Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of United States and Colonial Proof Coins 1722-1989

Experimental Finishes, 1907-1916
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5. Mint, Barber estate, