John Reich Journal

Volume 12 / Issue 1

December 1998

The purpose of the John Reich Collectors Society (JRCS) is to encourage the study of numismatics, particularly United States gold and silver coins minted before the introduction of the Seated Liberty design, and to provide technical and educational information concerning such coins.

Annual dues $15.00

Life Membership $375.00

For general membership information or letters to the Editor or articles for publication, please write to the Editor:

Bradley S. Karoleff, NLG P.O. Box 135, Harrison, OH 45030-0135 E-Mail: Karoleffs4@aol.com Web Address: http://www.logan.com/jrcs

All other correspondence should be directed to:

Office of the President, David J. Davis P.O. Box 400, Manchester, MI 48158

The John Reich Journal is the official publication of the Society and is distributed to all members in good standing. Members are encouraged to submit any articles encouraging the study of numismatics and / or relating to early United States gold and silver coins to the editor. Especially needed are articles containing new information about die varieties, die states of published die varieties, attribution methods, collections, collectors, etc.

President

Vice President

Vice President

Secretary

Treasurer

Program Chairman Director

1997 / 1998 Officers

David J. Davis

John W. McCloskey

Bradley S. Karoleff

Stephen A. Crain

Russell J. Logan

James Matthews

W. David Perkins

Cover Photos: Finest confirmed example of the 1830 V14 Capped Bust Half Dime. Photo courtesy of an East Coast collector.

Articles may not be reproduced without permission of the John Reich Collectors Society

John Reich Journal

Official publication of the

John Reich Collectors Society

Volume 12 / Issue 1 December 1998 Whole No. 36

Contents

Editors’ Comments 2

Plaudits, Pans and Perplexing Points 4

Rarity Ratings for Capped Bust Half Dollars: History and 6

Update by Stephen J. Henman and Glenn R. Peterson, M.D.

Capped Bust Halves-A “Bucket” Analysis by Ken Cable 12

The Third Variety of 1801 Eagle by Anthony J. Taraszka 15

Announcing A New Die Marriage Capped Bust Half Dime 17

by Dr. Glenn Peterson

Pre-Turban Half Dollar Census by Russell J. Logan 18

Die State Study for the Very Rare 1798 B-16 Dollar 21

by W. David Perkins, NLG

The 1836 0116A Lapped Die Half by Harvey Bastacky 25

Double Struck Capped Bust Halves by Ken Hill 27

A Novel 1796 (1797?) Eagle by Anthony J. Taraszka 33

Second U.S. Mint During Demolition- 1902 Photo 35

Jules Reiver Literary Award

36

Editors’ Comments

Greetings and welcome to another issue of the John Reich Journal. Happy Holidays to the membership from the officers of your club. We hope the past year has been a successful one for you and your families. We are currently looking forward to the upcoming FUN show in Orlando. There will be an open house on Thursday night at the Clarion Hotel beginning around 9PM and ending when the last guest leaves. Feel free to bring a guest and introduce them to the society. There will be more information on the room number passed by word of mouth at the convention. The open houses give everyone the opportunity to meet other members and discuss coins in a relaxed atmosphere. We look forward to seeing many of you there.

The next item of interest for everyone is the voting for the Jules Reiver Literary Award for Volume 1 1 of the journal. We announced the winner of the award for Volume 10 at the ANA meeting in Portland. Edgar Souders was the recipient for his article Capped Bust Half Dollar Secrets; The Stars which appeared in Volume 10 Issue 1. You will find a ballot enclosed to enter your votes for the next award.

Please list up to 3 articles found in Volume 1 1 of the journal and return the postcard to JRCS PO Box 135 Harrison, OH 45030 by February 10, 1999. The winner will be published in the next issue of the journal. Good luck to all our authors.

Many of you hold membership in other numismatic societies. I have often given thought to extending one of the practices of EAC to our club. The copper collectors have their own convention each year where they have “a happening” for half and large cents. This is a forum where they arrange for members to bring specific varieties to the convention for side by side comparison. Each year a different set of varieties is requested, usually ones with significant die states, for viewing. The coins are displayed compared and studied by the collectors present. Many significant die state observations can be made and condition census information can be obtained. I would like to know if the membership of JRCS is interested in having “a happening” in conjunction with a major convention. We could pick FUN, the ANA, Central States, Long Beach, or others. We will need volunteers to man the tables of coins as well as collectors that are willing to share their coins with everyone. Any ideas? Please get back to me with your thoughts and we will share them with the rest of the membership in the next issue.

We would also like to make the society more accessible to the membership and prospective members. Some of the officers have, in the past, hosted a JRCS meeting at regional coin shows. If anyone is interested in doing this in their area contact us and we will help you “get the word out” to local members. All it takes is contacting

2

the show chairman and requesting a room for the meeting and saying a few words about the society. Having a member speak about their collection or research project is recommended. We will be happy to help you obtain a speaker for the meeting if you let us know far enough in advance.

For the new collectors amongst the membership. Should you have any questions you would like to ask we would be happy to have one of our more experienced members answer it in the PPP section of the next issue. If you do not want your question signed we will be happy to list it as a general question without identifying you. We want everyone to learn more about the hobby without feeling self-conscious about their individual abilities. There are many experts among the membership that will be happy to answer your questions.

We would like to remind everyone that your dues are requested. If you have a postcard in with your journal you need to send us $15 to keep your membership up to date. There are a few of you who have already sent in a check, if you receive a postcard by mistake please forgive us and discard the notice. You can also convert to a life member and not have to worry about these yearly dues notices. Just make out a check for $375 to JRCS and forget my yearly ramblings about dues.

I 1

■ CAPPED BUST HALF DOLLAR I

■ COLLECTORS I

■ It is time to send in your updates for the Capped Bust Half Dollars R4-7, .

1 1807-1836. Please see the article in this issue updating the rarity ratings for

I this series. We will only be publishing the census for the varieties listed as I

I R4 and better in this update. Everyone is encouraged to send in their total

■ census, not just the “front line” pieces. Duplicates and die states will be .

1 counted and reported as part of the totals. Your identity will be kept secret by

I using your JRCS membership number for identification. Your personal I census will be kept confidential and not used for any other reason. These ,

, JRCS censuses are a valuable tool for determining rarity and condition census .

' for varieties. Please forward your census, or questions, to the editor at:

I Capped Bust Half Dollar Census, PO Box 135 Harrison, OH 45030

I I

Bradley S. Karoleff

3

Plaudits, Pans and Perplexing Points

JRCS

Editors:

The July issue of the JRJ was perhaps the best I have ever read. Seldom has the Journal contained articles on all the early silver denominations and two gold denominations. Excellent.

Recently, I have been corresponding with several bust dime collectors over the Internet. There is some interest in establishing a trading circle for this series.

This would include posting of want lists, duplicate lists, and inventory lists on the Internet, in perhaps a mailing list format. Despite my limited experience with the electronic medium, I am willing to coordinate this effort. Any interested collectors, or dealers, should contact me with suggestions. If this system works, we could extend it to other denominations as well.

I know that pricing guides exist for halves and early coppers by variety, but is anyone working on one for half dimes, dimes, or quarters? If such a guide could be published in the mainstream numismatic media, it could stir some interest among those collectors not fortunate enough to have discovered variety collecting.

Byron L. Reed #487 Box 951

Pierre, SD 57501-0951

E-mail byronreed@aol.com

http://members.aol.com/byronreed/home

4

PLAUDITS, PANS ANI) PERPLEXING POINTS

An E-mail letter to the editor from Aram Haroutunian and Matt Lenore Dear JRCS:

There are two subjects that have recently bugged us. We recently became aware of two areas that we have not seen in writing. That doesn’t mean they have not appeared in print, just that we haven't seen anything.

1. On most of the reverse dies of 1818-1828 Capped or Turban Head Bust Quarters, there is a triangular depression in the “T’s”. Must be a raised area in the punch, but I haven't read anything about it. This feature does not appear on the 1815 reverse die, at least not that we can see.

2. On the reverse die of 1818 Browning 8, there appears to be the stand of either an “I” or an “E” inside the “E” of United. I (Aram) have seen this on an example 1 own, but have never seen it mentioned. .(Maybe I need to expand my library?).

3. On the reverses of several 1834 and 1835 Bust Quarters, the “C” in the value seems to exhibit a very thin bottom. Was this from broken and not well repaired punches? Different ones used on different reverse dies? Only in 1834 and 1835?

I note that the 1835-1 is the same as the 1834-3, and the “C” has an extremely thin line for a bottom. Just above the thin added curving line at the bottom of the letter, but within it, there is an extremely thin straight broken line.

The 1835-2 is the same as the 1834-2 and 1834-5. These “C’s” have what looks like an upward curving talon at the lower right. In addition, there is a short spur straight up from the southwest comer of the “2” in the value.

The 1835-3 has three distinct extremely thin lines connecting the original part of the “C” to what seems to be the added repair. 1835-4,5, and 6 have a thin line coming from what looks like an incomplete “C” and making what appears to be an almost complete circle, unlike the others mentioned above. In addition, this “C” has a short horizontal “spur” above and within the thin curving added line. Actually, I added a lot of what I found after I switched from 5X to 15X.

We would love to read anything that is out there about these puzzles. If you know of anything, please let us know through the journal.

JRCS

5

Rarity Ratings for Capped Bust Half Dollars: History and Update

Stephen J. Herrman and Glenn R. Peterson, M.D.

The die marriage numbering system for Bust half dollars in use today was introduced in 1970 with the release of the second edition of A1 C. Overton’s landmark reference work, Early Half Dollar Die Varieties, 1794-1836.

Each listed variety was assigned a rarity rating representing a specific estimate, based on observations and records covering many years.

R1	Common	over 1000
R2	Slightly Uncommon	501 to 1000
R3	Scarce	201 to 500
R4	Very Scarce	81 to 200
R5	Rare	31 to 80
R6	Very Rare	13 to 30
R7	Extremely Rare	4 to 12
R8	Unique or nearly so	1 to 3

In Volume 1, Issue 2 (May 1986) of The John Reich Journal, the Bust Half Nut Club (BHNC), spearheaded by the efforts of Dave Davis, penned an article on Capped Bust half dollars. It included a table updating the rarity estimates listed in the second edition of the Overton book.

In late 1990, Donald L. Parsley, son-in-law of A1 Overton, published the third edition of Early Half Dollar Die Varieties, 1794-1836. Collectors who acquired this revised work noted the high quality, twice actual size photographs, condition census information, and rarity estimates slightly revised from the 1986 BHNC study.

In Volume 8, Issue 3 (April 1994) of The John Reich Journal, he BHNC, coordinated by the efforts of Glenn Peterson, wrote an article resolving the dift rences between the club members’ rarity opinions with those listed in the third edition of the Overton book. This limited study introduced R8 ratings to some of the rarest marriages, and assigned rarity estimates to the three “Crushed Lettered Edge” varieties (CLE’s).

Recently, members of the Bust Half Nut Club recognized that the higher rarities needed a more extensive assessment. For a couple of the R6 die marriages, more than 30 examples were known to exist. There were also a number of R5 and R4 die marriages that seemed to be far too plentiful for their respective ratings. Under the direction of Glenn Peterson, members of the BHNC rarity ratings committee examined our club census, looking at the

6

RARITY RATINGS FOR CAPPED BUST HALF DOLLARS

total number of coins and average grade listed for each die marriage, and also drew from the experience of longtime club members who had chased these varieties for many years. The committee then contrasted this information with the values from Steve Herrman's Auction & Mail Bid Prices Realized for R.4 to R.8 Bust Half Dollars (AMBPR). Significant price differences were found between coins in the same rarity level, such as between the 1828 0-123 (considered to be a “tough R5”) and the 1824 0-114 (considered to be an “easy R5“). Other specialty clubs, such as Early American Coppers (EAC), use “+” and indicators to resolve this disparity. Our club felt these indicators were needed for R4 and better die marriages.

BHNC recommends rarity rating changes for the following die marriages:

Die Marriage	From	3b	Die Marriage	From	IQ
1807 0-111	R4	R4+	1827 0-130	R4	R3
1808 0-110	R5	R4+	1827 0-140	R4	R4+
1809 0-113	R5	R5+	1827 0-144	R5	R5+
1814 0-106	R4	R4+	1828 0-106	R4	R4+
18180-115	R4	R4+	1828 0-121	R4	R3
1819 0-103	R3	R4	1828 0-123	R5	R5+
1821 0-107	R4	R3	1829 0-104	R4	R3
1822 0-102	R4	R4+	1829 0-106	R5	R4+
1823 0-109	R6	R5+	1829 0-107	R4	R3
1824 0-102	R5	R5+	1829 0-116	R4	R3
1824 0-114	R5	R5-	1830 0-109	R4	R3
1826 0-114	R4	R4+	1830 0-112	R4	R4+
1826 0-115	R5	R5-	1830 0-114	R6	R5+
1826 0-119	R4	R4-	1831 0-112	R4	R3
1827 0-109	R4	R4-	1831 0-118	R4	R3
1827 0-110	R4	R4-	1832 0-108	R4	R3
1827 0-113	R4	R4-	1832 0-109	R5	R4
1827 0-114	R4	R3	1832 0-117	R5	R4+
1827 0-116	R5	R4+	1833 0-115	R5	R5+
1827 0-119	R4	R3	1835 0-104	R4	R3
1827 0-121	R4	R3	1836 0-103	R4	R3
1827 0-123	R5	R5-	1836 0-107	R3	R4
1827 0-124	R5	R5+	1836 0-109	R4	R3
1827 0-127	R5	R5+	1836 0-118	R4	R3
1827 0-129	R4	R4-	1836 0-121	R5	R5+

The BHNC membership also felt ready to begin the process of revising rarity ratings of certain sub-varieties (significant die states). However, we are aware that much more work is needed to precisely define where one die state ends and another begins, adding new sub- varieties where appropriate. For example, the 1828 0-123 has two distinct early die states.

7

RARITY RATINGS FOR CAPPED BUST HALF DOLLARS

The earliest known sub- variety has no rim break between stars 5 and 6 on the obverse and no “railroad tracks” below the left wing on the reverse. The next sub-variety has the obverse rim break, but still no marks on the reverse.

Before listing our findings on sub-varieties, a word about the way they are represented. To indicate an entire die marriage, only digits are used (e.g., 1807 0-111). To indicate the earliest die state (the prime), an apostrophe is added (e.g., 1807 0-111’). Later sub-varieties are indicated by adding letter designations (e.g., 1807 0-1 11a and 1807 0-1 lib).

BHNC recommends rarity rating changes for the following sub-varieties:

Sub-varietv	From	3o	Sub-varietv	From	3b
1807 0-1 11a	R4	R5	1820 O-104a	R4	R5
1808 0-1 04a	R3	R5	1822 0-103’	R6	R5
1808 0-1 10a	R5	R4(+)	1822 0-1 06a	R4	R3
1809 0-1 13a	R5	R6	1827 0-116’	R5	R4(+)
1811 0-105’	R3	R4	1827 0-1 17a	R3	R4
1812 0-101’	R6	R5	1827 O-140a	R4	R5
1812 O-101a	R6	R5	1828 0-1 18a	R3	R4
1812 0-1 10b	R5	R6	1829 0-1 04a	R4	R3
1814 O-107a	R2	R5	1829 0-116’	R4	R3
1817 0-105’	R4	R6*	1830 O-106a	R3	R4
1817 0-1 06a	R5	R4	1832 O-105a	R3	R4
1818 O-103a	R3	R4	1833 O-105a	R3	R5
1818 0-115’	R4	R5	1836 0-1 06a	R4	R3
1819 0-103’	R3	R5	1836 0-1 16a	R4	R6

* Early die state with no obverse or reverse die cracks. Contrary to Overton, the obverse die crack from the edge across star 9 appears before the reverse die cracks begin to form.

BHNC recommends no longer listing the 1827 0-148a, the 1831 0-1 10a, or the 1833 O-103a sub-varieties, as they merely represent a progressive weakening of dentils or a die dot, not a distinct change.

Using the following table, the collector can track the rarity rating history for Capped Bust half dollars from 1970 to the present. Please note that die marriages with asterisks have sub- varieties listed in the third edition of the Overton book. The rarity estimate for each die marriage is considered to be the lowest R-number among the listed sub-varieties.

8

RARITY RATINGS FOR CAPPED BUST HALF DOLLARS

Year	DM.	70	86	90	'94	98	Year	DM.	70	86	90	94 | 98	Year I D M	70	86	90	94	98
1807	Ill*	5	4	4	4	4>	1812	101*	7	5	6	5	5	1818	110	6	4	4	4	4
112	1	1	1	1	1	102	3	2	2	2	2	111	1	1	1	1	1
113*	2	2	2	2	2	103*	1	1	1	1	1	112*	1	1	1	1	1
114	3	3	3	3	3	104*	1	1	1	1	1	113	2	3	3	3	3
1808	101	1	1	1	1	1	105*	1	1	1	1	1	114*	3	2	3	3	3
102*	3	2	2	2	2	106	5	3	3	3	3	115*	6	4	4	4	44
103	1	1	1	1	1	107	1	1	1	1	1	1819	101	1	1	1	1	1
104*	1	2	2	2	2	108*	2	1	1	2	2	102	3	2	2	2	2
105	3	3	3	3	3	109*	1	2	2	2	2	103*	3	3	3	3	4
106*	1	2	2	2	2	110*	1	1	1	1	1	104*	1	1	1	1	1
107*	3	2	2	2	2	1813	101*	4	2	2	2	2	105	4	2	2	2	2
108*	2	3	3	3	3	102	3	4	4	4	4	106	5	4	4	4	4
109*	4	3	3	3	3	103	1	2	2	2	2	107*	5	3	3	3	3
110*	5	5	5	5	4+	104	5	4	4	4	4	108	1	3	3	3	3
1809	101	6	5	5	5	5	105*	1	1	1	1	1	109*	2	2	2	2	2
102*	1	1	■ 1	1	1	106*	1	2	2	2	2	110*	5	3	3	3	3
103	1	1	1	1	1	107*	1	1	1	1	1	111	1	2	2	2	2
104	7	5	5	5	5	108*	3	2	2	2	2	112*	4	3	3	3	3
105	2	2	2	2	2	109	3	3	3	3	3	113	1	1	1	1	1
106	5	2	3	3	3	110	1	1	1	1	1	114	1	3	3	3	3
107*	1	2	3	3	3	1814	101*	2	2	2	2	2	115	3	3	3	3	3
108*	5	4	4	4	4	102*	1	2	2	2	2	1820	101*	2	2	2	2	2
109*	4	1	2	2	2	103	1	1	1	1	1	102	1	1	1	1	1
110	6	4	4	4	4	104*	1	1	1	2	2	103*	3	1	1	1	1
111*	2	2	2	2	2	105*	4	2	2	2	2	104*	5	4	4	4	4
112	6	5	5	5	5	106*	6	4	4	4	44	105*	2	1	1	1	1
113*	7	5	5	5	5+	107*	1	2	2	2	2	106	1	1	1	1	1
114*	7	5	5	5	5	108*	1	1	1	1	1	107	6	5	5	5	5
115*	2	2	2	2	2	109	5	2	2	2	2	108	2	2	2	2	2
1810	101*	1	1	1	1	1	1815	101*	3	2	2	2	2	1821	101*	1	1	1	1	1
102*	1	1	1	1	1	1817	101*	3	2	2	2	2	102	1	2	2	2	2
103	3	2	2	2	2	102*	7	7	7	7	7	103*	2	2	2	2	2
104*	3	3	3	3	3	103*	3	2	2	2	2	104*	1	1	1	1	1
105	1	2	2	2	2	104*	6	6	6	6	6	105*	1	1	1	1	1
106*	1	3	3	3	3	105*	5	3	4	4	^4	106*	1	1	1	1	1
107*	4	3	3	3	3	106*	4	2	2	2	2	107	5	4	4	4	3
108*	2	3	3	3	3	107	5	3	3	3	3	1822	101	3	1	1	1	1
109*	1	3	3	3	3	108	5	4	4	4	4	102	5	4	4	4	44
110	1	2	2	2	2	109	4	2	2	2	2	103*	4	5	5	5	5
1811	101	3	1	1	1	1	110*	3	2	2	2	2	104	2	3	3	3	3
102	6	4	4	4	4	111*	1	1	1	1	1	105	3	3	3	3	3
103*,	3	3	3	4	4	112*	1	2	2	2	2	106*	1	3	3	3	3
104*	1	1	1	1	1	113*	1	2	2	2	2	107	2	2	2	2	2
105*	1	2	2	2	2	1818	101*	1	1	1	1	1	108*	2	3	3	3	3
106	3	3	3	3	3	102*	1	1	1	2	2	109	3	2	2	2	2
107	3	4	4	4	4	103*	4	3	3	3	3	110*	1	2	2	2	2
108*	1	2	2	2	2	104*	3	3	3	3	3	111	1	2	2	2	2
109	2	2	2	2	2	105*	5	3	3	3	3	112	6	4	4	4	4
110*	1	1	1	1	1	106’	4	3	3	3	3	113	1	3	3	3	3
111*	1	1	1	1	1	107	1	1	1	1	1	114	4	3	3	3	3
112*	5	4	4	4	4	108	1	1	1	1	1	115	1	3	3	3	3
113	7	5	5	5	5	109*	1	1	1	1	1

9

RARITY RATINGS FOR CAPPED BUST HALF DOLLARS

Year	D.M.	70	86	90	94	'98	Year	D.M.	70	'86	90	'94	'98	Year	D.M.	70	'86	'90	'94	'98
1823	101*	3	1	1	1	1	1826	105	1	3	3	3	3	1827	137	7	6	6	6	6
	102	6	4	4	4	4		106*	3	3	3	3	3		138	6	4	4	4	4
	103	1	2	2	2	2		107	2	3	3	3	3		139	5	4	4	4	4
	104	1	3	3	3	3		108*	1	1	1	1	1		140*	6	4	4	4	4+
	105	1	1	1	1	1		109	1	1	1	1	1		141	5	3	3	3	3
	106*	2	2	2	2	2		110	3	2	2	2	2		142	1	3	3	3	3
	107	1	2	2	2	2		111*	1	2	2	2	2		143	1	3	3	3	3
	o OD »	1	2	2	2	2		112	1	2	2	2	2		144	6	5	5	5	5+
	109	6	6	6	6	5+		113*	1	3	3	3	3		145	4	5	5	5	5
	110*	2	2	2	2	2		114	5	4	4	4	4+		146	3	2	2	2	2
	111*	2	2	2	2	2		115	6	5	5	5	5-		147	6	4	4	4	4
	112	1	1	1	1	1		116*	1	1	1	1	1		148*	-	7	7	7	7
	113	-	7	8	7	7		117*	1	2	2	2	2		149	-	7	7	8	8
1824	101*	3	2	2	2	2		118*	1	1	1	1	1	1828	101	1	1	1	1	1
	102	6	5	5	5	5+		119	4	4	4	4	4-		102	1	2	2	2	2
	103	2	1	1	1	1		120*	3	3	3	3	3		103	2	2	2	2	2
	104	3	2	2	2	2		101	2	2	2	2	2		104	3	3	3	3	3
	105	1	2	2	2	2		102	2	1	1	1	1		105	6	5	5	5	5
	106*	5	3	3	3	3		103	5	4	4	4	4		106	5	3	4	4	4+
	107	1	2	2	2	2		104	1	1	1	1	1		107*	3	2	2	2	2
	108*	2	2	2	2	2		105	1	3	3	3	3		108	1	2	3	3	3
	109	2	2	2	2	2		106	1	2	2	2	2		109	2	3	3	3	3
	110*	2	2	2	2	2		107	3	3	3	3	3		110	2	2	2	2	2
	111	1	2	2	2	2		108*	4	4	4	4	4		111	1	4	4	4	4
	112*	5	4	4	4	4		109	4	4	4	4	4-		112	1	3	3	3	3
	113*	1	1	1	1	1		110	4	4	4	4	4-		113	4	3	3	3	3
	114	8	5	5	5	5-		111	5	4	4	4	4		114	2	3	3	3	3
	115	1	2	2	2	2		112*	1	3	3	3	3		115	1	2	2	2	2
	116	4	3	3	3	3	1827	113*	4	4	4	4	4-		116	4	2	2	2	2
	117	1	1	1	1	1		114	3	4	4	4	3		117*	1	1	1	1	1
1825	101	1	1	1	1	1		115	2	2	2	2	2		118*	1	3	3	3	3
	102	1	1	1	1	1		116*	5	5	5	5	4+		119	5	3	3	3	3
	103	3	4	4	4	4		117*	1	3	3	3	3		120	1	1	1	1	1
	104	5	4	4	4	4		118	4	3	3	3	3		121*	5	4	4	4	3
	105	1	2	2	2	2		119	5	4	4	4	3		122	3	3	3	3	3
	106*	2	3	3	3	3		120*	4	3	3	3	3		123	5	5	5	5	5+
	107	1	2	2	2	2		121	4	4	4	4	3	1829	101*	2	1	1	1	1
	108	1	3	3	3	3		122	6	5	5	5	5		102	3	2	2	2	2
	109	7	5	5	5	5		123	7	5	5	5	5-		103	1	1	1	1	1
	110	1	3	2	2	2		124*	8	5	5	5	5+		104*	5	4	4	4	3
	111	3	3	3	3	3		125	4	3	3	3	3		105	1	1	1	1	1
	112	1	3	3	3	3		126	1	3	2	2	2		106	5	4	5	5	4+
	113	1	1	1	1	1		127	7	5	5	5	5+		107	4	4	4	4	3
	114	1	1	1	1	1		128	3	3	3	3	3		108*	1	2	2	2	2
	115	3	3	3	3	3		129	5	4	4	4	4-		109*	5	4	4	4	4
	116	1	3	3	3	3		130	4	4	4	4	3		110*	3	2	2	2	2
	117	1	4	4	4	4		131	1	2	2	2	2		111*	2	2	2	2	2
	118	.	7	7	8	8		132	5	4	3	3	3		112*	1	1	1	1	1
1826	101*	1	1	1	1	1		133	3	4	4	4	4		113*	1	2	2	2	2
	102	1	1	1	1	1		134	4	4	4	4	4		114	3	3	3	3	3
	103	6	5	5	5	5		135	1	3	3	3	3		115	1	1	1	1	1
	104*	1	3	3	3	3		136	4	3	3	4	4		116*	4	4	4	4	3

10

RARITY RATINGS FOR CAPPED BUST HALF DOLLARS

Year	DM.	70	86	'90	'94	'98	Year	DM.	70	'86	90	'94	98	Year ID.M	70	86	'90	94 | '98
1829	117	1	2	2	2	2	1832	106	1	1	1	1	1	1834	119	3	3	3	3	3
	118	6	4	4	4	4		107	2	2	2	2	2		120	4	3	3	3	3
	119	2	2	2	2	2		108	5	4	4	4	3 i		121	5	3	3	3	3
	120	-	7	7	8	8		109	3	5	5	5	4	(CLE)	122	-	•	-	7	7
1830	101	1	1	1	1	1		110	1	1	1	1	1	1835	101	1	1	1	1	1
	102	2	3	3	3	3		111	1	1	1	1	1		102	3	3	3	3	3
	103	1	1	1	1	1		112	5	2	2	2	2		103	2	2	2	2	2
	104	1	2	3	3	3		113*	2	2	2	2	2		104	6	4	4	4	3
	105	6	4	4	4	4		114	7	4	4	4	4		105	1	1	1	1	1
	106*	2	2	2	2	2		115	1	1	1	1	1		106	1	1	1	1	1
	107*	1	2	2	2	2		116	3	3	3	3	3		107	1	1	1	1	1
	108	1	3	3	3	3		117	6	5	5	5	4+		108	1	3	3	3	3
	109	5	4	4	4	3		118	1	1	1	1	1		109	3	2	2	2	2
	110	1	3	3	3	3		119	4	3	3	3	3		110	2	2	2	2	2
	111	1	2	2	2	2		120*	6	3	3	3	3	(CLE)	111	-	-	-	8	8
	112*	7	4	4	4	4+		121*	4	3	3	3	3	1836	101*	1	1	1	1	1
	113	2	2	2	2	2		122	1	1	1	1	1		102	1	3	3	3	3
	114	8	6	6	6	5+		123	-	7	7	7	7		103	6	4	4	4	3
	115	1	2	2	2	2	1833	101	1	1	1	1	1		104*	2	3	3	3	3
	116	2	2	2	2	2		102	2	1	1	1	1		105	1	3	3	3	3
	117	1	2	2	2	2		103*	3	2	2	2	2		106*	1	1	1	1	1
	118	3	2	3	3	3		104	1	1	1	1	1		107	4	3	3	3	4
	119	1	1	1	1	1		105*	1	2	2	2	2		108*	3	2	1	1	1
	120	1	1	1	1	1		106	2	2	2	2	2		109	4	4	4	4	3
	121	3	3	3	3	3		107	3	3	3	3	3		110	1	1	1	1	1
	122	1	1	1	1	1		108	1	1	1	1	1		111	6	3	3	3	3
	123	1	1	1	1	1		109	3	3	3	3	3		112	1	1	1	1	1
1831	101	4	2	2	2	2		110*	1	1	1	1	1		113*	4	2	2	2	2
	102	1	1	1	1	1		111	6	4	4	4	4		114	1	3	2	2	2
	103	1	1	1	1	1		112	1	2	2	2	2		115	2	3	3	3	3
	104	1	1	1	1	1		113	2	2	2	2	2		116*	5	2	2	2	2
	105	3	3	3	3	3		114	1	2	2	2	2		117	1	3	3	3	3
	106	1	3	3	3	3		115	.	5	5	5	5+		118	2	3	^ 4	4	3
	107	2	3	3	3	3	(CLE)	116	.	.	•	7	7		119	2	3	3	3	3
	108	1	1	1	1	1	1834	101	1	1	1	1	1		120	3	3	3	3	3
	109	1	1	1	1	1		102	1	1	1	1	1		121	7	5	5	5	5+
	110*	3	2	2	2	2		103	1	2	2	2	2		122	1	2	2	2	2
	111	1	1	1	1	1		104	2	2	2	2	2		123	1	3	3	3	3
	112	1	4	4	4	3		105	1	1	1	1	1
	113	6	4	4	4	4		106	1	1	1	1	1
	114	3	3	3	3	3		107	1	1	1	1	1
	115	1	4	4	4	4		108	3	2	2	2	2
	116	2	3	3	3	3		109	1	1	1	1	1
	117	7	4	4	4	4		110	4	4	4	4	4
	118	4	4	4	4	3		111	1	1	1	1	1
	119	5	3	3	3	3		112	5	3	3	3	3
	120	•	6	6	6	6		113	1	1	1	1	1
1832	101*	3	1	1	1	1		114	1	1	1	1	1
	102*	1	1	1	1	1		115*	2	2	2	2	2
	103	1	1	1	1	1		116	1	1	1	1	1						A
	104	6	3	3	3	3		117	3	2	2	2	2						1
	105*	3	3	3	3	3		118	6	4	4	4	4					4

11

CAPPED BUST HALVES - A “BUCKET” ANALYSIS

Ken Cable

In the good old days, when Bust halves were in general circulation, or shortly thereafter, those few coin specialists that existed knew little, if anything, about varieties, errors, etc. A typical long-term coin collection project during the pre-Civil War generation may have been someone assembling a complete year set of Capped Bust halves, regardless of grade. This seems relatively routine today, but would have been a rather expensive undertaking 150 years ago considering the state of the Union and its economy at the time. Back then, 50 cents could have been a day’s pay for an unskilled laborer. A less sophisticated goal may have been the completion of a date set of large cents, leaving the 1793,1799 and 1804 to the elements of luck, or a fat wallet, so as to patronize the likes of Joseph Mickley.

About the only Bust half dollar date that was worth saving, as far as early collectors were concerned, was the 1815 (or 1816 for those who believed such a coin existed!). All the other dates were too common to justify being hoarded. Even in 1838, when the first branch mints opened at New Orleans, Charlotte, and Dahlonega (for gold coins only), few people cared that these new coins had “mint marks” on them, and fewer even noticed.

In this light, I have taken an 1850’s style approach to coin collecting. As I shall discuss, this is not a bad thing to do, even though you readers probably look upon me as a throwback to the last century. I collect all affordable US coins and coin types of the 1826-1850 time period, running the gamut from half cents through gold. Some of the pieces I seek are those that traditionally have had some numismatic significance, or do now as dates rather than varieties or condition rarities.

sjc #jc ^ ^ ^

Today, variety collecting is a popular pastime, and the Bust half series is the quintessential series for any numismatist interested in collecting by die varieties. Since most date rarities have long since been “played out” by being reflected in a high price tag, there is much challenge and excitement among numismatists to explore the relatively virgin world of variety collecting in the hopes of discovering a “cherry”. Imagine discovering a new variety of a Bust half, which you picked up for $50; it gets authenticated and attributed and you now have a four or five-figure coin! I don’t deny that this is a very exciting way to collect coins and possibly make some quick money at it as well.

However, I’m quite a different breed of collector. While I enjoy searching for unusual varieties or oddities as a sideline, I prefer to collect and study second-quarter 19th century coins from a broader scope. I will not pay a substantial premium for a coin for my portfolio just because it is a recently discovered rare variety of a common date. Rather, 1 will research a particular series and make my picks-by date only, or perhaps I'd select a variety that has

12

CAPPED BUST HALVES - A “BUCKET” ANALYSIS

long since been recognized as a rarity, or key issue.

The Capped bust half dollar series, which began in 1807 and, lest we forget, did not end until 1839, retains a few key dates; the eminently collectible 1815 (5/2), the 1836 reeded edge, and the classic 1817/4 and 1838-0 which are, for purposes of this study, virtually nonexistent. However, it appears that in recent years, because of the pressure on variety collecting of circulated Bust halves, little attention has been paid to the collectibility of Mint State (MS60- 64) busties in the $400 to $2000 range. Several of these dates, while common as dates in “circ” grades, are not as easy to locate in certified Mint State and are mistakenly classified by their price structure as generics, or close to it. Some notable examples of this are the 1 808, 1809, 1810, 1817, 1821, 1835 and 1839's. For just a little more money over the more common dates you get a lot more “coin” in these dates. Table I tabulates the population data from PCGS and NGC reports and MS63 bid levels for each date as of August, 1998. 1 have taken into consideration that the population reports include multiple submissions of the same specimen, however, reduction of this data coupled with my own observations leads me to believer that the aforementioned dates, and possibly others, are quite underrated in select/choice Mint State.

In the past few years I’ve gathered data on Bust halves certified MS60, or better (including those seen at auctions), and recorded each time I examined a different specimen. (See Table I for tallies of the data.) This sample of 664 pieces examined is a relatively “good” sample. That is, I have eliminated all duplicate recordings of the same slab, so the only possible duplicates in this sample would be those that were resubmitted and not recognized. This sample is represented not only by PCGS and NGC coins, but also ANACS, PCI and others. Actually, I have a hunch that the Reeded Edge percentage of the overall population of Mint State busties is even lower, because in recent months I’ve glossed over pre-1835 halves and focused heavily on the Reeded Edges.

Contrary to popular belief, the Reeded Edge halves are not a “dead" or monolithic subseries.

I personally like them better than the Lettered Edges because Mint State specimens usually come well struck, displaying fine details that are often lost on Lettered Edge coins of comparable grade. Traditionally, these halves have always commanded a premium over the earlier halves because of what they represent-an ephemeral transitional series from the screw press, and the Castaing machine for edge lettering, to the hydraulic steam-powered equipment pioneered by Franklin Peale and Christian Gobrecht. But the main reason I like the Reeded Edges is that I am a contrarian; I prefer to study short series such as this, in depth, so as to become a premier authority on them. In just a few short months I have come up with some interesting findings in the Reeded Edge dates, if anyone cares to listen (an upcoming article).

The essence of this writing is that collecting, and seeking out coins by date, “bucket" collecting without regard to, or with secondary regard to, varieties within the date, is still very much alive. More specifically, there are many opportunities that await the proper type

13

CAPPED BUST HALVES - A “BUCKET” ANALYSIS

and amount of market research. And these activities are less strenuous on the individual’s most precious numismatic asset-his eyesight.

TABLE 1

QUALIFICATION OF CERTIFIED MINT STATE BUST HALVES

DATE	pcgs m	NGC (2)	EXAMINED	MS-63 VALUE (4)
1839	40	33	4	$1625
1839-0	21	15	0	5000
1838	116	105	14	1380
1838-0	0	0	0	60000+
1837	229	180	29	1330
1836RE	11	6	1	8250
1836LE	135	131	24	915
1835	77	75	12	1150
1834	300	252	38	940
1833	134	127	33	950
1832	190	172	27	915
1831	242	173	32	915
1830	231	200	43	915
1829	164	147	35	915
1828	144	158	23	940
1827	234	190	34	915
1826	277	217	41	1000
1825	149	149	27	1075
1824	122	136	25	975
1823	124	113	22	940
1822	121	114	19	1000
1821	45	46	9	1200
1820	21	24	5	1900
1819	41	54	17	1425
1818	60	73	21	1250
1817	41	46	11	1425
1815	6	11	2	4500+
1814	58	69	22	1500
1813	49	44	23	1450
1812	104	140	34	1125
1811	109	84	32	1275
1810	37	23	4	2250
1809	26	35	0	2000
1808	41	39	1	1800
1807	15	11	0	3500

(1) PCGS Population Report, April 1998 (2) NGC Census Report, January 1998 (3) Adapted from CDN Quarterly, August 1998

14

THE THIRD VARIETY OF 1801 EAGLE

Anthony J. Taraszka

There are two dated varieties of the 1801 eagle. The very common Breen-2B and the less common Breen- 1 A. The 1801 Breen- 1 A shares a common reverse die with the 1799 Breen-5G and 1800 Breen- 1 A.

Recently, I discovered a late die state of the 1800 Breen- 1 A which has two reverse die breaks which are not seen on the 1801 Breen- 1 A (Figures 1 & 2). The first is a vertical die break from the edge, at right side of tail, to tip of stem and into shield slightly right of juncture with tail feathers (Figure 3) and the second is a faint crack from the edge to the upper right of N and along top of IT in UNITED (Figure 4).

Figure 2 - Eagle 1800 Breen- 1 A, die break along top of NIT.

Figure 1 - Eagle 1800 Breen- 1 A, vertical die break at right side of tail.

15

THE THIRD VARIETY OF 1801 EAGLE

Therefore, at least some specimens of the 1800 Breen- 1 A eagles were struck after the 1801 Breen- 1 A eagle. There is no evidence of die lapping on the 1801 Breen- 1 A specimens which I have examined and the die breaks in Figures 1 and 2 have not been previously observed (1). This finding further supports the mounting evidence that dies were used until they were unusable.

CITATIONS

1. Harry W. Bass Jr., Personal communication, January, 1998.

Figure 3 - Eagle 1801 Breen-IA, absence of vertical die break.

Figure 4 - Eagle 1801 Breen- 1 A, absence of die break along top of NIT.

16

ANNOUNCING A NEW DIE MARRIAGE CAPPED BUST HALF DIME

Dr. Glenn Peterson

I am proud to announce that a new die marriage of 1 830 capped bust half dime has been found. It has the reverse of 1 830 V2 and the obverse of 1 830 V7 and V 1 1 . How I encountered the pictured example makes an interesting story.

Jules Reiver is a good friend and respected authority in early type coin die marriages. In our conversations, three or four years ago, he mentioned that he had heard of the presence of this die variety of bust half dime, but had not had the opportunity to verify its existence. Many times since then I have searched 1 830 bust half dimes with the reverse having T3 high and “ERT touching, only to turn them over and find the line through “RT” of LIBERTY, which is characteristic of V2. Then, at my local club meeting, I turned over an 1830 with the V2 reverse and Viola.. .no line through “T”. It was the elusive VI 4!

Researching this further, I was able to contact Gary DiMartini in California. He indicated that in 1978 he had found this die marriage and that about six years ago he discussed it with Jules. Jules offered, at that time, to verify it being a new die variety, but Gary felt uncomfortable entrusting it to the US Postal Service. He rarely gets out of his home area to coin shows to show it to bust half dime enthusiasts. He says his coin grades AU50.

Attributing the coin is not difficult. Notice that in the reverse picture the motto starts under the right side of “T” and ends under the left side of the left upright of “M”. The lower portion of “F’ is filled, T3 is high and “ERF touch. Note the obverse picture with 830 progressively higher and the recut bottom of 8. Stars 1, 7, 8, and 13 point to dentils at positions L, U, L, and L respectively.

If there are 2 of this die variety, there may be more! Happy Hunting!

Editor’s note: Another specimen was confirmed at the JRCS meeting at the ANA. It is pictured on the cover of this volume of the JR Journal.

17

Pre-Turban Half Dollar Census

Russell J. Logan

Once again four years has elapsed since the last Pre-Turban Half Dollar census, and once again a new die marriage has been discovered! This time it’s not a 1794 but an 1806. This discovery, featured in Volume 10 Issue 2 of the Journal, was made by a non-JRCS member who has chosen to remain anonymous. No other examples have been reported in the ensuing three years.

Many significant events have taken place in the world of Pre-Turban Bust half dollars since the last census. Even before the ink was dry on the last census, Sheridan Downey announced that the Overton collection was to be auctioned on July 30, 1993, and would be on display the previous week at the Baltimore ANA Convention. After several weeks of waffling over whether to sell the collection intact, Sheridan announced that the sale would be canceled. He sold the collection intact to a “Midwestern collector” who has since been rumored to have added a few new die marriages, but someone who has not identified himself or defined what his collecting objectives are.

Six months later Sheridan sold the Robinson S. Brown collection. Although this was a major holding of Bust halves, it was not of the caliber of the Overton Collection. On April 7, 1997, Bowers and Merena auctioned the Eliasberg collection of Bust half dollars. This remarkable collection was most noted for its quality; many coins had not been on the open market for over a century. Shortly thereafter, Jerry Schertz decided to sell all of his Flowing Hair and Draped Bust half dollars. No one has ever completed a set of Flowing Hair half dollars by variety, but Jerry has probably come the closest. He liked high grade coins and upgraded his set continuously; it’s no surprise his coins sold quickly and well. Two other comprehensive Pre-Turban collections were broken up in 1997-8 and have been deleted from the census.

Our next census will be the R4+ Capped Bust half dollars. The major project of the Bust Half Nut Club has been to revise the rarity ratings of this series and this next census will reflect these changes, so please review the accompanying article in this Journal with scrutiny and submit your census accordingly.

	R#	006	012	007	357	140	422	374	323 051	003 588	100	Oil	PCS	AVG	MAX
1	4	40	30	20	8			3		10		10	8	16	45
2	7	20	12	10		10	10	8					6	12	40
3	5	15	12	12	10	8					10		6	11	15
4	6	15	12	15	15	10	10					10	8	13	45
5	6	15	10	30	15	25		4	8	12			8	15	40
6	6	12	30	15	12	6				10			6	14	45
7	6	25	10	12	12	15		8					6	14	25
8	7			10									1	10	10
9	8												1	10	10
10	8	8											T 4b	8	12
11	8												1	10	10

18

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3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

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21

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23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

1

2

3

4

1

2

3

4

5

CENSUS OCT. 98

K#	006	012	007	357	140	422	374	323	051	003	588	100	Oil	PCS	AVG MAX
4	40	30	20	8			3				10		10	8	16	45
7	20	12	10		10	10	8							6	12	55
5	15	12	12	10	8							10		6	11	40
6	15	12	15	15	10	10							10	8	13	45
6	15	10	30	15	25		4	8			12			8	15	40
6	12	30	15	12	6						10			6	14	50
6	25	10	12	12	15		8							6	14	35
7			10											1	10	45
8														1	10	30
8	8													2	8	50
8														1	10	50
																45
7		25	45	25			15							4	28	40
5	20	20	30	30	12	8	15				15	10		9	18	25
5	30	30	20	12	8	12	8							7	17	40
4	35	10	30	10	8	15	10							7	17	55
4	30	35	30	12	12	15	8	15						9	19	40
6	35	25	40	12	12	15	8							7	21	63
5	35	25	25	6	10	20	12	10						9	17	40
5	20	45	30	15	10		6				25		12	8	20	45
6	20	30	20	25	12		12	15						7	19	55
4	35	25	40	10	10	15	12	10			12			11	19	40
6	20	15	50	30	8	8	15	3			12			9	18	45
5	20	15	20	25	10	8	12	8						8	15	50
4	35	15	25	12	6	8	12	8						9	15	40
7	20	25	8	6		25	3							6	15	50
6	15	15	30	8	10		10	8			12			8	14	35
6	40	40	30	12	10		30	10		30	20			10	26	55
4	20	20	30	30	10	30	10				35			8	23	40
4	25	25	30	63	15		8						8	8	23	40
5	30	55		60										3	48	60
6	15			25										2	20	25
6	30	40		15										4	24	40
5	10			40										3	30	40
4	40	45	25	15	20			30	8	40	15	10	25	14	25	55
5	40	50	45	10	15			20			45	15		8	30	50
4	45	45	45	25	20			10	8		30	15	40	12	27	55
3	45	45	40	40	15	35	10	15	20	30		15		12	30	55
4	25	40	40	40	15	40	8	15	30	12		12		12	24	45
3	45	45	40	30	25	40	10	12	10	25	45	15	30	17	30	50
4	30	45	40	30	40			10	12	40	35	15	45	13	32	50
4	40	45	50	15	30			10	10		30			10	28	50
4	40	45	45	20	25			15	8	20	30		45	11	29	45
7	40	40	20	12	20	30	20	10						8	24	50
6	25	40	45	40	25	40	12	12	25	20				11	29	55
5	25	30	25	8	25	40	8	30	15					9	23

