Half Eagles - Lots 770-805
The Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection - Part II
Half Eagles - Lots 770-805
Lustrous 1806 Half
Eagle
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770 1806 Breen-6446, B-1A. Rarity-4+. Pointed 6. AU-58 (PCGS). Lustrous greenish gold with very lightly abraded surfaces. Adjustment marks at the central reverse are very light. This is the same reverse die used for 1805 Breen 4-B, offered above.
A light crack joins most stars on the left and continues faintly through LIBER. Another crack joins stars on the right. The reverse has several dentils merged above and right of the final S and has a faint crack from the stars through eagle’s beak and scroll to the shield.
Half eagle coinage of the year 1806 requires further research. Breen described six varieties of Pointed 6 and one variety with Round Top 6 in his first monograph, adding an additional Pointed 6 variety in his New Varieties monograph. Breen mentioned these same varieties in his Complete Encyclopedia. Miller described nine Pointed 6 varieties with six of these "not in Breen." One of Miller’s varieties is not illustrated and two others use "Composite Photos" which are not of actual coins. The present sale includes four different varieties with Pointed 6 and one with Round Top 6. We can be certain only that there is currently just one known variety with Round Top 6 and this is the most common variety among all Draped Bust half eagles.
In our opinion, popular nomenclature should be changed regarding the 1806 Pointed 6 and Round Top 6 half eagles, as there is an even more dramatic difference: the Pointed 6 variety is better described as the 1806 variety with 8 stars to the left and 5 to the right (8x5), while the Round Top variety has an entirely different arrangement, 7x6. To our way of thinking, star arrangements are much more important than the shape of the top of a particular date digit!
From Lester Merkin’s sale of March 1969, Lot 182.
Mint State 1806 Half Eagle
Rare Breen-3D Variety
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771 1806 Breen-6447, B-3D. Rarity-6+. Pointed 6. MS-62 (PCGS). Reflective light yellow gold obverse with traces of orange toning, deeper reflective orange-gold reverse. Usual contact marks are visible on the obverse and reverse surfaces, none of these are serious, however.
The obverse has a thin vertical die crack confined to the cap and hair. A die line from the reverse border extends through the outer feather tip between D and S. Another extends up from right corner of shield, a third from second outer leaf tip, through berry to third outer leaf tip.
From Stack’s sale of the Bareford Collection, December 1978, Lot 156; ex Stack’s May 1951
Rare Mint State 1806 Variety
Breen-3D
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772 1806 Breen-6447, B-3D. Rarity-6+. Pointed 6. MS-62 (PCGS). Frosty dark yellow gold lustre with traces of orange toning. Very pleasing surfaces provide an attractive example for the specialist. The only earlier auction appearance of this variety in any of our sales was an EF-40 example offered in March of this year. And now we are offering three others in one sale! Perhaps this is as good an indication of any of the depth, breadth, and importance of the present Bass Collection offering.
The obverse has a thin vertical die crack confined to the cap and hair. A retained cud has formed on top of T in UNITED.
From Spink’s sale of the Byron Reed Collection on behalf of the City of Omaha, October 1996, Lot 106.
Rare 1806 Half Eagle
Unidentified by
Breen
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773 1806 Breen-6447, Breen obverse 1. Rarity-7. Pointed 6. AU-58 (PCGS). Very similar to Breen variety 1-B, however, the reverse is slightly different. This die combination has occasionally been offered as an unlisted variety, which technically is true as Breen did not list it in his monograph. Under no circumstances can we call it an unknown variety, however. Lustrous greenish yellow gold with light orange peripheral toning. A few very minor marks are noted. We have only previously handled one example of this variety, an AU-50 grade coin in our January 1990 auction.
Very heavy die crack through stars on the left, other lighter cracks are also present. The reverse is faintly cracked through some letters of the legend.
From Rarcoa’s session of Auction ’86, Lot 933.
1806 Breen-4E Half Eagle
Rarity-7
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774 1806 Breen-6447, B-4E. Rarity-7. Pointed 6. AU-58 (PCGS). Lustrous light yellow gold with minor surface marks. Softly struck at center of obverse and reverse. A few light scratches and adjustment marks are present on the obverse. A minor area of roughness is visible outside stars 6 through 8. This is a very rare variety, and this example is the only one we have ever offered for sale.
Perfect obverse and reverse.
