikes. Both impressions are properly centered. The “200” from the fraction of one strike shows clearly at the Y in LIBERTY while parts of the wreath and ED from UNITED show on the bust and neck. The EN from CENT also shows at the ear. There is no undertype visible on the reverse, but there is a depression just inside the rim at STATES OF A that suggests the reverse was pressed against a blank planchet creating a reverse brockage. An alternative expla-nation that also makes sense is that two planchets were inserted at the same time resulting in a uniface reverse strike on this planchet, which was then reinserted into the press and struck again with the obverse over the reverse. This would also explain the depression at the top of the reverse. Either way, this is a neat error that offers excellent eye appeal. MDS, Manley state 3.0. The reverse is rotated 10 degrees CW. Davy #08.3.34.

Estimated Value .............. $800-UP


2431808 C-3 R1 VG8. Double Struck Off Cen-ter. Glossy chocolate brown with darker olive brown toning in protected areas. No defects on a smooth, attractive planchet. Double struck. The fi rst strike was 20% off center to K-7.5 and the second was centered on the planchet. Un-dertype is clearly visible on the head and left of the hair ribbon. The reverse shows undertype at the top of the wreath and at ITED. A relatively modest mint error, but the undertype is obvious and the eye appeal is very nice for the grade. LDS. Davy #08.3.25.



168

2441808 C-3 R1 VG8. Double Struck over Off Center Obverse Brockage. Sharpness F12 but the fi eld behind the portrait is covered with fi ne pin-scratches and there are some more along the top of the bust. Rather glossy chocolate and steel brown with darker steel brown toning on the high points. Double struck. One impression is an off center obverse brockage. The nor-mal obverse on this strike was about 10% off center to K-4.5 while the other side has a 60% off center obverse brockage. The other strike was normal and rather well centered on the planchet. The date of the off center strike hangs slightly off the planchet but it remains strong. The date from the centered strike is represented by the second 8 nestled into the lowest curl. The bust of the off center obverse also shows clearly in the fi eld above the centered bust. The off center obverse brockage covers the right third of the reverse and the incuse LIBER is strong. A complicated but visually pleasing multiple error. E-MDS. Davy #08.3.22.

Estimated Value ........................................................................... $1,000-UP

Ex Dr. Thomas S. Chalkley, Superior 1/28/90:87 (via Don Valenziano 2/1/90).

169

2451808 C-3 R1 F15. Double Struck Off Center/Off Center Brockage Maker. Sharpness VF30 but covered with extremely fi ne roughness under a mostly glossy dark olive and chocolate brown patina. No marks or verdigris. Double struck. The fi rst strike was centered but the planchet failed to eject properly and it was struck again but about 15% off center. The reverse was struck by the die during the second strike, but it was positioned off center to K-3 leaving a strong NITED and wreath on the left side of the reverse. The obverse was pressed into a new blank planchet rather than the obverse die during the second strike (thereby creating an off center obverse brockage on the new planchet), and the result was a strongly depressed arc covering most of the area left of the curls. A dramatic error. LDS. Davy #08.3.8.

Estimated Value ...........................................$300-UP


2461808 C-3 R1 G6. Double Struck Off Center over Off Center Reverse Brockage. Sharpness F12 but lightly corroded. No verdigris, but there are some light rim bruises on both sides, none notable. Dark chocolate and olive brown, closer to matte than glossy. Double struck, and neither strike was centered on the planchet. The reverse was struck two times by the reverse die, and the strikes are separated by a millimeter or two and rotated about 10 degrees. The doubling is most obvious inside the wreath where HALF and CENT are clearly bent. The obverse was struck two times as well, but one of the strikes is a 50% off center reverse brockage. Nothing went right for this half cent. Davy #08.3.31.


Ex Chris Young 4/19/97.

170

2471808 C-3 R1 VG8. Slightly Off Center Obverse Brock-age. Glossy dark chocolate and olive brown, most likely cleaned and nicely retoned. Smooth and attractive for the grade with only trivial contact marks, including a dull rim nick at the L in LIBERTY. This piece is an obverse brockage that was struck 10% off center to K-7. The normal and incuse impressions are almost directly opposite each other. The date is easily readable on both sides even though the bottom edge of all four (eight?) digits are off the planchet. This piece is plated on page 484 in the Breen encyclopedia to illustrate an obverse brockage. MDS. Davy #08.3.4.

Estimated Value .......................................... $1,000-UP

Ex F. R. Alvord, S. H. Chapman 6/9/24:136-Fred Wein-berg (Numismatics, Ltd.) 6/10/74.

2481808 C-3 R1 G6. Off Center Reverse Brockage. Sharpness F12 with uniform fi ne granularity covering the normal side. The incuse reverse is mostly smooth with only traces of lighter granularity in the protect-ed areas. Partly glossy dark steel brown and chocolate. The normal re-verse is properly centered while the incuse brockage impression of the reverse is 15% off center to K-5. M-LDS. (This reverse was used to produce the C-2 and C-3 varieties of 1808, but the die state indicates this piece was struck during the later C-3 marriage.) Davy #08.3.21.



BREEN PLATE COIN

171

2501808 C-3 R1 F15+. Misaligned Dies. Close to VF20 with excellent eye appeal, but there are just a few too many light contact marks for the higher grade. The only notable marks are a couple very light but relatively fresh ones left of the L in LIBERTY. Choice glossy chocolate brown. Struck with the obverse die misaligned to K-12. E-MDS, Manley state 2.0. The reverse die is rotated 70 degrees CCW from the normal head-to-foot orientation. Davy #08.3.17.



2491808 C-3 R1 G6. Off Center. Sharpness VF20 but lightly corroded. Dull dark steel brown and olive with patches of reddish brown on both sides, mostly on the reverse. You can fi nd a few tiny specks of verdigris with a good glass. The only contact mark is a barely visible rim bruise over the L in LIBERTY. Struck 15% off center to K-7 leaving the lower third of the date off the planchet. MDS with no reverse die rotation. Not the most attractive half cent, but the off center error is obvious. Davy #08.3.9.



172

2511808 C-3 R1 VF20. Broadstruck. Slightly glossy olive and dark bluish steel brown. Possibly lightly cleaned and retoned. The only marks are a tiny rim bruise left of the hair ribbon and a rim nick right of the fraction. Broadstruck very slightly off center to K-5 with wide, fl at rims, especially on the obverse. M-LDS, and the reverse is rotated 30 degrees CW. Davy #08.3.18.


Ex Jim Roecker 3/20/87.

2521808 C-3 R1 F15. Clipped Planchet. Sharpness VF35 but covered with uniform fi ne to moderate granularity under a rather glossy patina of dark chocolate and steel. No marks or verdigris. There is a relatively large curved planchet clip at RTY that touches the tops of the T & Y, and this clip affects the dentils above OF on the reverse. The dentils directly across from the clip are weak, the so-called Blakesly effect that helps authenticate planchet clips as mint-caused errors. E-MDS, Manley state 2.0, with the reverse rotated 110 degrees CW. Davy #08.3.38.



173

2531808 C-3 R1 VG10. Clipped Planchet. Sharpness near VF20 but covered with moderate granular-ity on all but the high points, which are relatively smooth. No verdigris, and the only marks are a rim nick over the B in LIBERTY and a rim scuff oppo-site the neck. Chocolate brown on the devices and slightly darker steel brown everywhere else. There is a curved planchet clip that affects the dentils be-hind the portrait and the opposing ones over MER in AMERICA. The dentils across from the clip display a tiny bit of weakness (the Blakesly effect), but the dentils are mostly gone anyway due to the die state. MDS with the reverse rotated 170 degrees CCW, nearly upset head-to-head. Davy #08.3.33.

Estimated Value ......................................$100-UP


2541809 C-1 R4 G5. Tab Double Strike. Sharp-ness VF25 or so but this piece was beat up and assigning a net grade is more subjective than normal. Glossy chocolate brown without any hint of corrosion or verdigris, but there are numerous strong contact marks on both sides. The most-obvious ones are a dull diagonal dent on star 8 and a deep nick above the A in HALF, but there are many more. This piece was struck two times, and one of those was 95% off center creating a tab above the head. The tab was tapped down so we lost most of the details (if any) that were on the tab, but the dentils from the off center strike are clear on the obverse side. Someone badly disrespected an otherwise fan-tastic half cent. MDS, Manley state 2.0. The die crack through the tops of MERICA is clear. Davy #09.1.4.



174

2551809 C-1 R4 AG3. Tab Double Strike. Glossy dark chocolate and steel. The surfaces are smooth and there are no signifi -cant marks other than a couple light rim dents. This piece is just heavily worn. The date is clear but portions of the legend on the reverse are worn away. Double struck. One strike is centered on the planchet and the other is 95% off center creat-ing a tab above the head. The error is almost identical to the one on the preceding lot but this tab is positioned a bit farther to the right above the head. The tab was tapped down on this one as well. An arc of dentils from the tab strike is clear on the obverse, but there is nothing visible on the reverse side of the tab. My guess is that the reverse of the tab (on this one and the preceding lot) was struck against a new blank planchet rather than the reverse die. The die state is unknown due to excessive wear at the top of MERIC. Davy #09.1.3.



2561809 C-2 R3 G6. Tab Double Strike. Slightly sharper but there are a dozen small contact marks on both sides, the most signifi cant of these being an attempted puncture right of the F in OF. No roughness or verdigris. Glossy chocolate and olive brown with slightly lighter chocolate brown toning covering the devices. Double struck. One strike was centered and the other was 95% off center to K-4 creating a tab at stars 11-13. The tab at stars 11-13 shows distorted dentils but the reverse part of the tab dis-plays no evidence of having struck either a die or another planchet. In addition, the obverse die is misaligned to K-4 while the reverse is properly centered on the planchet. EDS, Manley state 1.0. Davy #09.2.8.


Ex McCawley & Grellman Auctions/Superior 10/1/2000:1097.

175

2571809 C-2 R3 G4. Obverse Brockage/Double Struck. Several points sharper, especially on the incuse side, but the protected areas are covered with a thin layer of hard, black crud. The effect of the black stuff on the normal obverse is clearly negative, but it is at least neutral and possibly positive on the incuse side where it highlights the brockage details. You

decide. Glossy chocolate brown where not cov-ered with the dark stuff. No notable marks. The brockage impression is strongly impressed, and it was done at least two times creating 14 stars before the portrait (count the inner points of those incuse stars). The doubling on the normal obverse is less obvious, clearest in the dentils from star 5 to above the head. A really

neat multiple error; just too bad about the crud. While this die was used for the C-1 and C-2 mar-

riages, there are traces of a die crack through stars 11-13 which would confi rm this was struck during the C-2 marriage. Davy #09.6.21.



2581809 C-3 R1 G4. Double Struck Far Off Center. A few points sharper, especially on the reverse, but there are three deep digs under UN in UNITED, a half dozen small spots of greenish verdigris on the reverse, and a small cut out of the rim at star 1. Otherwise the surfaces are decent and the color is a rather glossy chocolate and steel brown. Double struck. One strike was centered on the planchet and the other was 85% off center creating at tab above star 6. This tab contains the complete 9 and part of the adjacent 0 from the date, and this is very strong. The reverse appears to have been struck against a blank planchet rather than the reverse die in the area opposing the obverse tab. A great error, especially with the 09 of the date on the obverse tab strike. Too bad about the condition, however. Davy #09.3.11.



176

2601809 C-3 R1 VG7. Double Struck Off Center/Off Center Reverse Brockage Maker. Very slightly sharper but there is a small spot of raised verdigris under star 1 and a couple more at the A in HALF. Otherwise the surfaces are smooth and of-fer excellent eye appeal. The only contact mark is a nick right of star 3. Boldly double struck when it failed to eject com-pletely following the fi rst strike. The initial strike was centered while the second was 65% off center to the top leaving two strong, complete dates on the planchet. The reverse was struck against a similarly off center blank planchet rather than the reverse die during the second strike. The uneven pressure resulted in a slight bend in this half cent and minor distortion on UNITED when it created an off center brockage impression on the other planchet. A bold, stunning error thanks to the two dates. This piece is plated on page 480 in Breen’s encyclopedia illustrating a “fi rst striking centered, second off center” type of mint error. Davy #09.3.3.


Ex Harry Jones 8/25/76.

2591809 C-3 R1 VG8+. Tab Double Strike. Glossy olive brown with slightly lighter chocolate toning covering the devices. The surfaces are smooth but there are a few marks, including several rim nicks at AMERICA. Close to VG10. Double struck. One strike was centered and the other was 90% off center leaving a tab at stars 1-3. The obverse tab was created by the die but the reverse of the tab was struck against a blank planchet. The obverse tab shows a strong arc of dentils and the tip of one star. An impressive error. Davy #09.3.20.

Estimated Value ................................................................. $100-UP

Source unrecorded 1993-1996.

BREEN PLATE COIN

177

2611809 C-3 R1 Fair-2. Double Struck Off Center/Off Center Obverse Brockage Maker. Sharpness VG7 but moderately corroded and there are a couple small spots of greenish verdigris on the reverse. The color is an unattractive dull medium brown with splashes of dark olive. Probably cleaned at one time. No verdigris, but there is a strong rim nick over the head. Double struck. The initial impression was normal and the second was 60% off center. The reverse shows a strong second strike 60% off center to K-8 while the obverse was struck against a new blank planchet positioned 40% off center to K-10.5, thereby creating an off center obverse brockage on the new planchet. A bold, dramatic error, but it is ugly. One of this col-lector’s favorite coins despite its well-deserved “ugly chile” status. Davy #09.3.8.


Ex 1983 Mid-Winter ANA Sale, lot 53.

2621809 C-3 R1 VG8. Double Struck Over Off Center Obverse Brockage. A couple points sharper but the surfaces aren’t perfectly smooth, most notably on the reverse. No verdigris, and the only marks appears to be mint caused. This piece was struck at least two times. One strike was normal and centered on the planchet, but there was a 50% off center obverse brockage strike as well. A stray “1809” date shows clearly from the forehead to the rim at star 7, and an incuse star from the obverse brockage is visible at the N in UNITED. Next to the incuse star (over the U) is what appears to be part of the label and L of LIB-ERTY, which would make this star #7. The brockage impression does not line up properly with the off cen-ter obverse details, so there is a possibility that a third strike was involved. But brockage impressions often do not line up with their “normal” side, so you can’t count on that as an indicator. Davy #09.3.13.

Estimated Value .........................................$200-UP


178

2641809 C-3 R1 VF25. Chatter Double Strike. Very attractive glossy chocolate and olive brown with traces of fl owline frost in protected areas. Excellent eye appeal; a tiny rim bruise at star 12 is the only defect. Delicately double struck (die bounce?) with obvious doubling at the chin and along the front edge of the neck. There is no hint of doubling on the reverse. E-MDS. Davy #09.3.12.



2631809 C-3 R1 G5. Double Struck in Collar with Minor Rotation. Glossy chocolate and steel. Smooth surfaces, void of any verdigris or notable marks. Double struck with a 10 degree rotation between the impressions. The obverse doubling is clearest at the forehead and along the bottom edge of the bust. The doubling on the reverse is more obvious, especially on HALF CENT where the 10 degree rotation is easier to assess. LDS, Manley state 2.0. Davy #09.3.21.


Ex Massachusetts Historical Society, Bowers & Merena 11/18/94:3317.

179

2651809 C-3 R1 Fair-2. Triple Struck Off Center/Off Center Brockage Maker. Slightly sharper but covered with moderate granularity, strongest on the reverse. No notable contact marks, but there are traces of very shal-low reddish verdigris, mostly on the reverse. Matte dark chocolate brown mixed with the reddish chocolate verdigris on the reverse. Not an espe-cially attractive half cent, but the error is fantastic. This one was struck three times. One strike was centered on the planchet, another was 60% off center to the top, and a third was 60% off center to the bottom. The off center strike to the top was made by both dies and it left behind a com-plete, clear second date. The off center strike to the bottom was against a blank planchet on the obverse and by the die on the reverse, but fi nding die details in this part of the corroded reverse is a real challenge. Davy #09.3.18.


Ex Chris Young 4/15/95.

2661809 C-3 R1 VF20. Double Struck Off Center over Off Center Reverse Brockage. Glossy chocolate and olive brown with traces of frost in protected areas. Smooth and very attractive, nearly fl awless. Double struck, and both strikes were off center. One impres-sion was 15% off center to K-5 and the other was a reverse brockage struck 60% off center in the same direction. The incuse brockage side is on the ob-verse, and those incuse details are obvious. Only a few traces of the raised reverse undertype from the brockage strike can be found on the reverse, with the clearest evidence on the T in CENT. The lower third of the date is off the planchet but it remains easily readable. LDS, Manley state 2.0. Plated on page 480 in the Breen encyclopedia illustrating “First impression a partial brockage, about 60% off center; second about 25% off center K5.5.” Davy #09.3.7.

Estimated Value ....................................$500-UP


BREEN PLATE COIN

180

2671809 C-3 R1 VG10. Off Cen-ter. Slightly sharper but there are some fi ne scratches on the obverse. Glossy chocolate and steel brown. Smooth and attractive in spite of the obverse marks. Struck 10-15%% off center to K-6.5 leaving the bottom edge of the date tight to the edge of the planchet. EDS, Manley state 1.0. Davy #09.3.9.

Estimated Value .........................................................$500-UP


2681809 C-3 R1 F12. Broadstruck. Glossy chocolate and olive brown with frosty lighter brown toning in protected areas on the reverse. A choice example, virtually perfect for the grade. Broadstruck with wide, fl at rims on both sides. EDS, Manley state 1.0. Davy #09.3.10.



181

2691809 C-3 R1 F15. Large Struck-Through Void

on Reverse. Choice glossy chocolate brown with smooth, very attractive surfaces. The only mark is a barely visible rim bruise under the 1 in the date. A large depression caused by debris on the die covers most of the area inside the wreath. The smooth texture of the depression suggests the de-

bris was grease or wax, both of which were used at the mint. The obverse is properly

struck. LDS, Manley state 2.0. Weight 82.5 grains, which is normal (as opposed to under-

weight which would support an incomplete planchet argument). This is a great example of a struck-through er-

ror. Davy #09.3.15.

Estimated Value ...................................................................... $100-UP


2701809 C-4 R1 Circle inside 0 G6. Double Struck Far Off Center. Glossy chocolate brown and very nice for the grade, perhaps closer to VG7. Double struck. One impression is centered on the planchet and the other is 85-90% off center to K-4.5. Clear details from both dies are visible on both sides of the off center strike, includ-ing a star on the obverse and the U from UNITED on the reverse. EDS, Manley state 1.0. The circle inside the 0 in the date (from a zero punch that was too small) is clear. A simple, very clean example of this type of mint error. Davy #09.4.2.



182

2711809 C-4 R1 Circle inside 0 VG8. Double Struck/Off Center Reverse Brockage Maker. Sharpness F12 but covered with microscopic roughness under a rather glossy olive brown patina with lighter chocolate ton-ing on the devices. No verdigris and just a few minor marks, including a tiny rim bruise over the second S in STATES and a rim nick at the bottom of the re-verse. Double struck. One strike was centered on the planchet and a second was rotated about 70 degrees and positioned 25% off center. The reverse die struck the planchet on the second strike but the obverse was pressed against a new blank planchet creating an off center reverse brockage. Bold evidence of the off cen-ter impression shows on the reverse. Quite often you have to look closely to see evidence of a second strike. Not so on this reverse. EDS, Manley state 1.0. The circle inside the 0 feature is visible. Davy #09.4.9.


Ex Ron Guth-Jack Robinson 1979.

183

2721809 C-4 R1 Circle inside 0 VG10. Double or Triple Struck over Off Center Obverse Brockage. Glossy steel brown with lighter steel brown toning on the high points. Probably struck three times, but it is diffi cult to determine the sequence of errors involved. The obverse shows an under-type obverse brockage impression that’s off center about 35%. An incuse “1809” date shows strongly at the top of the head. The reverse shows un-dertype of a normal obverse struck slightly off center to K-12 with the base of the bust over HALF and stars 2-7 visible at RICA to below the wreath ribbon. There appear to be at least 3 strikes considering the various off cen-ter die and brockage positions, but attempting to noodle through this one can hurt your head. We have learned that brockage impressions often are off center in different directions on the opposing sides from a single strike, so only two strikes have occurred here. (Off center brockage impressions such as this are easily understood when you consider the coining chamber is designed to fi t a single planchet. A new (second) planchet would meet some resistance from a struck coin remaining in the press, and it would be inserted only part way into proper striking position. At the same time, the new planchet would push the struck coin partially off center in the press. The next strike, then, would create an off center brockage). EDS, Manley state 1.0. The circle inside 0 feature is obvious. Plated on page 484 of the Breen half cent encyclopedia to illustrate the “Overstruck on partial ob-verse brockage” type of mint error. Davy #09.4.7.


Ex McLaughlin & Robinson Auctions #4369, 2/27/88:403-Chris McCaw-ley 5/17/88.

BREEN PLATE COIN

184

2741809 C-4 R1 Circle inside 0 VG10. Double Struck in Collar with Minor Rotation. Glossy dark olive and steel with lighter chocolate brown toning on the reverse. Smooth surfaces free of any notable defects. Double struck in the collar with a 5-10 degree rotation between the strikes. The clearest evidence of doubling is on the nose, mouth, and along the bottom edge of the bust. Ms Liberty has two mouths and four lips, which gives her a distinctly odd look. The doubling on the reverse is far more subtle, but it can be seen on the uprights of the H and L in HALF. The circle inside the 0 is clear. Davy #09.4.12.



2731809 C-4 R1 Circle inside 0 G5. Double Struck over Off Center Obverse Brockage. Rather glossy chocolate and dark steel brown. The sur-faces are covered with extremely faint roughness but there is no verdigris. The only contact mark is a dull dent at the bottom of the wreath. Double struck. The second strike was normal and cen-tered on the planchet. The fi rst strike was a 75% off center obverse brockage. An arc of dentils from the brockage impression shows at stars 3-7 and the incuse “09” is visible at stars 6 & 7. The only evidence remaining of the normal off center strike is a star near the rim left of the U in UNITED. The circle inside the 0 feature is clear in spite of the low grade. Davy #09.4.6.

Estimated Value .................................. $200-UP

Ex Nyles Spurlock 3/20/87.

185

2751809 C-4 R1 Circle inside 0 VG8. Tab Double Strike. Sharpness F15 but there are traces of light corrosion on both sides, strongest on the reverse where there are a few small patches of raised reddish brown verdigris. No notable contact marks. Rather glossy dark steel and olive. Double struck. The initial strike was 95% off center against another planchet rather than a die creat-

ing a tab on the rim of the planchet. This planchet, complete with the tab, was then inserted into the press and struck normally with the tab positioned at the bottom of the reverse. The sequence of strikes can be determined thanks to the extended dentils on the obverse part of the tab (the tab increased the

planchet diameter in that spot providing more room for the dentils to be impressed during the normal

strike). EDS, Manley state 1.0. The circle inside 0 feature is sharp. Davy #09.4.13.


Ex Frank Wilkinson-Roger S. Cohen, Jr., Superior 2/2/92:273.

2761809 C-4 R1 Circle inside 0 G6. Tab Double Strike. A couple points sharper but covered with extremely faint roughness under a slightly glossy

dark steel brown and chocolate patina. No verdigris or notable marks. Double struck. The fi rst strike was a “pinch” against a planchet creating a tab at the bottom of the reverse. The second strike was normal and centered on the planchet. Virtually identical to the preceding lot, the tab on this piece positioned a couple millimeters closer to the

second A in AMERICA. LDS, Manley state 2.0. The circle inside 0 feature is faint. Davy

#09.4.8.

Estimated Value................................ $100-UP


186

2771809 C-4 R1 Circle inside 0 VG8. Off Center with Tab. Glossy light olive and chocolate brown. Smooth and very attrac-tive for the grade. The only marks are some minor planchet imperfections on the unstruck portion of the planchet. Double struck. One impression was 25% off center to K-10.5 and the other was a tab at the bottom of the reverse. The tab strike appears to have been against a previously struck piece because there are raised dentil-like ridges on the tab. A really neat multiple error that offers excellent eye appeal for the grade. MDS. The circle inside 0 feature is clear. Davy #09.4.4.



2781809/6 C-5 R1 Overdate 9 over 6 VF25. Double Struck Off Center. Glossy chocolate brown with darker steel toning on the high points. No roughness and only a few minor marks, including a dull nick left of star 10. Dramatically double struck. One impres-sion was centered and the other was 40% off center to the top and rotated 30 degrees relative to the centered strike. Strong evidence of the off center strike shows on both sides. A bold, very impressive example of this type of mint error. LDS, Manley state 3.0. The over-date feature is visible but not strong thanks to some dirt caked around the 9. Removed from an NGC slab graded VF30, and the double struck feature is noted on the label. Davy #09.5.21.


Ex American Numismatic Rarities 7/23/05:609-Ed Fuhrman 4/19/06.

187

2791809/6 C-5 R1 Overdate 9 over 6 VG7. Double Struck Off Center. Slightly sharper but covered with micro-scopic roughness and there is a dull dent in the curls

right of the neck plus a lighter one on the cheek. No verdigris. Slightly glossy steel brown and choco-

late with darker olive brown toning in protected areas. Double struck. One impression was centered and the other was 35% off center to the top and rotated 40 degrees relative to the centered strike. The error is very similar to the preceding lot in every respect. Clear evidence of the off center strike is visible on both sides, including an extra ear above LI in

LIBERTY and a second eye looking down at star 6. LDS, Manley state 3.0. The overdate (ac-

tually a 9 over an inverted 9) is dull but visible. Davy #09.5.3.



2801809/6 C-5 R1 Overdate 9 over 6 VG8. Double Struck Off Center. Attractive glossy light chocolate brown. Pos-sibly retoned but the eye appeal is excellent. The surfaces are smooth and void of any notable marks. Double struck. One strike is centered on the planchet and the other is 60% off center to K-6. The strongest evidence of the off center impression is an extra face under the bust tip and “CENT” at the top of the reverse, but there is lots more. A bold, very attractive example of an off center strike. LDS, Manley state 3.0. Evidence of the 9 over 6 overdate is hid-den under the “Y” of LIBERTY from the off center strike. Davy #09.5.8.


Ex Hank Rodgers 8/13/77.

188

2811809/6 C-5 R1 Overdate 9 over 6 VF35. Double Struck Reverse with Rotation/Off Center Obverse Brockage Maker. Sharpness EF45 or slightly better but the planchet is covered with extremely fi ne roughness under attractive frosty dark chocolate and olive brown toning. No verdi-gris and only a couple trivial marks, including a small nick above the bust tip and another between the tops of the E & N in CENT. Double struck. The reverse was struck two times by the reverse die, both impressions centered on the planchet but rotated about 10 degrees. The doubling is obvious everywhere but strongest on the legend outside the wreath where the separation is greatest. The obverse was struck two times as well, but the second strike on that side was against a new blank planchet positioned 15% off center to K-8.5 cre-ating an off center obverse brockage. The blank planchet left a deeply impressed arc on the right side of the obverse during the second strike. A sharp, attractive piece that clearly displays the errors. MDS, Manley state 2.0. The overdate feature is visible but partially hidden by a bit of dirt. Davy #09.5.7.

Estimated Value .............................................................................$500-UP


2821809/6 C-5 R1 Overdate 9 over 6 VF25. Double Struck 95% Off Center. Five points sharper but lightly cleaned and nicely retoned glossy chocolate and steel with frosty lighter brown in the protected areas. No roughness or other defects, and the eye appeal is excellent. This piece could easily pass for a higher grade. Double struck, but this one is clearly different than most in this error category. One strike was at least 95% off center to K-10, and it appears it was the fi rst strike on this planchet. It left a small arc on the obverse that contains part of a star, but nothing on the reverse. Instead the reverse die struck

the rim and edge of the planchet leaving a bold, clear impression of the O from OF on the edge over NI in

UNITED. Obviously the planchet had to be angled in the press to make this happen, so things were

really jammed up. A small mark on the rim off either end of the uniquely placed “O” was caused by the errant strike. The second strike was normal. A truly remarkable mint error. They all are unique, of course, but this one really stands out as something differ-ent. MDS, Manley state 2.0. The overdate is

obvious. Davy #09.5.15.

Estimated Value .................................$300-UP


REMARKABLY DOUBLE STRUCK ON EDGE

189

2831809/6 C-5 R1 Overdate 9 over 6 AG3. Off Center. Mostly glossy chocolate brown with lighter brown toning covering the protected areas. Cleaned and retoned, but the surfaces are decent and the only marks are a couple nicks on the cheek and neck. Struck 10% off center to K-5. The bottom of the date is tight to the edge of the planchet, but it remains clear. Davy #09.5.12.



2841809/6 C-5 R1 Overdate 9 over 6 VF20. Clipped Planchet. Slightly sharper but there is a dusting of fi ne greenish ver-digris in some of the protected areas, mostly on the reverse. Otherwise the ton-ing is an attractive glossy dark chocolate brown. No notable marks. The planchet has a curved planchet clip off the bust tip reaching slightly inside the dentils and touching the tops of AT in STATES. LDS, Manley state 3.0. The overdate feature remains visible. Davy #09.5.14.

Estimated Value ..................... $200-UP


190

2851809/6 C-5 R1 Overdate 9 over 6 VF25. Delaminat-ed Planchet after Striking. Slightly sharper but there are too many tiny contact marks for the higher grade. None of the marks is signifi cant or distracting, and the toning is an attractive glossy chocolate and steel brown. The planchet has delami-nated (peeled away) on 60% of the obverse, and this happened after strik-ing. Pieces with small delaminations are not especially rare, but this one is a signifi cant exception. That’s why Walter Breen plated this piece on page 469 in his encyclopedia to illustrate the “Dropped lamination” type of mint error. LDS, Manley state 3.0. The overdate is dull but remains visible. Davy #09.5.4.

Estimated Value ....................................................................... $200-UP


2861809/6 C-5 R1 Overdate 9 over 6 F12. Delaminated Planchet before Striking. Glossy chocolate and steel brown with lighter reddish chocolate toning in the obverse fi elds. No notable defects other than the plan-chet fl aws that make this piece special. The planchet delaminated (peeled away) above the head before being struck. The pre-striking assessment is possible because the opposing area on the reverse is weakly struck (not enough planchet metal to squeeze between the dies in that area). In addition, a planchet crack reaches from the rim through star 13 to the neck and a fi ssure reaches up through star 12 to the hair ribbon. Obviously this plan-chet was not ready for prime time. LDS, Manley state 3.0. The overdate is clear. Davy #09.5.18.

Estimated Value ...............................................$100-UP

Ex Terry Hess 8/14/91.

BREEN PLATE COIN

191

2871809 C-6 R1 VF20. Double Struck Off Center. Glossy chocolate and steel. Smooth with only a couple minor marks. These include a small dig or planchet void at the rim above the L in LIBERTY and a planchet fl ake at the dentils above the D in UNITED. Double struck. The fi rst strike was centered on the planchet and the second was 90% off center at stars 3-5. The obverse tab shows parts of a couple stars but the reverse tab has no design details and may have been struck against a blank planchet (or even another struck half cent). The off center strike created a large tab that has been lightly tapped down, but it still extends beyond the normal arc of the planchet. The rim across the planchet also displays the effects of this tapping. You have to wonder if this was done at the mint before releasing the coin to make it more presentable. However, there are enough tab strikes remaining today that have not been tapped down to present a good counter-argument. Re-gardless, it’s nice enough to have been selected by Walter Breen to illustrate the “fi rst striking centered, second off center” type of mint error on page 480 of his half cent encyclopedia. M-LDS, Manley state 5.0. Struck with the reverse rotated 135 degrees CCW relative to the normal head-to-foot die orientation. Davy #09.6.2.