19

CENSUS OCT. 98

	R#	006	012	007	357	140	422	374	323	051	003	588	100	Oil	PCS AVG MAX
1805 6	4	25	20	50	25	30	30	12	30	12		40	12		13	27	50
7	3	40	45	40	12	12	45		8				12	30	9	27	45
8	6	25	50	40	12	15	40	12	12	30	15		12		11	24	50
9	3	35	30	40	40	12	40	15	35	6			12		10	27	40
10	6	35	40	40	40	15	25	25	20	10					9	28	40
11	3	50	60	40	64	25	45		12	25	25		12		13	32	64
12	2	50	50	45	25	15	40		35	30	40			15	12	34	63
13	6	30	50	45	12	25	40		35	20	40				9	33	50
14	8														1	12	12
1806 1	3	40	50	45	40	25	30		15	12	10		20		11	27	58
2	3	30	50	55	40	10	40	8	15	20		20	10	20	12	27	55
3	2	45	45	58	15	25	25	20	15	20	40	35	12		15	31	58
4	5	30	45	55	45	25	58	20	20		10		12		12	29	58
5	2	45	50	50	20	40			20	12			15		9	30	50
6	5	35	45	55	15	30			25	12	20	40	20		10	30	55
7	6	35	40	58	15	25	40		40	8	30		15	8	13	28	58
8	7		15	12						25			20		4	18	40
9	1	50	55	45	50	25	45	30	12	25	25	30	20	40	14	34	55
10	6	30	12	45	50	25	10	8					45		8	28	55
11	5	40	40	45	35	20	50	8	8	25	30				12	29	50
12	6	30	40	40	15	20	50	8	15	8		35			10	26	50
13	6	40	25	30	12	12	40	35	30	10					10	25	40
14	4	55	55	40	12	10	40	15	40	6	20		20		11	28	55
15	1	35	45	40	20	12	30	20	12	30	25	35	20	30	18	28	55
16	3	55	60	45	12	25	20	8	15	20	15		12	30	13	25	60
17	6	12	45	58	12	10	40	20	8	6					10	23	60
18	4	45	45	60	25	25	30	12	12	12	30		12		11	28	60
19	5	10	50	45	25	15	30		8	25	15		12	12	11	22	50
20	4	20	65	45	40	40	20	8	15	30	45	40	8		12	31	65
21	6	45	45	40	6	10	20	20	8	20	30		12	20	12	23	55
22	7	15	25	20	30		40								5	26	40
23	4	25	50	50	40	25	40	10	25	10					9	31	55
24	7	40	40	45	40	10	8								6	31	45
25	6	35	50	40	15	25	40	20	10	20	20	30			11	28	50
26	7	12	15	50	40		10								5	25	50
27	7	4	20	20	25		15								5	17	25
28	8														1	12	12
1807 1	6	30	40	50	25	20	20	15	8	10	15				10	23	50
2	3	30	55	45	45	40	30	12	20	15	15	40		40	14	32	55
3	3	15	45	40	25	15	30	10	8	25				12	10	23	60
4	5	12	30	40	12	12	50	12	20	12					10	21	55
5	2	40	40	58	40	25	12	12	20	25		40		30	12	31	58
6	5	40	40	45	15	25	40		8	12	25				10	28	50
7	6	10	50	45	15	30	20	6	12	6	20			20	11	21	50
8	6	30	45	50	12	15	45	12	15	8	20	35		15	13	26	60
9	5	40	50	40	12	15	40	12	4	12		25			10	25	50
10	2	35	50	55	12	15	40	8	15	12	15	40		12	13	27	55
104 TOTAL									Based on	23 censuses submitted
COINS OWNED	97	96	95	95	86	70	70	65	48	33	31	31	25
AVG GRADE	29	35	36	23	17	28	12	15	16	25	28	15	24			m

20

Die State Study for the Very Rare 1798 B-16 Dollar

W. David Perkins, NLG

“The die broke early and so badly that very few pieces were struck, possibly not over two.” “No others are known to the author.”

These words were written and published in the first edition (1950) of M. H. Bolender’s classic book, THE UNITED STATES EARLY SILVER DOLLARS FROM 1794 TO 1803 and were made in reference to the 1798 B-16 (Bolender Number 16) silver dollar.

From the text in his book, it appears that Bolender had only seen one specimen of the 1798 B-16 dollar, the one in his personal reference collection. Bolender sold his reference collection on February 23, 1952 in his 183rd Auction Sale. His 1798 B-16, lot 63 was cataloged as follows:

1798 silver dollar. B-16. Wide date, the most space between 98. The die broke early and so badly that very few pieces were struck, possibly not more than two, as not others are known to me. The die break is heavy and extends from border on left near first star to right through base of lowest curl and top of 179 of date. Ex. fine. Purchased from Numismatic Gallery in 1950. Plate. (Obverse shown on plate IX) $90. [Plate IX refers to plates in his book]

Bolender still had seen only one specimen nearly two years after the publication of his book, and it appears that no others had been reported to him.

The 1798 B-16 die marriage remained elusive, and by 1975 it was generally considered to be R-7 (4-12 specimens known), and probably more accurately a “high” R-7 (4-6 specimens known).

The Bolender specimen described earlier reappeared as lot 875 in the August, 1975 A.N.A. Auction Sale held by Superior Stamp and Coin Co., Inc. Cataloged as “The finest known for this extremely rare variety,” lot 875 realized $925 on an estimate of $750-$ 1,000. Also appearing in this auction sale (lot 874) was a new die state of 1798 B-16, this one a “perfect die state,” cataloged as follows:

1798 B-16a. Unpublished perfect obverse die (unique?). Without any trace of the usual break (see the following lot). Heretofore unpublished, unknown; the first we have seen or heard of. Possibly struck from broken dies that were ground down. Very Fine 20 where struck up, mostly gray toned with some iridescence around the stars on the obverse and devices on the reverse, and without defects. Weakly struck up at Liberty’s bust and the general right portion of the obverse and correspondingly the reverse. Unique as far as we know and of the greatest importance to the early dollar specialist. No auction history. Ex. Blanchard (March 1953), Austin, Ostheimer. PHOTO.

21

DIE STATE STUDY FOR THE VERY RARE 1798 B-16 DOLLAR

[It should be pointed out that the statement “Possibly struck from broken dies that were ground down ” is not correct. This was simply a very early die state (before the dies broke ) of the obverse die.]

We now have at least two die states known (at this time), and Bolender’s statement that “the die broke early and so badly that very few pieces were struck, possibly not over two” was now a little suspect.

I began to record appearances of this rare, 1798 B-16, die marriage in the mid 1980s.

Inspired by Robert M. Stark’s article (written with assistance from Jules Reiver) in the John Reich Journal, Volume 6/Issue 1, August, 1992 on “Die Deterioration of a 1798 Dollar (B-28 Reverse),” I set the additional challenge of seeing how many different die states of the very rare 1798 B-16 obverse die I could document.

Q. David Bowers’ monumental book Silver Dollars of the United States, A Complete Encyclopedia was published in 1993. The book lists three die states for the 1798 B-16,

BB-1 10 (Bowers-Borckardt Number 110) silver dollar, as follows:

Die State I: Perfect obverse die.

Die State II: Obverse die with cracks as described by Bolender.

The usual die state seen.

Die State III: Die state later than II with advanced obverse. Not seen.

By mid 1990 I had recorded at least one example of each of these three die states. In 1994 I was fortunate to acquire a fairly late die state specimen for my collection. The opportunity to assemble in one place and study multiple specimens of this very rare die marriage finally arrived in March, 1997.

Fellow JRCS member Jim Matthews and I took a trip to view the Eliasberg early silver dollars at Bowers & Merena in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire prior to the auction sale. I asked Jim to bring along his two 1798 B-16 dollars and I would do the same. Before returning west, we visited with Jules (and Iona) Reiver at their Wilmington home. On the table in front of us were five different die states of this very rare variety! I had also brought a photo of the Roland Willasch Specimen (Superior Galleries, The Father Flanagan's Boys Hotne Sale,

May, 1990:492) with me, a very late die state.