Offering of varieties such as this brings to mind the disparity in the popularity of collecting certain varieties by die states. So much attention has been paid to early copper cents that coin for coin, variety for variety, rare Sheldon varieties of cents are apt to sell for multiples of the price of even rarer gold half eagles by variety! As the pieces were made in the same era by the same engraver’s and struck from the same presses at the same Mint, it would seem that anyone interested in pursuing a fascinating numismatic challenge, and at the same time received outstanding potential value for the price paid, would do well to explore the many die varieties offered here.
Purchased from Stanley Kesselman, April 20, 1970.
Further Rare 1806
Breen-3D $5
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775 1806 Breen-6447, B-3D. Rarity-6+. Pointed 6. AU-55 (PCGS). Light yellow gold with moderately abraded surfaces. Light adjustment marks cross Miss Liberty’s hair below the cap.
Obverse cracked through cap and hair. The reverse has a large rim break over T of UNITED.
From Abe Kosoff’s 1968 ANA Sale, Lot 939.
Choice Mint State 1806 Half Eagle
776 1806 Breen-6448, B-5E. Rarity-3-. Round Top 6. MS-64 (PCGS). A wonderful choice Mint State example with sharp design details and lovely deep yellow gold lustre, frosty in appearance. A few very light hairlines and other minute abrasions hardly require discussion.
Only minor reverse clash marks are noted.
From Quality Sales Corporation’s sale of September 1973, Lot 1159.
Another Mint State 1806 Half Eagle
Round Top 6
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777 1806 Breen-6448, B-5E. Rarity-3-. Round Top 6. MS-62 (PCGS). Brilliant deep yellow gold with orange toning over frosty lustre. A few very minor surface marks keep this from a much higher grade. This variety is clearly more common than those with Pointed 6 in date. Over the years we have handled four of these for each Pointed 6 example we have sold.
Perfect obverse. A thin crack through the left upright of N crosses the arrows.
From Stack’s sale of the Gaston DiBello Collection, May 1970, Lot 812.
Third 1806 Round
Top 6 $5
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778 1806 Breen-6448, B-5E. Rarity-3-. Round Top 6. AU-58. Frosty greenish yellow gold lustre with minor surface marks. A few light hairlines are noted.
A crack through the upright of N and across the arrows is very faint.
From Quality Sales Corporation’s auction of the John A. Beck Collection, Part I, January 1975, Lot 362.
Attractive Mint State 1807 $5
Draped Bust Obverse
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779 1807 Breen-6449, B-1A. Rarity-5. Draped Bust. Small Date and Stars. MS-63 (PCGS). Lustrous light yellow gold with some light hairline scratches on the obverse. The reverse, considered separately, could be assigned a gem MS-65 grade. Sharply struck.
Almost as incredible as it seems, the present sale offers bidders 65 different Draped Bust, Heraldic Eagle half eagles, an amazing array. If you have not acquired one for your type set, the opportunity is quickly slipping away. Raise your bids, raise your hands, and get one for your cabinet!
A nearly imperceptible die crack connects points of stars 6 and 7 on the obverse. A similar crack connects S and T near tops of these letters.
Purchased from A-Mark Coin Co., March 16, 1978.
Mint State 1807 Half Eagle
Draped Bust Design
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780 1807 Breen-6450, B-1B. Rarity-6. Draped Bust. MS-63 (PCGS). A lovely example with fully reflective prooflike surfaces, deeper on the reverse. Both obverse and reverse are lightly abraded. Attractive light greenish gold and very sharply struck.
Perfect dies.
From Quality Sales Corporation’s auction of the John A. Beck Collection, Part I, January 1975, Lot 365.
Lovely 1807 Draped
Bust $5
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781 1807 Breen-6450, B-2C. Rarity-5+. Draped Bust. MS-63 (PCGS). Light greenish gold with brilliant, frosty lustre and faint orange toning. A visual delight. A few minor surface marks with a line of tiny abrasions across Miss Liberty. Highly lustrous and quite pleasing.
Perfect dies.
From Stack’s sale of February 1977, Lot 801.
Rare 1807 Draped Bust $5
Breen-1B, Rarity-6
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782 1807 Breen-6450, B-1B. Rarity-6. Draped Bust. EF-40. Very light greenish yellow gold, the obverse brushed to present an appearance of lustre. The reverse retains considerable "real" lustre and is quite attractive. A small edge bruise on the reverse at 3:00. This is an important example due to the die state described below.
The obverse has a large rim break over E of LIBERTY. Light die rust among the reverse stars.
From Stack’s sale of the Alto Collection, December 1970, lot 124.
Mint State 1807 Half Eagle
Draped Bust Design
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783 1807 Breen-6451, B-3C. Rarity-7. Draped Bust. MS-63 (PCGS). A wonderful example of bright yellow gold with frosty lustre. A few very minor surface marks are mixed with heavier adjustment marks. Softly struck with weak definition on the reverse, left of the shield. The only previous example of this variety offered by us was a coin that graded F-12 with pin scratches, offered in our May 1997 sale.
The obverse die has several heavy cracks. A crack through the upright of B extends through Miss Liberty almost to her drapery. A branch of this crack extends right to star 12. Another crack from the border passes into the cap. The reverse die is perfect.
Purchased from A-Mark Coin Co., March 16, 1978.
Lovely 1807 Draped
Bust $5
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784 1807 Breen-6452, B-4C. Rarity-4+. Draped Bust. AU-58 (PCGS). Lustrous light greenish yellow gold, the obverse reflective and the reverse frosty. A few very minor scratches and scattered contact marks are mixed with faint adjustment marks. The date, especially the digits 1 and 0, is repunched.
A short die crack connects the left shield point with the scroll above.
From Abe Kosoff’s sale of October 1968, Lot 1544.
Choice Mint State 1807 Half Eagle
John Reich’s Capped
Bust
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785 1807 Breen-6453, B-5D. Rarity-3. Capped Bust. MS-64 (PCGS). This is a lovely example of the first year of Capped Bust coinage, designed by John Reich. His hallmarked scalloped star is visible just right of the date, with the scalloped point toward the border. Extremely sharp strike with frosty deep yellow gold lustre. Very nearly gem quality and would qualify as such except for a few very minor contact marks, mostly on the obverse. Although there are rare varieties, this series of Capped Bust half eagle coinage provides a reasonable goal for date collectors. All years from 1807 to 1812 are relatively easy to obtain.
A microscopic die crack joins the inner points of stars 2 and 3. Minor clash marks are present on the obverse.
Purchased from Julian Leidman, April 28, 1972.
Mint State 1807
Capped Bust $5
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786 1807 Breen-6453, B-5D. Rarity-3. Capped Bust. MS-63 (PCGS). A lovely example representing the new design with large Capped Bust obverse, the bust facing left. Highly lustrous bright yellow gold with lovely surfaces. Very light hairlines and surface marks. Two reverse dies were used in connection with the mintage of this issue, the presently offered reverse being the more available of the two.
Light obverse clash marks, perfect reverse.
From Quality Sales Corporation’s auction of the John A. Beck Collection, Part I, January 1975, Lot 370.
Mint State 1807 Capped Bust $5
Rare Reverse Variation
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787 1807 Breen-6453, B-5E. Rarity-6+. Capped Bust. MS-61 (PCGS). Sharply struck and fully prooflike, the reverse more deeply mirrored than the obverse. A few light marks are noted. The reverse border from 7:00 to 10:00 due to light adjustment marks. Two reverse dies were used for this issue, this second reverse being quite rare. Over the years since 1972, we have offered 61 examples of the Breen-5D variety and just two of this Breen-5E variety, those examples being an AU-55 grade coin in our June 1989 sale and an EF-40 in our May 1998 auction. This may be the finest known of the variety.
Perfect obverse and reverse.
From Lester Merkin’s sale of October 1969, Lot 428. Ex Lambert 21 (Chapman 1910).
Scarce 1808/7 Half
Eagle
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788 1808/7 Breen-6455, B-2A. Rarity-5. Overdate. EF-40. Light greenish yellow gold with traces of lustre in the protected areas. A large planchet imperfection covers star 4 as illustrated.
The obverse has a diagonal bisecting crack from the border at 1:00 through the cap and head of Miss Liberty to star 2. Another crack from the border through star 11 almost reaches the hair.
From Quality Sales Corporation’s auction of the John A. Beck Collection, Part I, January 1975, Lot 373.
Mint State 1808 Half Eagle
Normal Date
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789 1808 Breen-6456, B-4A. Rarity-4. Normal Date. MS-63 (PCGS). Deep greenish yellow gold with very frosty lustre. A delightful example with only a few very minor surface imperfections.