2881809 C-6 R1 F12. Tab Double Strike. Slightly sharper with a few minor contact marks, including a couple light ones on the jaw and neck and a pair of nicks at the top of the second T in STATES.

Rather glossy dark olive brown and steel. Double struck. The fi rst strike was normal and centered on the

planchet, but it failed to eject completely and was struck a second time 95% off center creating a

tab at stars 3-6. The obverse tab contains dentils from the die, but the reverse was pinched against a blank planchet (the one for which this strike was intended), and the pinch left a strong beveled indent on that side of the tab. M-LDS, Manley state 5.0. The reverse is rotated 140 degrees CCW. Davy #09.6.24.


Ex George Trostel, McCawley & Grellman Auctions/Superior 6/3/2002:2358.

BREEN PLATE COIN

192

2891809 C-6 R1 VF25. Tab Double Strike. Glossy olive and bluish steel. No defects other than a tiny planchet fl ake near the dentils under star 1, and this mark can help identify the coin. Double struck. The fi rst strike was centered and the second just managed to pinch this planchet at stars 3-5. The obverse part of this tab strike was against the die while the reverse was against a blank planchet. Nearly identical to the preceding lot, except that the second strike caught even less of this coin. And this one is the same die state (M-LDS, Manley 5.0) with the reverse rotated an identical 140 degrees CCW. Makes you think these may have been struck one after the other by someone making the same miscalculation while feed-ing and ejecting the press. These errors can really mess with your mind—but in a good way. Davy #09.6.17.

Estimated Value .............. $100-UP


2901809 C-6 R1 F12. Double Struck with Rotation/Obverse Brockage Maker. Glossy chocolate brown mixed with some lighter chocolate on both sides. Smooth and attrac-tive, free of any notable defects. Double struck. Both strikes were centered on the planchet but the second was rotated 30 degrees relative to the fi rst. AMERICA now reads AMERICRICA and ample additional doubling shows elsewhere on the reverse. The obverse was struck against a new blank planchet during the second strike thereby creating an obverse brockage. The obverse displays the usual swelling or puffi ness that results from being struck against a blank planchet. The swelling on the obverse is strong on this one because of the signifi cant rotation between strikes on the reverse. MDS. Davy #09.2.6.

Estimated Value ........................ $100-UP

Ex Stack’s 1/14/87:829.

193

2921809 C-6 R1 VG10. Triple Struck in Collar with Rotation/Obverse Brockage Maker. Slightly sharper but lightly cleaned and retoned glossy chocolate brown and steel. No notable defects other than some microscopic roughness covering the planchet. Triple struck with all three strikes centered on the planchet. The reverse shows clear evidence of all three strikes: two with a slight rotation between impressions and a third rotated 30 degrees. Reading the legend outside the wreath is a challenge because there is a lot going on there, but a reasonable interpretation would be UNITEDATES OF OAMAMER-ICA. The 30 degree rotation is a lot easier to assess by looking at two renditions of HALF CENT. The obverse displays only two strikes rotated by 30 degrees plus clear swelling or puffi ness associated with being struck against a new blank planchet creating a brockage. The doubling is clearest on the portrait with IBER across her forehead under LIBE, and Ms Liberty has two necks (just what every lady wants). MDS. Davy #09.6.3.



2911809 C-6 R1 F15. Triple Struck, Two Strikes Off Center. Glossy chocolate and steel. Smooth and very attractive for the grade. The only notable mark is a dull nick on the rim at star 4. This piece was struck three times. One strike was centered on the planchet, another was 85% off center to K-5, and the third

(not necessarily in that order) was slightly off center to the bottom of the reverse. This third strike left ICA, parts of the wreath ribbon, and the U in UNITED on the rim under the wreath, but there is no trace of this strike on the obverse. This suggests

the obverse may have been pressed against a new blank planchet during the

slightly off center impression creating a brockage. This piece is plated on page 481 in the Breen encyclopedia illustrating what he called “First impression about 75% off center in K-11, second normal, third about 90% off center in K-5.” While Breen’s assessment of the percentages may be questionable, his belief that this piece was worthy of plating in his book is easily defended. MDS, Manley state 3.0. The reverse is rotated 45 degrees CW. Davy #09.6.7.

Estimated Value ...................... $500-UP


BREEN PLATE COIN

194

2931809 C-6 R1 F15. Off Center. Five points sharper with extremely faint roughness hiding un-der a rather glossy dark olive brown and steel patina. No marks or verdigris. Struck 15% off center to K-11. MDS, Manley state 3.0. Davy #09.6.15.

Estimated Value ................................................................................$800-UP


2941809 C-6 R1 VF25. Off Center. Glossy steel and chocolate brown. Smooth and attractive with only a couple trivial marks. These include a very tiny rim bruise at the bottom of the obverse and a small nick on the rim of the unstruck part of the planchet over TA in STATES. Struck 10% off center to K-6.5. The designs are farther off center on the reverse than they are on the obverse, the 10% being an average. LDS, Manley state 6.0, with the reverse rotated 140 degrees CCW. Davy #09.6.22.


Ex Dr. Ernest J. Montgomery, Heritage 1997 ANA Sale, 7/30/97:8107.

195

2951809 C-6 R1 VF20. Uniface Reverse. Slightly sharper but lightly cleaned and retoned glossy light chocolate with hints of light bluish steel overtone in protected ar-eas. No roughness and only a few trivial contact marks. A tiny planchet fl ake well above the L in HALF is a good identifying mark. This is a uniface reverse strike (two planchets inserted into the press at the same time). Fortunately this reverse is distinctive and was used in only one marriage, so the attribution is easy. This type of mint error is called “exceedingly rare” by Breen, and this was the only genuine example he had seen when he wrote his half cent encyclopedia. Plated on page 481 of that book to illustrate the “Uniface” type of error. M-LDS. Weight 82.9 grains (normal for the grade). Might look rather humble, but it’s a highlight of this landmark offering. Davy #09.6.8.



2961809 C-6 R1 MS60. Misaligned Dies. Lustrous chocolate and olive brown with satiny mint frost covering the protected areas on both sides. Essentially fl awless. A very tiny tick over the T in CENT is the best identifying mark, and it is barely visible. LDS, Manley state 6.0, with strong rim cud breaks on the upper right quadrant of the obverse, including one above the back edge of the head that hangs down slightly beyond the dentil tips. The dies are slightly misaligned. The reverse is perfectly centered on the planchet while the obverse is off center to K-9. The shift allows the rim cuds to show more strongly than normal for the late state. Plated on page 475 in the Breen encyclopedia to illustrate “Offset-misaligned dies.” Davy #09.6.6.

Estimated Value ................................................................... $1,000-UP


BREEN PLATE COIN

EXTREMELY RARE UNIFACE STRIKE

196

2971809 C-6 R1 VF25+. Cracked Planchet. Glossy light choco-late and medium brown. No roughness or verdigris, only tiny contact marks. Close to VF30. A clear planchet crack reaches from the rim under the 18 up through the 1 and bust tip into the fi eld where it fades out right of star 2. The crack extends all the way through the plan-chet reaching down through TE in STATES into the wreath where it fades out left of the H in HALF. EDS, Manley state 1.0. Davy #09.6.20.

Estimated Value ..........................................$200-UP


2981810 C-1 R1 EF40. Double Struck Off Center/Off Center Obverse Brockage Maker. Glossy dark choco-late brown. The surfaces are satiny and very attractive, virtually fl awless. Double struck. One strike was cen-tered on the planchet and the other was 35% off center to K-10.5 and rotated about 30 degrees CW relative to the fi rst impression. The reverse was struck by the reverse die during the second strike leaving strong evi-dence of this impression on the left side. “CENT” from the second strike is visible at UNITE, the “H” from HALF is clear on the leaf under the D in UNITED, and many parts of the wreath are visible along the rim and dentils. The obverse was struck against an off center blank planchet rather than the die during the second strike, thereby creating an off center brockage on that planchet. Some of the usual swelling or puffi ness asso-ciated with brockage making shows on the part of the obverse that was pressed against the blank planchet. A beautiful 1810 half cent in its own right; the mint error just adds to its appeal. LDS. Davy #10.1.10.



197

2991810 C-1 R1 G6. Double Struck over Off Center Obverse Brock-age. Slightly sharper but there are some fi ne, old pinscratches in the fi eld before the portrait plus a couple more on Ms Liberty. Other-wise the surfaces are smooth and attractive for the grade. Mostly glossy dark steel brown and chocolate. Double struck. The fi rst im-

pression was a 65% off center obverse brockage. The normal side of the brockage is under the obverse. Clear undertype

from this strike shows at the stars behind the portrait, including the 0 from the date at star 12 and hair details

at stars 9-11. The off center brockage impression is visible at OF AMER with an incuse star centered on the E in AMERICA. Davy #10.1.8.


Ex Richard Gross (the “Baltimore Collection) via Ron Guth 3/20/83.

3001810 C-1 R1 VG7. Tab Double Strike. Slightly sharper with extremely faint roughness covering the planchet. No verdigris or notable marks. Double struck with a tab indent. Breen says the indent on this coin was created “while a blank planchet was

partially between it and one of the dies at the moment of strik-ing.” Perhaps, but the tab on the reverse has faint dentil

impressions consistent with being pressed against the edge of another struck piece. A more logical

sequence is that the tab strike came fi rst with the edge being nipped against a struck half cent. Then the planchet was struck properly to create what we see today. The strong dentils on the ob-verse side of the tab also support this sequence of events. The piece is plated on page 483 of the Breen book illustrating the “Reverse Indent”

type of mint error. Davy #10.1.3.

Estimated Value ............ $100-UP


BREEN PLATE COIN

198

3011810 C-1 R1 VG10. Misaligned Dies. A couple points sharper but there is a dull rim nick under the 10 in the date and another at star 4. Otherwise the surfaces are smooth and attractive. Glossy dark olive brown and steel with lighter chocolate toning on the devices. Struck with the dies rotated 90 degrees CCW and the obverse clearly misaligned to K-3.5. Davy #10.1.11.



3021810 C-1 R1 G5. Misaligned Dies. Slightly sharper but there are some digs at star 3 and a rim nick over the second T in STATES, plus a couple additional minor marks on both sides. Glossy chocolate brown with smooth surfaces. Struck with the reverse ro-tated 80 degrees CCW and the obverse misaligned to K-3.5. Very similar to the preceding lot. Davy #10.1.9.


Ex Stack’s (OTC)-Roger S. Cohen, Jr., Superior 2/2/92:287.

199

3031811 C-1 R4 G5. Chatter Strike. Slightly sharper but covered with microscopic roughness. No verdigris, but there are some faint hairline scratches on the portrait and a subtle dent in the leaves under NT in CENT that resulted in a slight bulge in the head above BERT. Mostly glossy light olive brown and steel. Double struck with a small offset, less than a half millimeter clockwise rotation. The doubling is clearest on the date and dentils. The digits of the date appear considerably thinner than normal thanks to the shifted strike. There is no evidence of similar doubling on the reverse, but there is a series of tiny depressions at the dentil tips over AMER, and these suggest an earlier brockage impres-sion. EDS, Manley state 1.0. Davy #11.1.12.



3041811 C-1 R4 G5. Double Struck in Col-lar with Minor Rotation. A point or two sharper but covered with uniform mi-croscopic porosity. No verdigris, and the only mark is a tiny rim nick at the fi rst A in AMERICA. Slightly glossy dark steel brown and chocolate. Double struck with a very small offset between the impressions. The small shift between impressions resulted in severe distor-tion on stars 1-7, thin numerals in the date, and doubled berries and leaves in the wreath. LDS, Manley state 5.0, with a strong cud break at stars 1-4. Davy #11.1.13.


Ex Lanny Reinhardt 4/24/03.

200

3051811 C-1 R4 Fair-2+. Two-Star Cud Break. Sharpness G6 or so but covered with moderate roughness. No verdigris, but there are some dull contact marks on the right bottom of the reverse and an old vertical scratch up from star 13. The date is easily readable, as is most of the legend, but parts of AMERI-CA are lost in the roughness. Dark steel and olive. Extremely rare M-LDS, Manley state 4.0, with a cud break connecting stars 1 & 2 to the rim. The cud break is strong, in fact it is the strongest feature on the coin. That may explain why Roger Co-hen selected this piece to illustrate the die state in the fi rst edi-tion of his book on the series (page 65). About seven are known in this die state, and all of them are in relatively low grade with defects. And, no, this really isn’t a mint error—unless you want to call using a broken die an error in judgment. Davy #11.1.11.

Estimated Value ..................................................... $4,000-UP

Ex Lanny Reinhardt, McCawley & Grellman Auctions 1/5/91:22.

EXTREMELY RARE 1811 WITH 2-STAR CUD COHEN PLATE COIN

201

3071811 C-2 R3 VG10+. Large Planchet Clip. Sharpness near F15 but there is a dull dent just right of the F in OF that caused a bulge at star 13, and a rim nick is visible over star 9. Otherwise the surfaces are smooth and show only a few minor contact marks. Glossy light olive and chocolate brown. Possibly lightly cleaned and retoned but the color is attractive. A large, curved planchet clip touches stars 12 & 13 and nearly touches the fi nal digit in the date. The top of the F in OF was lost to the clip. This is one of the largest arc clips in the series, perhaps the largest. MDS, Manley state 2.0. Davy #11.2.11.

Estimated Value ..................................................................................................................................................... $500-UP


3061811 C-2 R3 G5. Tab Double Strike. Slightly sharper but there are a few contact marks, mostly added in an attempt to tap down the tab to make the coin more presentable in commercial channels. The notable marks are a small dig left of star 6 and a couple light rim bruises under the 11 in the date. Glossy chocolate and steel. No corrosion or verdigris, and the surfaces are smooth except for the contact marks. Double struck. One strike was centered on the planchet and the other was 95% off center creating a tab above star 7 that includes an arc of dentils. The tab is nearly identical to the tabs on sev-eral other pieces in this sale, both in terms of position and percent off center. This suggests the planchets were being entered and removed from the press at a similar angle, and an error in the placement of a planchet would cause a nip or tab in the same general area. Seeing such a large group of these errors at one time lets you see patterns that may remain hidden otherwise. EDS, Manley state 1.0. Davy #11.2.9.

Estimated Value ................ $400-UP


202

3081811 C-2 R3 G5. End-of-Strip Tapered Planchet Clip. A couple points sharper but covered with fi ne granularity under a mostly glossy chocolate brown patina. No verdigris and only trivial marks, including a small rim nick over the E in STATES. The planchet was cut from the end of the planchet strip. The planchet is incomplete left of stars 3-5 and it is beveled in that area causing a very weak strike at stars 2-6 and on UNITED. The date and remainder of the legends are all strong. The weight is only 77.9 grains, considerably under the normal 84.0 grain

standard. EDS. Davy #11.2.7.



3091825 C-2 R1 VG10. Flipover Triple Strike. A couple points sharper but covered with extremely fi ne rough-ness, mostly on the reverse. No marks or verdigris. This piece was struck at least three times and was fl ipped over once. The evidence of these events is sparse but strong. The “T” from CENT is positioned atop the curl on the neck, and it is obvious to the unaid-ed eye. In addition, there is a leaf on the bust tip, and it is clear as well. The “T” and leaf could not have been from the same strike; hence a minimum of three strikes were required. There is no trace of an extra impression on the reverse, so explaining exactly what happened here is out of the question. M-LDS, Manley state 2.0. Davy #25.2.16.



203

3111825 C-2 R1 F12. Double Struck Off Center. Glossy chocolate brown. Double struck. There is an arc of dentils 65% off center across the bottom of the reverse touching the bottom of the C & E in CENT, but no other die details from an off center strike are visible. On the obverse there are impressions on the rim at the opposing places (exactly opposite the ob-verse arc), but nothing else from a die. This suggests the obverse was pressed against a blank planchet rather than the die during this strike. And it appears the off center strike came fi rst. EDS, Manley state 1.0. Davy #25.2.17.


Ex Rick DeSanctis, McCawley & Grellman Auctions/Superior 8/1/2002:2467.

3101825 C-2 R1 F15. Double Struck with Rota-tion/Obverse Brockage Maker. Attractive glossy chocolate brown. Smooth, corrosion free-sur-faces with only a few trivial contact marks. A dull rim nick at TA in STATES is the only defect worthy of mention. Double struck. Both impres-sions were centered on the planchet but rotated 80 degrees between the strikes. The doubling is obvious on the reverse, especially inside the wreath. There is no doubling on the obverse. Instead that side was pressed against a blank planchet during the second strike creating an obverse brockage. The swelling or puffi ness that occurs on the “brockage maker” (the obverse in this case) is obvious. Davy #25.2.11.



204

3121825 C-2 R1 VF20. Double Struck Off Center. Glossy olive and steel mixed with chocolate brown. The only mark is a dull depression on the rim at the bottom of the reverse, and this was caused by an off center strike. Double struck. One impression was centered on the planchet and another was positioned 25% off center. It appears the off center strike came fi rst. There is an arc of impressed dentils (caused by a die) from the rim over star 7 through the cap. A lighter arc of dentils shows in the leaves under ICA to the rim under the wreath. These dentils appear to have been impressed by a struck half cent rather than by a die. That would make the fi rst strike an off center brockage that was restruck to create a “normal” half cent. And that would make sense. EDS, Manley state 1.0, with a bar on the edge at star 11 (possibly created by a broken collar) and the reverse rotated 15 degrees CW. Davy #25.2.18.


Ex Doug Bird 6/95.

3131825 C-2 R1 VF25. Double (or Triple) Struck over Off Center Obverse Brockage. Glossy light reddish choco-late with olive toning on the high points of the reverse. No defects other than a thin nick right of the lower lip and a few marks caused by an off center strike, including an obvious depression on the rim over ES in STATES. Double or triple struck. One impression was an obverse brockage about 75% off center leaving an incuse star and an arc of dentils at the 18 in the date with an opposing depression at the rim over ES (most likely caused by a blank planchet). In addition, there is an arc of dentils 35% off center at HA in HALF to the rim at OF but no opposing arc on the obverse. This arc suggests there were three strikes on this planchet as a wreck occurred in the press. E-MDS, Manley state 2.0 early. Davy #25.2.14.



205

3141825 C-2 R1 VG8. Off Center. Sharp-ness F12 but the planchet displays some fi ne roughness on both sides. No verdi-gris, but there are a couple dull scratches right of the date. Cleaned and retoned a slightly glossy light olive brown and chocolate. Struck 50% off center to K-12.5. The off center impression allows us to see a small but clearly defi ned rim cud break left of star 1. Davy #25.2.4.

Estimated Value .....................$400-UP


3151825 C-2 R1 G6. Off Center. Glossy medium brown with darker olive toning in protected areas. A small spot of reddish chocolate toning on the second S in STATES is the only mark. Struck 35% off center to K-1. A clean, well-balanced piece that is easy to understand. Davy #25.2.3.



206

3171825 C-2 R1 VG8. Cracked Planchet. Slightly sharper but there are some fi ne vertical scratches on the portrait. Glossy light chocolate brown and steel. The planchet is cracked from the rim at star 5 through star 4 to the junction of the neck and bust. The crack also shows from the rim through the N in UNITED to the H in HALF. The crack is obvious on both sides. MDS, Manley state 2.0. Davy #25.2.19.


Ex Massachusetts Historical Society, Bowers & Merena 11/18/94:3321.

3161825 C-2 R1 VG10. Off Center. Very attractive glossy light chocolate brown. Smooth surfaces with just a few light marks, including some old pinscratches at stars 1 & 2 and a few more un-der HALF. Struck 35% off center to K-2. Very similar to the preceding two lots. We can only guess why these patterns occur. Davy #25.2.6.


Ex Joe Flynn 10/78.

207

3181826 C-1 R1 VF35. Double Struck with Rotation/Off Center Obverse Brockage Maker. Frosty olive brown and chocolate. Sharply struck and very attractive for the grade. No notable defects. Double struck. Both strikes were centered on the planchet but rotated 30 degrees between the impressions. The reverse was struck by the die on the second strike while the obverse was against a new blank planchet positioned 45% off center creating an off center brockage impression. The doubling on the reverse is bold, especially inside the wreath where the amount of die rotation is obvious. A bold example of this type of error offering excellent eye appeal. LDS, Manley state 5.0. Davy #26.1.5.

Estimated Value .................................................................................... $300-UP

Ex NASCA auction 7/81:501.

3191826 C-1 R1 VF20. Uniface Obverse. Sharpness EF40 but there is a deep dig over the 8 in the date and a smaller one at the top of star 3. Otherwise this piece is smooth and attractive. Glossy steel brown and choco-late with frosty lighter brown toning covering the pro-tected areas. The obverse is normal while the reverse is very blurry thanks to a uniface strike. Apparently two planchets were placed into the press at the same time creating a uniface impression on each. Virtually identical to the 1809 C-6 with a uniface reverse offered earlier in this sale. The blurry image suggests a wreath design while the “blank” side of the 1809 uniface re-verse had a very faint image of Ms Liberty. Breen was unaware of any half cent with a uniface obverse and only the single 1809 with the uniface reverse. A great rarity and a perfect mate for the 1809. Weight 86.0 grains, which is a bit heavy based on the 84.0 grain standard. MDS, Manley state 3.0. Davy #26.1.6.

Estimated Value ................................ $1,000-UP

Ex Mike Packard 5/11/90.

EXTREMELY RARE UNIFACE OBVERSE

208

3201828 C-1 R1 AU55. Double or Triple Struck over Tab Obverse Brockage. Lustrous light chocolate and steel brown. Very little if any friction on the high points, but there are a few marks. These include some tiny ticks above the 28 in the date and a short scratch right of star 3. Double or triple struck. One strike was a 95% off center obverse brockage at stars 6 & 7 that left behind a strong arc of dentils. Another strike (perhaps occurring simultaneous with the off center brockage) was only slightly off center and left behind the 1828 date at UN and the tip of the wreath ribbon. This extra date is directly opposite the off center brockage at stars 6 & 7, so they are related somehow. The tab created by the off center strike was gently tapped down to return the planchet to its intended circular shape. A really interesting mint error, and having two dates (one on each side) is a big plus. MDS, Manley state 2.0. Davy #28.1.4.

Estimated Value ................................................. $1,000-UP

Ex Joe Flynn 9/11/81.

3211828 C-1 R1 F12. Double Struck Off Center/Off Center Obverse Brockage Maker. Glossy chocolate and olive brown with some lighter brown toning at MER. Smooth surfaces offering excellent eye appeal for the grade. The only contact marks are a very light rim bruise over the fi rst T in STATES and at ME in AMERICA. Double struck. The fi rst strike was normal, but the coin failed to eject completely and was struck again. The second strike was an 80% off center reverse brockage impression that left TES from STATES on the bottom of the wreath and part of the F in OF on the rim over the C in AMERICA. The opposing arc on the obverse was struck against a blank planchet rather than the obverse die, thus creating an off center brockage on that planchet. An-other really neat mint error (although there are so many in this sale that you risk becoming spoiled). MDS, Manley state 2.0. Davy #28.1.8.

Estimated Value .............................................................. $400-UP


209

3231828 C-1 R1 Counterstamped EF40. Counterstamped “J.D.M.” Savannah Georgia Steamship Brunk M-32 (old Brunk #21245), Rulau Ga-10 Rar-ity-6. Choice glossy chocolate brown. The obverse is nearly covered with a counterstamp of the paddlewheel steamboat John David Morgan. That vessel steamed out of Savannah, Geor-gia, from 1828 to 1836. The raised letters “J.D.M.” are under the ship. These counter-stamped half cents apparently were used as fare tickets and were surrendered upon boarding, but their exact use remains unconfi rmed. The counterstamp was very careful-ly added with a die rather than a set of punches, and the die fi t perfectly over the half cent. The 1828 date of the half cent is clearly visible at the bottom of the counterstamp, which is nicely centered and evenly impressed on this piece. These are known overstruck on half cents dated 1811 and 1828, the latter the more common host. A very attractive example of this important piece of early Southern Americana. Weight 84.2 grains. Davy #28.1.6.


Ex Presidential Coin and Antiques auction 6/14/86-Julian Leidman 6/24/86.

3221828 C-1 R1 VG8. Double Struck Off Center/Off Center Obverse Brockage Maker. Sharpness VF20 with numerous contact marks scattered over the obverse, including a dull nick right of the mouth and a shallow depression in the fi eld off the tip of the nose. No corrosion or verdigris. Glossy medium brown with chocolate and steel toning on the high points. Double struck. One strike (probably the second) was centered on the planchet and another (probably the fi rst) was 25% off center and rotated 30 degrees. Strong evidence of the two strikes shows on the re-verse, including CENT in the wreath under UNI into the ribbon. The obverse was struck against a new blank planchet during the off center strike creating a brockage impression. An impressed arc from the blank planchet shows from the bust tip through the lowest curl and stars 8 & 9 to the rim above. EDS, Manley state 1.0. Davy #28.1.10.

Estimated Value ............ $400-UP

Ex Randy Wellman 5/19/92.

210

3241828 C-2 R1 12-Star Obverse F15+. Double Struck Off Center/Off Center Obverse Brockage Maker. Very attractive glossy light chocolate brown. Sharpness close to VF20 but there are a few too many tiny contact marks for the higher grade, mostly on the bust and in the fi eld before the portrait. Double struck. The fi rst strike was normal and properly centered on the planchet. The second strike was 90% off center leaving parts of ES-OF on the rim over UNIT. The oppos-ing arc on the obverse was against a blank planchet rather than the obverse die, thereby creating an off center brockage impression on that planchet. LDS, Manley state 3.0. Davy #28.2.9.


Ex Ron Guth-Jack Robinson, Superior 1/29/89:1995.

3251828 C-2 R1 12-Star Obverse F12. Misaligned Dies. Slightly sharper with some small nicks scattered over both sides, including a small rim nick at the fi rst T in STATES. Glossy light chocolate brown with frosty lighter brown ton-ing in some of the protected areas. The obverse is badly misaligned to K-4.5 while the reverse is properly centered on the planchet. EDS, Manley state 1.0. Davy #28.2.11.



211

3261828 C-2 R1 12-Star Obverse G4. Errant Planchet Cutter Impression. Cleaned and retoned a slightly glossy steel brown and chocolate. The only contact mark is a fi ne scratch over CENT. The date and leg-ends are clear. Nothing special except for the strong planchet cutter arc from outside star 3 to above the head. Breen discusses this type of mint error on page 470 of his half cent encyclopedia where he calls it an “indented circular arc” and says it is “very rare.” Davy #28.2.12.

Estimated Value .......................$50-UP

Ex Jim Young 4/23/94.

3271828 C-3 R1 AU55. Double Struck Off Center/Off Center Brockage Maker. Lustrous reddish steel brown and light chocolate with a couple tiny peeps of faded mint red. Just a hint of friction on the highest points from mint state. Double struck. The fi rst impression was an 80% off center re-verse brockage. Part of a “T” shows on the rim under the 2 in the date and a piece of some other letter is visible under the fi rst 8. An opposing arc of dentils that appear to be from a brockage rather than from a die is clearly visible at TATES. The letters on the rim under the date were struck with the planchet at an angle, so things were getting jammed up. MDS. Davy #28.3.9.



212

3281828 C-3 R1 VF20. Double Struck in Collar with Rotation. Ten points sharper with small contact marks scattered over both sides. Most of these marks are lost in all the “busyness” that comes from the rotated double strike, but a few do stand out. These include a fi ne scratch down through the back of the ear, another across the bottom of the wreath, and a few tiny rim bruises on the left side of the reverse. Double struck. Both im-pressions were centered on the planchet but were rotated 25 degrees CCW between the strikes. Strong evidence of each strike is visible on both sides, including a date that now reads “18218828”. Reading the legend outside the wreath presents a similar challenge. Another very impressive mint error. Davy #28.3.6.

Estimated Value ...................................................................... $1,000-UP


3291828 C-3 R1 F12. Double Struck over Off Center Obverse Brock-age. Glossy steel brown and light chocolate with spots of darker olive toning scattered over the both sides. Possibly retoned. Smooth surfaces with only trivial contact marks. The obverse was struck two times, the fi rst strike slightly off center to the bottom and rotated about 20 degrees relative to the properly centered second strike. The result is two complete dates reading “18218828”. The doubling shows only at the bottom of the obverse, which is directly opposite an off center brockage impression of the obverse covering ES-OF. The brockage shows incuse impressions of two stars and the top of the head inside an arc of incuse dentils. This suggests there were two strikes: one normal and centered and the other slightly off center with an off center struck half cent coming between the reverse and the die. Plated on page 482 in the Breen encyclopedia to illustrate what he calls “Double struck on partial obverse brockage.” Davy #28.3.7.

Estimated Value ................................................................$300-UP


BREEN PLATE COIN

213

3311828 C-3 R1 VF20. Off Center. Glossy chocolate brown and steel with a splash of darker olive toning before the face. The only notable contact mark is a small rim nick at the bottom of the obverse where the planchet is unstruck. Struck 30% off center to K-12.5. An attractive, uncomplicated error. MDS. Davy #28.3.2.

Estimated Value ....................................................................................................................................................$1,000-UP


3301828 C-3 R1 VF25. Flipover Double Strike over Off Center Obverse Brockage. A multiple mint error with a lot going on. Glossy light brown and olive with slightly darker toning on some of the devices. The only notable mark is a fi ne horizontal scratch across the head at BER. The initial brockage strike was 30% off center to K-2. Evidence of this fi rst impression shows on the left side of the reverse where the face and bust are clear and the date shows at TAT in STATES. The second strike was an obverse brock-age 40% off center on the lower left portion of the obverse. This one displays lots of incuse hair details. The third strike was normal and properly centered on both sides but the planchet was fl ipped over, hence the off center obverse undertype on the reverse. Obviously this one came from a train wreck with poorly paid mint workers at the controls. Several types of mint error are represented on this single planchet. M-LDS, Manley state 3.0. Davy #28.3.10.



214

3331829 C-1 R1 F12. Tab Double Strike with Misaligned Obverse. Sharpness VF30 but covered with very fi ne corrosion, strongest on the obverse. No marks or verdigris. Rather glossy dark olive and steel with lighter steel brown toning on the high points. This piece is a tab double strike, and it appears the tab strike came fi rst and the centered one second. There are dentils on the obverse part of the tab, which is nestled tightly between the date and star 13. In addition, the obverse is clearly misaligned to K-6. EDS, Manley state 1.0. Davy #29.1.6.


Ex 1982 EAC Sale, 3/13/82:181.

3321829 C-1 R1 F15. Double Struck Off Center. Five points sharper but there are some dull scratches at stars 1 & 2. Attractive glossy chocolate brown. Double struck. The fi rst strike was 40% off center to K-2 and the second was centered on the planchet. The face of Ms Liberty is vis-ible in the back of the cap, a couple stars from that fi rst strike show at the forehead, and parts of the 2 in the date show in the dentils at star 11. Similar strong evidence of the off center strike can be found on the reverse. UNITE is visible to the unaided eye under the N in CENT and

strong remnants of the wreath pass up through the T in CENT. EDS, Manley state 1.0.

Davy #29.1.10.

Estimated Value ... $500-UP


215

3341829 C-1 R1 VG7. Misaligned Dies. Glossy chocolate and olive brown. Smooth and very attractive, just worn. The obverse die is badly misaligned to K-5 leaving the bottom of the date and stars 12 & 13 tight to the edge of the plan-chet. The reverse is nicely centered. EDS, Manley state 1.0. Davy #29.1.15.

Estimated Value .................................$150-UP


3351829 C-1 R1 VF25. Clipped Planchet. Very attractive glossy light to medium brown with darker steel brown toning on the high points. Flawless except for a small spot of reddish chocolate toning at the ribbon loop under the E in CENT. Frosty fl owline luster covers the protect-ed areas on both sides. A curved planchet clip affects the dentils at stars 12 & 13 and above OF. M-LDS, Manley state 2.0. Davy #29.1.14.

Estimated Value .................... $150-UP


216

3361832 C-2 R2 EF45. Off Center. Choice lustrous chocolate brown. Satiny mint frost covers the protected areas. Essentially fl awless, just lightly worn on the high points. Struck 20% off center to K-1.5. A very attractive example of this simple yet impressive type of mint error. MDS, Manley state 2.0. Davy #32.2.3.

Estimated Value .............................................................$2,000-UP


217

3371832 C-2 R2 VF20. Off Center. A rather glossy mix of medium brown, chocolate, and reddish chocolate. In addition, there is darker olive crud caked into some of the protected areas, mostly on the reverse. The uneven toning is a distraction, but there are no contact marks or other defects. Struck 15% off center to K-1. EDS, Manley state 1.0. Davy #32.2.6.

Estimated Value ................................................................. $1,500-UP

Ex W. E. Pollard 7/27/81.

3381832 C-2 R2 F15. Errant Planchet Cutter Impression on Both Sides. Ten points sharper but there are several dull scratches on the portrait, all blended perfectly into the glossy chocolate brown and olive toning. Specks of darker olive toning are scattered over the left side of the obverse. An errant planchet cutter impression shows at opposing places on both sides. On the obverse it shows from the dentils at star 3 to above the head, and on the reverse it reaches from the dentils off the stem tip to the ones over D in UNITED. Apparently a mint worker started to cut this planchet with a light tap, then reposi-tioned the tool and fi nished the job. Breen refers to this type of error as an “indented circular arc” and considers it a “very rare” type of mint error on a half cent. EDS, Manley state 1.0. Davy #32.2.9.



218

3391833 C-1 R1 Counterstamped EF40. Counterstamped with a Crowned X, the Stamp of Thomas Wildes, Brunk X-1. Glossy chocolate brown with frosty luster showing in some of the protected areas. The host coin is EF40 but the counterstamp is so strong it dis-torted the planchet into an egg shape. The stamp is an X with a crown above, and Brunk attributes it to Thomas Wildes of Philadelphia and (later) New York City. His business was as a pewterer, and this stamp was his mark for superior goods. His business was located in Phila-delphia from 1829 to 1833, and then he moved to New York City and operated until at least 1840. Four 1833 half cents are known with this stamp and two more with an 1835 date. MDS, Manley state 2.0. Incorrectly listed in the 1984 Stack’s catalog of the Floyd T. Starr collection as being from St. Croix. MDS, Manley state 2.0. Davy #33.1.12.


Ex Hans M. F. Schulman sale of the Gibbs Collection, 3/66:1748-Floyd T. Starr, Stack’s 6/13/84:892.

3401834 C-1 R1 F15. Double Struck in Collar with Rota-tion. Ten points sharper but lightly cleaned and retoning steel and light chocolate brown. A small splash of silvery toning over ER in AMERICA is the best identifying mark. Double struck in the collar with a rotation of 120 degrees CCW between those impressions. The “4” of the fi rst date rests atop star 5, and ample clear undertype shows on both sides. LDS, Manley state 3.0. Davy #34.1.15.


Ex 1997 EAC Sale 4/19/97:81.

219

3421834 C-1 R1 VG8. Double Clipped Planchet. Slightly sharper but lightly cleaned and retoned a somewhat glossy dark steel and olive with lighter chocolate brown toning on the devices. A rim nick at the second A in AMERICA and a nick on the second S in STATES are the notable marks. Curved planchet clips affect the dentils under the date and at stars 2 & 3. Corresponding clips show above the D in UNITED and ES in STATES. Pieces with a single clip are rare; ones with two clips are extremely rare. While the clips on this piece are modest, the rarity is not. EDS, Manley state 1.0. Davy #34.1.14.

Estimated Value ........................................................................................................................................................ $50-UP

Ex Jim Young 4/23/94.

3411834 C-1 R1 MS62. Clipped Planchet. Lustrous bluish steel and olive with 15% of the mint red showing on the obverse, 45% on the reverse. Choice except for a spot of very fi ne carbon in the wreath under the second S in STATES. A curved planchet clip affects the dentils at stars 5-7 and over UN in UNITED. EDS, Manley state 1.0. A great example of a simple type of mint error. Davy #34.1.8.



220

3431835 C-1 R1 VF35. Double Struck over Off Center Obverse Brockage. Slightly sharper but lightly cleaned and retoned glossy steel brown and chocolate. No notable marks other than a pair of rim nicks at star 10. Double struck. One strike was a 15% off center obverse brockage that left incuse stars on the rim over RIC, incuse parts of the date on the rim at OF, and an impressed arc from under the stem end around to above the E in STATES. The extra strike on the obverse is vis-ible only in doubling on the dentils, clearest under the date and above star 8. EDS, Manley state 1.0. Davy #35.1.11.

Estimated Value ..................................$500-UP


3441835 C-1 R1 F15. Double Struck/Off Center Obverse Brockage Maker. Ten points sharper but cleaned and retoned frosty olive brown and chocolate with hints of lighter reddish brown in protected areas on the reverse. The only marks are numerous fake reeding cuts around the entire edge. These are visible only from the edge and were added with a reasonable amount of skill, but the purpose behind their addi-tion is unknown. Double struck. The fi rst strike was normal and centered on the planchet while the second was 20% off center. Strong, clear evidence of the off center strike shows on the reverse, including parts of CA from AMERICA on the rim under the stem end and the O from OF on the leaf below the F in OF. The obverse was pressed against a new blank planchet dur-ing the off center strike creating an off center brock-age on that planchet and leaving a depressed arc from the rim above the head down through star 8, the lowest curl, and the date to the rim below the bust tip. MDS, Manley state 2.0. Davy #35.1.7.

Estimated Value .........................................$200-UP

Ex Ron Guth-Jack Robinson, Superior 1/29/89:2009.

221

3451835 C-1 R1 VF20. Clipped Planchet. Slightly sharper but recolored glossy light olive and chocolate brown. The only mark is a faint, very thin scrape across the head just above LIBERTY. A relatively large curved planchet clip reaches just inside the dentil tips at stars 5 & 6 and above UN in UNITED. LDS, Manley state 2.0. Davy #35.1.9.



3461835 C-1 R1 EF45. Large Struck-Through Void on Reverse. Lus-trous medium brown and light chocolate mixed with some darker olive brown tones. The only contact marks are a few tiny, dull rim nicks, including one just right of the date and another above the back of the head. Struck through a large piece of cord or wire that mean-ders across the bottom of the reverse. This debris may have been on the planchet or stuck on the die, but either way it left behind a deep depression when the strike occurred. This type of error is not espe-cially rare, but a struck-through void this obvious is quite rare. LDS, Manley state 2.0. The reverse fi elds are slightly proofl ike thanks to a fresh die polishing. Davy #35.1.10.

Estimated Value ................................................................. $100-UP


222

3471835 C-2 R1 AU50. Double Struck. Lustrous light olive and chocolate with lighter steel brown toning covering the protected areas on the reverse. Satiny mint frost cov-ers the protected areas and there are no notable marks. Double struck. One strike was normal and centered on the planchet while the other strike was 35% off center. Undertype from the off center reverse is clearest on the rim under the wreath. AME shows from the T in CENT down into the leaves below, and parts of IC show on the rim under the stem end. The only evidence of undertype on the obverse is a faint arc across the bust and a depres-sion on the rim above the back of the head. It appears that the off center strike came fi rst and it may have been a uniface strike (reverse only). LDS, Manley state 3.0.

Davy #35.2.12.

Estimated Value ..................................$300-UP


3481835 C-2 R1 MS63. Clipped Planchet. Lustrous mint red fading to steel brown, nearly half the red remaining. Both sides are peppered with very tiny spots of the dark steel toning, the largest of these between the feet of the N & T in CENT. A curved planchet clip affects the dentils under the 18 and above TE in STATES. A relatively common type of mint error, but not in this grade. M-LDS, Manley state 3.0. The arc crack on the reverse is light. Davy #35.2.7.



223

3501849 C-1 R2- EF45+. Chatter Strike. Glossy medium brown with frosty lighter brown and tan toning in the protected ar-eas and a wisp of reddish brown at F-A. Very close to AU50 but there are a few too many tiny contact marks for the higher grade, none notable or distracting. Fine doubling outlines all 4 digits of the date, most of the stars, and many parts of the portrait. This appears to be a result of die bounce (chatter strike), and there is no doubling on the reverse. EDS, Manley state 1.0, with slightly refl ective fi elds on both sides. Davy #49.1.5.

Estimated Value ......................................................................................................................................................$150-UP


3491835 C-2 R1 EF45. Clipped Planchet. Glossy dark chocolate and olive brown with lighter chocolate toning on the right side of the reverse. Satiny mint frost covers the protected areas. A curved planchet clip affects the dentils at stars 1 & 2 and reaches slightly inside the dentil tips over ST in STATES. An attractive, problem-free example. LDS, Manley state 3.0. Davy #35.2.8.

Estimated Value ................................$150-UP


224

3511850 C-1 R2- PCGS graded MS62 Brown. Chatter Strike. Glossy chocolate and steel brown. Most likely lightly cleaned and nicely retoned. There is a trace of microscopic roughness at the dentil tips under star 2 but the remainder of the plan-chet is smooth and the eye appeal is excellent. Sharply struck EDS with smooth, slightly refl ective fi elds on both sides. There is clear, sharp doubling on the date, most of the stars, and major portions of the portrait, all from die bounce. Our grade is net AU50. Davy #50.1.8.



3521851 C-1 R1 VF30. Boldly Broadstruck. Slightly sharper but there is a fi ne scratch from star 3 to the cheek where it fades out plus traces of crud in some of the protected areas and several dull marks on the rims. Glossy chocolate and light ol-ive brown. The obverse rim is beveled, which is typical for a piece struck completely outside the collar or normal coining chamber. This allows the planchet to spread out more than normal, and the diameter of this piece is a full 3 millimeters larger than pieces struck inside the collar. In addition, this piece must have been struck numerous times without shifting between impressions. The date and many of the stars were distorted as the planchet metal keep being forced farther out with each strike. There appear to be some strong rim cuds on the obverse as well from above star 11 down to below the 18. A remarkable half cent. Weight 81.3 grains. Davy #51.1.9.

Estimated Value ..................................................... $500-UP


225

3531851 C-1 R1 EF45. Railroad Rim with Clipped Planchet. Five points sharper but there is a dull mark on the rim at TE in UNITED and a tiny rim nick off the end of the wreath stem. Lustrous medium brown and steel blending to light olive in protected areas. There is a railroad rim around the edge (the planchet was only part way into the collar of the coining chamber creating a ridge around the edge). In addition a minor planchet clip weakens the dentils at stars 6 & 7 and below the end of the wreath ribbon. The Blakesly effect (weakened dentils) shows across from the clip over the O in OF. A railroad rim, while not a visually im-pressive type of error, is quite rare. Having a planchet clip on the same piece just adds juice to the deal. MDS. Davy #51.1.8.

Estimated Value .........................$300-UP

Ex Richard Gross (the “Baltimore Collec-tion”) via Ron Guth 3/20/83.

3541851 C-1 R1 PCGS graded MS60 Brown. Chatter Strike. Frosty bluish steel brown with delicate overtones of sea green, especially on the reverse. A small planchet void in the fi eld under star 3 is the only notable defect. Sharp, clear doubling (from die bounce) shows on most of the stars and on signifi -cant portions of the profi le, but the date is not doubled. In addition, there ap-pears to be a rim cud break from star 11 down to well beyond star 12. This is quite similar to the rim cud seen on the broadstruck 1851 offered a couple lots ago, but it may be a faux cud cre-ated by a planchet fl aw. Our grade is MS60. Davy #51.1.17.

Estimated Value ..................... $300-UP

Ex Jack Beymer-Dr. Wallace Lee, McCawley & Grellman Auctions/Superior 5/25/03:338-Doug Bird 1/04.

226

3551851 C-1 R1 EF45. Chatter Strike. Slightly sharper but lightly cleaned and expertly retoned glossy medium brown. Excellent surfaces and eye appeal. The only mark is a small spot of darker olive brown toning on the rim over the U in UNITED. Die bounce has left fi ne doubling on stars 2-13. MDS. Davy #51.1.10.



3561851 C-1 R1 EF45. Thin, Lightweight Planchet. Glossy me-dium brown with frosty mint luster in protected areas. A tiny rim bruise at star 11.5 is the only notable defect. The planchet is thin and therefore underweight, and the thinness resulted in a soft strike at stars 7-10 and at ICA into the leaves below. Weight 72.6 grains (versus the standard of 84.0 grains). Breen describes this type of planchet error as being caused when the planchet strip rollers “were set too close together.” (See page 469, paragraph 4, in Breen’s half cent encyclopedia for his explanation.) Davy #51.1.12.

Estimated Value ............................................................ $100-UP

Ex William K. Raymond-Jon Hanson-Walter Breen-Ray D. Munde-Roger S. Cohen, Jr., Superior 2/2/92:370.

227

3571851 C-1 R1 VG8. Clipped Planchet. Slightly sharper but there are a few dull, light scratches in the obverse fi elds. Smooth and attractive in spite of the minor marks. Glossy medium brown with darker chocolate toning on the high points. A curved planchet clip eliminated the dentils at stars 11-12 and over ME in AMERICA. The ob-verse dentils across from the clip are weakly impressed, the so-called Blakesly effect seen on most pieces with signifi cant planchet clips. Davy #51.1.16.


Ex Bowers & Merena FPL-Bowers & Merena 11/94:3328.

3581851 C-1 R1 VF30. Double Clipped Planchet. Slightly sharper but there is a small rim bruise at the U in UNIT-ED. Glossy chocolate brown. The planchet has two minor clips, one from the date to star 13 and another at star 10. The opposing clips are at OF and RIC. The clips elimi-nate the dentils in these areas, but they are not particularly large. The chin and most of the stars display fi ne doubling from die bounce. In addition, there are thin, parallel plan-chet lamination creases in the fi eld on either side of star 11. A total of three different types of mint error on a single piece. Davy #51.1.13.



228

3591853 C-1 R1 EF40. Railroad Rim or Partial Collar Strike. Five points sharper but there is a spot of reddish corrosion covering the R in AMERICA and a small nick on the rim under star 11. Frosty steel brown and light chocolate. Struck with a strong railroad rim all the way around the edge of the planchet. This occurs when the planchet is not confi ned completely by the striking collar, thereby allowing metal to squeeze outward dur-ing the strike. Breen calls this a “partial collar strike,” which is more accurate from a technical viewpoint, but “railroad rim” conveys an image that is easier to under-stand (the shape of a wheel on a train car). Regardless of the terms you prefer, this is a very nice example of an extremely rare type of mint error. Breen saw only one, also an 1853 (see page 477, paragraph 9, in his half cent encyclopedia). M-LDS, Manley state 2.0. Fine die polishing lines from a fresh lapping cover the fi elds on both sides. Davy #53.1.8.


Ex Superior 10/6/91:1412.

229

3601853 C-1 R1 EF45. Tilted Partial Collar Strike. Sharpness near mint state but cleaned and nicely retoned frosty steel brown and light chocolate. There is a rim nick at star 3.5, another under the 3 in the date, and a tiny rim bruise at ED in UNITED. A knife edge was smoothed off the rim at the top of the obverse. Struck partially out of the collar creating the knife edge at the top of the obverse (previ-ously mentioned as removed post-striking) and leaving a railroad rim from star 13 clockwise to star 1. Breen calls this type of error a “tilted partial collar strike,” which more accurately conveys what happened at the mint. In addition, the planchet is a millimeter oversize in diameter, which is a result of being struck partially outside the collar, thus allowing the metal to spread out more than normal while being squeezed between the dies. A neat, extremely rare type of mint error for a half cent. Weight 84.2 grains. MDS, Manley state 1.0. Davy #53.1.9.

Estimated Value ..................................................................................................................... $200-UP


230

3611853 C-1 R1 AU55. End-of-Strip Planchet Clip. Very attractive frosty steel brown with chocolate toning on the high points. Just a hint of friction on the highest points from mint state. A straight-edge planchet clip (from the end of the planchet strip) se-verely weakens stars 5 & 6 and the tops of

UN in UNITED. The planchet is clearly beveled in this area. In addition, the dentils across from the clip are weakly struck, the Blakesly effect that we usually see opposite a planchet clip. A beautiful example of this type of mint error. E-MDS, Manley state 1.0. Davy #53.1.7.

Estimated Value ................... $200-UP


3621853 C-1 R1 EF40. End-of-Strip Planchet Clip. Glossy chocolate brown. Smooth and attractive. The only notable mark is a very light rim bruise at ST in STATES. A straight end-of-strip planchet clip severely weakens the dentils at stars 7-9 and the opposing ones from ICA to under the stem end. Very similar to the preceding lot, just not as high a grade. E-MDS, Manley state 1.0. Davy #53.1.10.



231

3641854 C-1 R1+ VF30. End-of-Strip Planchet Clip. Ten points sharper but covered with tiny nicks, none notable but far too many for the sharpness grade. A minor rim bruise over AT in STATES is a good identifying mark. Glossy light chocolate brown with slightly lighter brown toning in protected areas. A straight-edge planchet clip (end of the planchet strip) nearly touches stars 7 & 8 and it reaches just inside the dentil tips at the bottom of the reverse. The dentils across the planchet on the reverse are weak, the so-called Blakesly effect seen on pieces struck inside a collar. E-MDS, Manley state 1.0. Davy #54.1.4.

Estimated Value ......................................................................................................................................................... $50-UP


3631854 C-1 R1+ AU58. Large Planchet De-lamination or Struck-Through Void on Ob-verse. Frosty steel brown and chocolate with satiny luster covering the fi elds and protected areas and a few tiny peeps of faded mint color on both sides. Excellent eye appeal, just the faintest hint of rub on the highest points from mint state. A large but relatively shal-low void reaches from stars 12 & 13 to the cheek. This void may be from a planchet delamination (post striking), but the relatively smooth texture in the low area is more consistent with a struck-through error (caused by debris on the planchet or die). The weight is 85.0 grains, slightly heavier than the 84.0 grain standard. This also supports the struck-through position since a delamination would reduce the weight. LDS, Manley state 2.0. Davy #54.1.5.

Estimated Value .................................................................................... $100-UP

Ex Mike’s Errors (date not recorded).

232

3651855 C-1 R1 EF45. Incuse Stars on Reverse Rim. Frosty light olive brown and chocolate. Satiny mint luster covers the protected areas on both sides. Great eye appeal for the grade. A small rim nick over the left side of star 8 is the best identifying mark. There are two incuse stars on the rim over TES in STATES. These are consistent with an obverse brockage impression, but there is no other evidence of a second strike on the reverse. However, the dentils on the opposing part of the obverse (from under the date up to star 3) are doubled on their tips. There is no trace of damage that might suggest the incuse stars were made by pressing a struck piece against this one post strik-ing. So I have to conclude the incuse stars came from a brockage impression. MDS. Davy #55.1.9.

Estimated Value ............................................................................$200-UP


3661857 C-1 R2 EF45. Clipped Planchet. Glossy light olive and chocolate brown with traces of faded red in protected areas, possibly from an old cleaning. A dull nick on the neck and a shallow depression in the fi eld under the bun are the good identifying marks. A curved planchet clip fl attened the dentils at stars 2-3 and at ED-S. The dentils across from the clip are softly struck, the so-called Blakesly effect found on pieces struck with an incomplete planchet. In addition, there is fi ne doubling on portions of the legend outside the wreath, a result of die bounce (chatter strike). E-MDS. Davy #57.1.4.


From an unrecorded source in 1995.

233

368Blank Planchet for Half Cent VF20. Rather glossy steel brown and chocolate. There are some light scratches on both sides and traces of microscopic roughness but no verdigris. The rims are upset (stage II of the process). Those upset rims are relatively narrow (compare to the preceding lot), which suggests the planchet was intended for the half cents of 1803-1836. In addition, the diameter is slightly larger (23.0 millimeters versus 22.0 for the preceding lot), which is consistent with the earlier half cents. A nice mate for the preceding lot to show the differences between the planchets. Weight 81.8 grains. Davy #58.1.7.


Ex McCawley & Grellman Auctions/Superior 5/29/05:1141.

END OF THE DAVY COLLECTION OF HALF CENT ERRORS

367Blank Planchet for Half Cent EF40. Glossy chocolate brown. No corrosion or verdigris, only trivial marks, mostly the usual pre-striking fl aws always present to some degree on these planchets. The rims are upset (stage II of the process) and relatively wide (Breen’s type “C” produced by Crocker Brothers) made for strik-ing the Coronet half cents of 1849-1857. Weight 83.9 grains. Davy #58.1.6.

Estimated Value ..............................................................$300-UP


The Davy Collection of Half Cent Errors Sunday Sept 19, 2010

Documents

Transcript of The Davy Collection of Half Cent Errors Sunday Sept 19, 2010