The die progression, illustrated here, is quite interesting, even more so given the rarity ot the B-16 die marriage.

[/ have not viewed a “perfect die state” specimen of B-16, but it would have no sign of the break forming over the I of the date. / am aware of three specimens from this earliest state. ]

22

DIE STATE STUDY FOR THE VERY RARE 1798 B-16 DOLLAR

The first photo accompanying this article illustrates evidence of the die just beginning to break above and to the left of the 1 in date (hard to see in the photograph). The second photo shows the break from the 1 , now touching the curl to the left and the top left of the 7 to the right. The crack also extends partially into the field to the left of the curl. Next, the break “crumbles the top left serif of the 7” and extends to the right, now touching the 9. The break from the date to the curl now extends to the rim under the first star. The break becomes more prominent (heavier) in the next stage, especially under the star, and weakness from the die failure begins to show in the dentils under the crack below the first star. In the next stage, a triangular cud begins to form under the first star, below the break to the rim. And the finale, the cud extends over half way to the date in the last photo!

I’d love to see a specimen with the cud completely covering the date. Does one exist?

1798 B-16, BB-110 obverse. Very early die state, with break just starting to form between 1 of date and curl. Obverse die used to strike 1798 B-16 only. Photo courtesy of ANA.

Break noticeably forming from 1 to top left of 7 in date, also from 1 to curl and into the field left of the curl. Photo courtesy of ANA.

Break continues in both directions and now runs from rim under first star to 9 in date. This die state is close to, or the same as, the Bolander discovery specimen of B-16. Photo courtesy of ANA.

23

DIE STATE STUDY FOR THE VERY RARE 1798 B-16 DOLLAR

Break from rim to 9 in date becomes more prominent, especially under the first star. Dentils begin to show weakness from die failure under the crack below the first star. Photo courtesy of Jules Reiver.

Triangular cud begins to form under the first star, evidence of “things to follow!” Break is now much heavier, especially under curl and over 7 in date. Photo courtesy of ANA.

Willasch Specimen. Latest die state known to me. The cud becomes quite large, and now extends over half way to date!

1798 B-16 reverse. Arc Star Pattern, one berry under left foot of A in America. This is most likely the first use of this reverse die. Reverse die also used to strike 1798 B-ll (BB-111), B-15 (BB-112), and B-27(BB-113).

J

24

THE 1836 OH6A LAPPED DIE HALF

Harvey Bastacky

I was checking the coins at the local coin shop bid board on a Thursday night, the night of the closing, in ‘September 1995. There were two bust halves on the board. One was an 1830 VF that turned out to be an Ol 1 8 and the other was an 1 836 XF that turned out to be an 01 16A. I pulled out my Overton book and noticed that the 1836 Ol 16A was an R4, so I placed my bids on both of the coins and got them both. I already had the 1836 0116 prime, but was happy to pick up a nice R4 example of the subvariety. I just put the coin in my set.

About 2 years later while corresponding via E-mail with Steve Herrman, and discussing subvarieties, I mentioned to him that I had an XF 1836 Ol 16A half and he mentioned that it was a high rarity piece. Steve mentioned it to Sheridan Downey and he said “50 to 1 he doesn't, so far as I know, that die state is unique. Jon Kern found the only piece I have seen in 1989. Don Parsley saw it and stuck it in the book. I have seen maybe 10 other pieces that people thought were Ol 16A’s but were actually late die states with the 50/00 worn, not lapped away.”

I showed my piece to Glenn Peterson at the FUN show in Orlando and he was certain that my piece was, in fact, the lapped die variety.

Enclosed are pictures of the obverse and reverse along with a close-up shot of the lapped die area.

Happy Hunting!

Detail of Lapped Die

25

THE 1836 0.1 16A LAPPED DIE HALF

1836 Bust Half - Overton 116A

26

Double Struck Capped Bust Halves

Ken Hill

Capped Bust Halves were struck from 1807 thru 1839. Those which were double struck were the result of planchets either being improperly fed into the coining press, or struck coins being improperly ejected from the press. Examples of both are presented here, and even though each is double struck they are unique from one another. The 1812, on which the obverse and reverse are double struck, is typical of coins which were not ejected after the first strike rotating and being struck a second time. The 1819/8, double struck on the obverse only, and the 1817, 1825, and 1830, being double struck on the reverse only, are the result of planchets being improperly fed into the coining press. Each of the five halves have been attributed by Overton numbers and die rotation, if any, is shown on the photographs of the coin’s reverse.

In 1793 Adam Eckfeldt, the Mint’s first superintendent, invented a device for automatically feeding and ejecting the planchets into and from the coining presses. “The importance of the automatic feed can be inferred from Pistrucci’s description of the 19th century London Mint, where every “moneyer” had lost at least one of his finger joints.”[ 1 ] Eckfeldt’ s device may have saved finger joints, but when it malfunctioned it was responsible for some very interesting errors.

1812 0103 Double Struck Obverse and Reverse

This piece is an example of the most common type of a double struck Capped Bust Half. Of the thirty-five known double struck Capped Bust Halves twenty-three show doubling on both sides. This coin took an initial strike, was not ejected from the coining chamber, turned approximately 1 millimeter and was struck again. All devices on both sides show doubling. Photo 1 shows obverse doubling of the stars, Liberty and dentils. On photo 2 doubling is evident on E Pluribus Unum of the scroll, States Of and the dentils.

27

DOUBLE STRUCK CAPPED BUST HALVES

Closeup 1812 Double Struck Obverse

Closeup 1812 Double Struck Reverse

1819/18 OlOl Double Struck Obverse

1819/18 0101

Three possible explanations of how this error occurred follow:

The Capped Bust Half shown here is one of only four known that has only the obverse double struck.

1 . This piece received its initial strike with a planchet resting beneath it, since two planchets had been fed into the coining chamber. The result was one planchet received an obverse strike and a blank reverse, the other was the opposite. These “uniface struck coins” were fed back into the press for a second strike. This was, most probably, done intentionally as a money and time saving measure. On this piece there is a 1 millimeter rotation between strikes. The closeup photo shows doubling on the stars. Liberty and the outline ot the head. Also, note the extra nostril and lip.

28

DOU BLE STRUCK CAPPED BUST HALVES

2. The original planchet was struck normally and not ejected from the coining chamber. Another planchet was fed into the chamber which caused the struck half to shift slightly. The first coin then became a brockage die and because its obverse had previously shifted, it received a “stutter strike” on the obverse.

3. The coin was stuck normally but not ejected from the coining chamber. The set screw on the hammer die was loose which allowed the die to turn slightly, and the second strike resulted in the double struck obverse.

1830 0103 Double Struck Reverse

1830 0103

Of the known double struck Capped Bust Halves there are six which have only their reverses doubled. This piece, unlike the other three presented here with double struck obverse or reverse was not the result of a uniface strike. This coin received a normal first strike, but was not ejected. A second planchet was fed into the press on top, but not completely centered on this coin. The coin rotated 1 .7 millimeters between strikes and the upper coin became a partial brockage. A brockage results when a coin receives the impression of another coin rather than a die. This is evidenced by the flattening of the right side of this coin, especially star 10 and the adjacent dentils. On the reverse, the left wing and United show very little or no doubling at all. This is due to not having a planchet centered beneath it when struck. The closeup shows the very strong rotation which occurred between strikes.

29

DOUBLE STRUCK CAPPED BUST HALVES

1825 Olll (Reverse 0111/0105) Double Struck Reverse

Of the thirty-five known Capped Bust Halves which are double struck, this coin is unique in that its reverse received strikes from two different reverse dies. Again, two planchets were fed into the press and each received only “half a strike”. In this case the dies used for the first strike were those attributed by A1 Overton as 0105. This uniface coin with Reverse E (0105) was set aside to later receive a second strike. By the time this coin was ted back into

30

DOUBLE STRUC K CAPPED BUST HALVES

the press, the dies had been changed and now Reverse J was in use, which is the reverse die listed for Ol 1 1. In the emission order of dies, as determined by Ivan Leaman and Donald Gunnet. the dies for 0105 were used immediately before those used for Ol 1 1. Proper attribution for this coin would be obverse Ol 1 1, reverse Ol 1 1/105. The rotation between strikes on this piece was 5.4 millimeters. The closeup photos, and the diagram, offer proof that two different reverse dies struck this piece. One of the points used for attribution of Bust Halves is the relationship of the position of the D in United to the E in E Pluribus Unum.

The letters of United States of America were punched into the working die by hand thus changing the relationship of these letters to those of E Pluribus Unum on each die. Note the position of the D on the first strike. It is to the left and slightly higher than the base of the I in United. An imaginary line extended down from the back of the D falls to the left of the E in the scroll. When the same procedure is used on the second strike the imaginary line passes through the center of the E. The second closeup shows a two-headed eagle along with strong doubling within the shield.