Perfect obverse and reverse dies.
From Stack’s sale of the Bartle Collection, October 1984, Lot 1112.
Another 1808 $5
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790 1808 Breen-6457, B-4B. Rarity-4. Normal Date. AU-58. Sharply struck and well centered with lustrous pale yellow gold. Very pleasing surfaces.
Very light obverse clash marks.
Purchased from New England Rare Coin Galleries, July 10, 1975.
Choice Mint State
1809/8 Half Eagle
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791 1809/8 Breen-6458, B-1A. Rarity-3. Overdate. MS-64 (PCGS). An outstanding example, sharply struck in deep greenish orange-gold with soft frosty mint lustre. Certainly one of the highlights among coins in the present collection when aesthetic aspects are considered. This specimen is one of the nicest quality coins for the grade that we have handled in a long time.
Minor die rust is visible on the obverse with faint clash marks on the reverse. A faint die crack joins the outer points of stars 1 through 6 and another the inner points of stars 11, 12, and 13.
From Abe Kosoff’s sale of the Alex Shuford Collection, May 1968, Lot 1944.
Popular 1810 Half Eagle
Large Date, Large
5
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792 1810 Breen-6459, B-1A. Rarity-3. Large Date, Large 5. MS-62 (PCGS). Lustrous greenish yellow gold with a few scattered surface marks. Very sharply struck. A few light adjustment marks are noted in the upper reverse field.
Perfect dies.
From Lester Merkin’s sale of October 1966, Lot 332.
Another 1810 Large Date $5
Large 5
793 1810 Breen-6459, B-1A. Rarity-3. Large Date, Large 5. EF-45. Deep orange-gold with a tint of green. Sharply struck with a few minor hairlines. An attractive example.
Perfect dies.
From Paramount’s session of Auction ’80, Lot 923. This was a four-coin lot including each of the major varieties of 1810 half eagles. This Large Date, Large 5 variety and the Large Date, Small 5 example are each in the present sale. The Small Date, Tall 5 coin is scheduled for the next sale while the Small Date, Small 5 coin is being retained by the Harry W. Bass, Jr. Research Foundation.
Rare 1810 Half Eagle Variety
Large Date, Small
5
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794 1810 Breen-6460, B-1B. Rarity-7. Large Date, Small 5. EF-40. Bright greenish yellow gold, the surface brushed in a manner to simulate mint lustre. Still quite an attractive example of this very scarce variety, the first we have handled in 22 years. This is only the third auction appearance of this variety in our many auction sales, the others both similarly graded coins, appearing in our sales of October 1977 and May 1976.
Perfect obverse and reverse dies.
From Paramount’s session of Auction ’80, Lot 923.
Extremely Rare 1810 Half Eagle
Small Date, Small
5
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795 1810 Breen-6461, B-2B. Rarity-7. Small Date, Small 5. EF-45 (PCGS). In his Complete Encyclopedia, Walter Breen suggested that fewer than eight examples of this major variety are known, none Mint State. A very pleasing example with natural greenish gold surfaces, displaying typical lightly abraded surfaces, as expected for the grade. The reverse rim is slightly weak above STAT. A small dark spot just left of the forecurl is an important pedigree characteristic. This is the first example of this variety we have ever offered, another testimonial to the depth and breadth of the present Bass Collection presentation.
PCGS Population: 2; 1 finer (AU-55).
The obverse die is shattered, no doubt accounting for this variety’s rarity. The reverse die has light cracks through lower portions of the design. On the obverse, a heavy crack from the border through first digit 1, continues through the drapery and clasp, hair curls, and cap, to the border above star 8. A crack from star 3 to the nose passes through the curl in front of Liberty’s ear to the first crack just below Y. A crack from the border through star 9 joins the first crack in the hair below Y. A crack from the border through two lower points of star 12 reaches the hair curls. A crack from the drapery through tops of the date joins stars 13 and 12. Another crack joins stars 8 through 11. Certainly one of the very last coins struck from this obverse die.
Purchased from Michael G. Brownlee, August 2, 1994.
Mint State 1810
Small Date $5
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796 1810 Breen-6462, B-2D. Rarity-4. Small Date, Tall 5. MS-63 (PCGS). Rich yellow gold lustre with very sharp design details. A lovely example with only a few very minor abrasions.
