Sheldon 22, Breen 6 (Dies 5-C) : Sixth hair lock from the bottom bent downward, LI close, and RTY low. Reverse with double leaf below second S in STATES and triple leaf below O in OF widely spread. Later die state with advanced obverse die crack, heavy flow lines, clashed dies, and reverse die failure resulting in “mounds” in the wreath, mostly visibly in the upper right leaves. These dies are known in no other die pair.
Natural reddish brown in color with no significant spots. Heavy, radial flow lines from worn dies, and a few small flan voids are visible – at the lower bust, near the right obverse rim, and off of the right foot of the second T in STATES.
Noyes #34004 as XF45 (AU55) Average, and tied for 6th finest with two others. Bland graded AU50 and tied for 4th in a large group with five others. Likely penalized by both Noyes and Bland due to the later die state and small flan voids. However, neither Noyes nor Bland grades an S.22 better than AU55, with Bland’s census topped by PCGS MS64+BN #41438275, PCGS MS63BN #13457247, and PCGS MS62BN #32754195, all as AU55. Clearly, there is no agreement for this die pair, not only between Noyes and Bland, but between EAC and PCGS.
PCGS #26401309
Provenance
As noted in Breen, Bowers and Merena, May 1986, lot 393 at $3,740; later Mid-American Rare Coin Auctions, January 1988, lot 51 at $4,840; Robert L. Hughes; Martin World Coin Co.; Thomas D. Reynolds; Walter Husak. From the “Black Cat Collection” by William Anderson.