1817 0112 Double Struck Reverse

Six of the known double struck Capped Bust Halves are double struck on the reverse only. This coin shows the only one of the six that has one of the strikes off center. The first strike occurred with the planchet improperly centered on the anvil (lower stationary) die. It was not

31

DOUBLE STRUCK CAPPED BUST HALVES

only 40% off center, but there was another planchet on top of it resulting in two uniface strikes. When planchets are this far off center the planchet is usually bent during the striking of the coin. This coin with the 40% off center uniface reverse was fed into the coining chamber a second time. The second strike straightened the coin to a large extent; but the wear pattern on the reverse, which runs from between the A and M of America down through the shield and out to the left of where the C in 50 C should have been, shows that it wasn’t completely flat. The closeup shows what remains of the original strike. Notice the bases of the letters UNIT just to the right of the wear pattern.

KNOWN MULTIPLE STRUCK CAPPED BUST HALF DOLLARS

DOUBLE STRUCK BY DIES TRIPLE STRUCK BY DIES BROCKAGES

Obverse and reverse	23	Obverse and reverse 4	Reverse
Reverse only	6		Obverse
Obverse only	4
Flip over	2

Average grades; by dies 23.78, brockages 15.44, overall 22.1 1

BIBLIOGRAPHY

THE U.S. MINT and COINAGE, AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY FROM 1776 to the PRESENT, Don Taxay, Arco Publishing Company Inc., 1966.

EARLY HALF DOLLAR DIE VARIETIES 1974-1836, A1 C. Overton, Edwards Brothers Incorporated, 1990.

BUST HALF FEVER 1807-1836, Edgar E. Souders, Money Tree Press, 1995.

AMERICA’S SILVER COINAGE 1794-1891, “Edges and Die Sequences on Early Half Dollars”, Ivan Leaman & Donald Gunnet, The American Numismatic Society, 1987.

JOHN REICH JOURNAL Volume 8/Issue 4, “2 Bit and 6 Bit Bust Half Dollars, David Finkelstein, John Reich Collector’s Society, July 1994.

OFFICIAL CONECA HANDBOOK, J.T. Stanton, 1987.

THE OFFICIAL GUIDE TO MINT ERRORS, Alan Herbert, House of Collectibles, Inc., 1974 “Comprehensive Listing of Known Bust Half Errors”, Russell J. Logan, 1997.

Special thanks to Bob Everett, David Finkelstein, Henry Hilgard and Russ Logan whose help was invaluable in the preparation of this article.

32

A Novel 1796 (1797 ?) Eagle

Anthony J. Taraszka

There is one variety of 1796 eagle, the Breen- 1 A with an 8 by 8 star obverse and small eagle reverse with eleven leaves in the branch ( 1 ). The same reverse was also used on the 1 797 Breen- 1 A eagle with small eagle reverse.

Two die states have been described for the 1796 Breen- 1 A eagle (2):

1 ) Without obverse die break

2) With a vertical obverse die break which extends from the die line below L in LIBERTY to the bottom of the bust above the numeral 9 in date.

The Bowers & Merena auction of November 1998, Lot 2364, presented a die state that has not been previously described and was obviously struck after the 1797 Breen- 1 A.

The obverse of this specimen shows three additional die breaks:

1) Edge - field, right of I in Liberty . (Fig. 1)

2) Edge, vertically - field, right of 6. (Fig. 2)

3) SE point of star 16 , diagonally to edge beneath numeral 6. (Fig. 2)

Figure 1. 1796 BR-1A Obverse Figure 2. 1796 Breen- 1 A Obverse

In addition there are two reverse die breaks:

1) Edge, vertically to left claw. (Fig. 3)

2) Edge - right side of O(F) - leaf beneath O(F). (Fig. 4)

Walter Breen persisted in assigning individual die marriages to specific mint delivery warrants (3). The information in this article, as well as previous articles (4, 5, 6), indicates that such assignment is impossible. Tool steel must have been a precious commodity during the early years of the mint and dies were apparently used until they were no longer serviceable.

33

A NOVEL 1796 (1797?) EAGLE

Figure 4. 1796 BR-1A Reverse

Figure 3. 1796 BR-1A Reverse The author is indebted to Bowers & Merena for the photographs appearing in this article.

Citations:

1) . Walter Breen, Complete Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial Coins, Doubleday 1998.

2) . Harry W. Bass Jr., Selections from the Harry W. Bass Jr. Reference Collection of

United States Federal Gold Coins, Coinage of he Americas Conference, American

Numismatic Society, New York, NY, November 4-5, 1989.

3) . Walter Breen, United States Eagles, Hewitt Brothers, 1968.

4) . Anthony J. Taraszka, 1797 and 1798 Eagles-Corrected Die Emission Sequence, John

Reich Journal, Vol. 9 Issue 3, p.26, 1995.

5) . Anthony J. Taraszka, 1803-1804 Dated Eagles, A Revised Die Emission Sequence,

John Reich Journal, Vol. 1 1/Issue 3, p. 16, 1998.

6) Anthony J. Taraszka, The Third Variety of 1801 Eagle, John Reich Journal,

Vol. 12/Issue 1.

34

35

Second U.S. Mint during demolition- 1 902.

Jules Reiver Literary Award

Qualifying Articles For This Years Voting

These are the articles that qualify for your consideration for the best article for volume 1 1 of The John Reich Journal. Please vote for no more than three of the following selections by writing the titles, and authors name, on the enclosed postcard and mail it to: JRCS PO Box 135, Harrison, OH 45030. Please act immediately as your votes must be received by February 10,

1999 to count. We will announce the winning article in the next issue of the journal. An award plaque will be forwarded to the lucky winner. Please remember to vote for no more than three selections from the following list.

VOLUME 11/ISSUE 1:

The Enigmatic 1836 Reeded Edge Half Dollar by Russell J. Logan A Comparative Listing of Ratings for Capped Bust Half Dollars by Jeffrey L. Oertel A New Die Variety for the 1836 Half Eagle Discovered by John W. McCloskey An Overlooked Detail??? by Philip J. Evans

More (Faint) Clashed Arrowheads on Large Size Quarters by Rory Rea Rare 1798 Dollar Die Remarriage Discovered by W. David Perkins

Method of Producing an Overlay, or Why does Miss Liberty have an Adam’s Apple by Jim Haller 1834 JR4 Dime by Michael T. Williams My Bust Half Father by J. Warren Long

In Memory of Leonard Elton Dosier June 10, 1923-March 23, 1997 by Henry Hilgard Allen F. Lovejoy, 1919-1997 by Russell J. Logan

VOLUME 11/ISSUE 2:

Early Silver Dollar Die Marriages Discovered Since the 1881 Haseltine Type Table- A Detailed Analysis by W. David Perkins Quarter Census by Russell J. Logan

The 1818 0108 “Inverted Edge” Bust Half Dollar by Jeff Prem Oh, Those Errant A’s by Stu Keen A Half Dollar Promise by Edgar Souders Dr. Ivan Leaman, 26-Jun-1927 to 17-Jan-1998

VOLUME 11/ISSUE 3:

Turban Head Half Dimes: Searching for Die Varieties by Alan Bricker And, As Winston Churchill Said.. .by Philip J. Evans The “Old Missus” Keg by W. David Perkins The 1799 Over 9 Eagle by Anthony J. Taraszka

Second Specimen Of 1800 B-17 Die State I Discovered by W. David Perkins

1803-1804 Dated Eagles: A Revised Die Emission Sequence by Anthony J. Taraszka

New Emission Sequence for the TED Successively Higher Reverse Dimes by Mike Sherrill

Another High Grade Treasure May Still Be Out There by Rory Rea

More Die States on the 1818 B- 10 Capped Bust Quarter by Rory Rea

1801 Half Dimes Revisited by Ed Price and Jules Reiver

Half Eagle Notched Understar- Fact or Fiction? By Eric Hildebrant

36

JOHN REICH COLLECTORS SOCIETY

P.O. BOX 400 MANCHESTER, MI 48158

STATEMENT OF

CASH RECEIPTS AND DISBURSEMENTS FOR 12 MONTH PERIOD ENDING 30-Sep-98

CASH POSITION ON 01 -Oct-97

CHECKING ACCT		$5,412.46
LIFE MEMB'SP ACC’T		$6,875.00
ON HAND		mm
	TOTAL	$12,287.46
INCOME
BACK ISSUES&DONATIONS	$2,900.50
INTEREST		$336.52
DUES		$4,422.00
LIFE MEMBERSHIP		$750.00
	TOTAL INCOME	$8,409.02
EXPENSES
SUPPLIES		$14.50
JOURNAL		$5,611.50
POSTAGE		$1,035.00
MISCELLANEOUS		$448.00
	TOTAL EXPENSES	$7,109.00
CASH POSITION ON 30-Sep-98
CHECKING ACCT		$5,777.48
LIFE MEMB'SP ACCT		$7,625.00
ON HAND		$185.00
	BALANCE	$13,587.48

This Treasurer’s report is for our fiscal year ending September 30, 1998. In addition to publishing the three Journals of Volume 1 1, we published a ten volume index and supported two ANA conventions with educational programs on Federal coinage.

Respectfully submitted, Russell J. Logan, Treas.