PCGS Population: 6; 2 finer (MS-64).
The obverse has a light crack through the date and another through stars 3 to 6. The reverse has minor rust pits and a crack from the first A in AMERICA across the wing to top of the scroll.
From Stack’s sale of November 1974, Lot 552.
Another Mint State
1810 Small Date $5
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797 1810 Breen-6462, B-2D. Rarity-4. Small Date, Tall 5. MS-63 (PCGS). Frosty bright yellow gold lustre with attractive orange toning. Minor hairlines and other imperfections have been incorporated into the grade designation (if the piece were perfect it would, of course, be called MS-70!)
Die cracks as previously are slightly more advanced.
From Stack’s sale of December 1971, Lot 835.
Mint State 1811
Half Eagle
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798 1811 Breen-6463, B-1A. Rarity-4. Tall 5. MS-63 (PCGS). Sharply struck with reflective light green-gold lustre. Minor surface marks are visible. A few light adjustment marks are confined to the left obverse border. This is the scarcer of two die varieties for 1811, both offered in the present sale. Both were struck from a single obverse die mated with two different reverse dies.
Light obverse and reverse clash marks. No die cracks.
From Rarcoa’s sale of the Kaufman Collection, August 1978, Lot 801.
Another Mint State
1811 $5
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799 1811 Breen-6463, B-1A. Rarity-4. Tall 5. MS-60 (PCGS). Brilliant and frosty deep orange-gold lustre with lightly abraded surfaces as expected for the grade.
A small crack joins the outer points of stars 9 and 10. No clash marks.
From Quality Sales Corporation’s auction of the John A. Beck Collection, Part I, January 1975, Lot 387.
Third Mint State
1811 $5
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800 1811 Breen-6464, B-1B. Rarity-3+. Small 5. MS-62 (PCGS). Frosty greenish gold lustre with scattered abrasions. Sharply struck and pleasing.
Very light obverse and reverse clash marks. A small crack joins the outer points of stars 9 and 10.
From Paramount’s sale of February 1973, Lot 1052.
Mint State 1812
$5
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801 1812 Breen-6466, B-1B. Rarity-3+. Wide 5D. MS-62 (PCGS). Sharply struck with very attractive light orange-gold lustre. Minor surface marks do not distract from the aesthetic appeal.
Heavy obverse and reverse clash marks. No die cracks are noted.
Purchased from A-Mark Coin Co., March 16, 1978.
Pleasing 1812 Half
Eagle
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802 1812 Breen-6466, B-1B. Rarity-3+. Wide 5D. MS-61 (PCGS). Highly lustrous bright yellow gold with a few very minor surface marks. A lovely, sharply struck example. This is the more available of two die varieties for 1812.
A short die crack from the wing passes just left of the first A in AMERICA to the border.
From Lester Merkin’s sale of October 1969, Lot 433.
Mint State 1813
Half Eagle
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803 1813 Breen-6467, B-1A. Rarity-3. MS-63. Highly lustrous, frosty greenish gold with a few very minor abrasions and hairlines. Minute rim bruises are visible at 10:00 on the obverse and 11:00 on the reverse. This is the first year of the new Capped Head design type, an important opportunity for the type collector. This design type continued, with slight modifications, through 1834, prior to introduction of the Classic Head design without reverse motto. This die variety is slightly more common than the other variety of this year, from a different reverse die.
Perfect dies.
From our sale of June 1974, Lot 1043.
Mint State 1814/3
Half Eagle
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804 1814/3 Breen-6468, B-1A. Rarity-4. Overdate. MS-62. Sharply struck in light yellow gold with a few minor hairlines and other typical surface marks. A small rim bruise at star 12 has been diminished through very minor filing. This prevented certification, however, is truly a very minor impairment. Still a highly attractive coin that is sure to please. Although we have handled a number of 1814/3 half eagles, only the example in our January 1986 sale, graded MS-63, is finer than this.
Moderate clash marks are visible on both sides.
In the American series there are many overdates, but the 1814/3 is certainly in the top 10% with regard to the prominence of the overdate feature. No subtlety here!
Purchased from Rowe & Brownlee, November 1, 1966.
Outstanding 1815 Half Eagle
A Classic Rarity
From Louis E. Eliasberg,
Sr.
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805 1815 Breen-6469, B-1A. Rarity-7-. AU-58 (PCGS). This lovely 1815 half eagle, an example of quality and rarity, displays nearly full lustre with sharp design definition. A few very light hairlines and other imperfections are noted, including minor scratches between Liberty’s eye and ear, carefully evaluated and considered by the experts at PCGS when they assigned the AU-58 grade.
We are currently aware of just 12 surviving examples of the rarity, these from an original mintage reported to be 635 coins. The number of survivors, just 2% of the mintage, seems realistic. With the low mintage and small number of survivors, this is one of the numismatic classics among the early half eagle coinage. The entire mintage was struck in November (Breen states November 3, 1815) from small gold deposits by Thomas Parker, Charles Kalkman, and the Bank of Pennsylvania. In his monograph, Early United States Half Eagles 1795-1838, Walter Breen related the following history of this issue, as compiled from material in "Bullion Journal C" in the National Archives:
"June 24, 1815. Thomas Parker deposited standard gold valued at $337.44. July 3. Charles Kalkman deposited gold valued at $1,054. October 30. The Bank of Pennsylvania deposited gold valued at $328.03. The same day, the Treasurer of the Mint sent to the Melter and Refiner the above collection of gold coins and bullion, debiting him with $1,719.47 in gold. This lot—together with some 1814 deposited gold then in the Mint—went through the normal processes. November 3. The Coiner struck and delivered 635 half eagles plus three extra for assay (these were tested by the Assay Commission on February 12, 1816, together with $2.00 in half dollars and quarter dollars). Sundry Accounts were paid, including the three above-named depositors, plus $16.71 compensation being retained by the Mint for expenses of refining sub-standard gold which had to be brought up to 916.66 fine. December 31. $3,661.33 fit for coining remained in Coiner’s hands uncoined. January 11, 1816. A fire in the rear building of the Mint damaged rolling and cutting apparatus sufficiently to make any further coinage of gold or silver impossible until extensive repairs could be made."
Today, we are aware of just 12 surviving specimens from the original mintage. These are enumerated below, adapted from notes by Saul Teichman, a long-time friend of our company who shared his notes.
PCGS Population: 1; none finer.
A thin die crack from border to forelock just misses two upper points of star 5. Another crack connects stars 12 and 13. The reverse has clash marks visible within the vertical shield stripes. A thin die crack through the base of D in the denomination connects this letter with the period. This reverse die was earlier used in 1813. One can’t help but wonder if the clash marks are from the 1815 obverse die or the 1813 obverse die.
Significantly, this issue was once so rare that Dr. Montroville W. Dickeson in his 1859 book, The American Numismatical Manual, this being the first substantial work printed in America on the subject, wrote: "The Mint Report gives a coinage of 635 pieces for this year. We have never met with one of them…" Quite a statement, this!
Registry of Known 1815 Half Eagles
1. Smithsonian Institution, this being the present repository of the Mint Cabinet. Walter Breen noted this was acquired for the Mint Cabinet from a private collection on December 4, 1885. The same piece was earlier owned by George Seavey, and also appeared in the Bispham Collection conducted by S.H. and H. Chapman, February 1880. The fact that the curator of the Mint Cabinet had to acquire a piece on the open market is reflective of the overall rarity of the 1815, for beginning in the 1830s, and continuing intensely afterward, the numismatically inclined individuals at the Philadelphia Mint (most notably Jacob Reese Eckfeldt and William E. Dubois in the early years), scanned incoming deposits of gold coins, selecting pieces of interest.
2. Connecticut State Library, the collection of J.C. Mitchelson, entrepreneur from Tariffeville in the same state. Mitchelson was also a vest-pocket coin dealer of sorts, and enjoyed acquiring, buying, selling, and trading pieces that he picked up on his far-flung travels, including trips to the West Coast.
3. Swedish Mint Museum, Stockholm. When Joseph J. Mickley went on an extended trip to Europe, he kept in contact with William E. Dubois, who recorded certain of Mickley’s experiences in the American Journal of Numismatics. Not as well known is a brief interview conducted with Philadelphia dealer Ebenezer Locke Mason’, Jr., published in his house organ in the 1870s. Mickley told Mason that he examined the Royal Cabinet of coins, but was able to find only a single United States specimen of any denomination, this being—remarkably and fantastically—the 1815 $5 rarity.
4. Smithsonian Institution. From the Josiah K. Lilly, Jr. Collection, acquired by gift from the Lilly estate in the late 1960s. Earlier, this specimen was featured in the Farish-Baldenhofer sale conducted by Stack’s in 1955. Much earlier, this coin was in the Matthew Stickney Collection and Ten Eyck Collection. Intermediate pedigree uncertain.
5. Harry W. Bass, Jr. Research Foundation. From the Norweb Collection. This is the plate coin for the Flanagan, Bell, and H.R. Lee sales, all by Stack’s. Retained by the Bass Foundation and not the coin offered here.
6. The presently offered specimen from the Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection. Earlier from the Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection, previously from George Seavey, Lorin Parmelee, H.P. Smith, and John H. Clapp. Much could be written about each of the previous owners, as, indeed, is true of most of the pedigree names in this list.
7. From our sale of the Garrett Collection for the Johns Hopkins University, November 1979, Lot 460. T. Harrison Garrett obtained this specimen from Harold Newlin, an attorney who enjoyed "horse trading" in coins, and whose correspondence is excerpted in the book by Q. David Bowers, The History of United States Coinage as Illustrated by the Garrett Collection, 1979. Earlier, the piece is said to have been owned by W. Elliot Woodward, William S. Appleton and, before that, Joseph J. Mickley. In our own generation this specimen was sold in the Garrett Collection, as noted, and later appeared in Auction ’84.
8. Private Collection. From the Davis-Graves sale by Stack’s in 1954, Stack’s 1976 ANA Sale, and Paramount’s fixed price list of the R.E. Naftzger, Jr. Collection.
9. Amon Carter, Jr. Collection sold by Stack’s in 1984. Earlier from the Waldo C. Newcomer and William Cutler Atwater collections.
10. Michael Keston Collection sold by Superior in 1996. Earlier from the Charles Kramer Collection sold by Stack’s and Superior in 1988. Prior pedigree uncertain.
11. James A. Stack, Sr. Collection sold by Stack’s in 1995. In that offering they stated this was from the Flanagan Collection, although the coin does not match the plate in the Flanagan catalogue (also see comments under No. 5 above, the piece that does match the Flanagan plate). Although we have no information concerning whether this was practiced with the Flanagan offering, it was quite popular for certain auctioneers in numismatic firms, B. Max Mehl and Numismatic Gallery prominent among them, to use "stock" illustrations when offering coins for sale. Thus, in many instances the pieces described in the catalogue were not the coins illustrated. This makes pedigree-matching by the use of plates a futile effort in such instances.
12. An example offered by Superior in 1993. The coin plated appears different than any other example listed earlier.
Several other auction appearances have not been specifically matched to any of the above. Tracking pedigrees through plate matching can be a difficult process complicated by poor photographic quality and the unfortunate use of stock photos in early catalogues, whereby photographs were used even though they were not of the coin being offered. Carl W.A. Carlson wrote an excellent article on pedigree tracking, this appearing as part of the American Numismatic Association Centennial Anthology. One of Carlson’s favorite pastimes—usually conducted in his spare time—was to endeavor to link consecutive offerings of the same specimen. Carl’s contributions to numismatics were interesting and significant, and thus it was with a degree of pride that we offered for sale his reference collection in one of our past auctions. At one time he envisioned the idea of forming a "counsel" of people interested in research which, if memory serves, was intended to consist of seven prime counselors, each of whom would be in correspondence with several other counselors who would report to him or her. Thus, the efforts of a couple dozen or more researchers could be coordinated.
Recently we received an inquiry from a leading researcher in the American series who asked if our Rare Coin Review could serve as a common meeting point to list research, with intended publication, as being conducted by various scholars in such fields as coins, tokens, medals, and paper money. We suggested that the American Journal of Numismatics, published by the American Numismatic Society, but nearly entirely devoted to foreign numismatics (the most recent issue had not even a single article on the American series) might be a better forum, and one that had no commercial connection. However, perhaps as an interim or stopgap measure, our the pages of our Review could be opened for this purpose. We invite interested researchers to communicate with the editor, Dave Bowers.
From our sale of the Louis E. Eliasberg,
Sr. Collection, October 1982, Lot 370. From the Clapp Collection 1942; earlier in
the Harlan P. Smith Collection (Chapman Brothers, May 1906).
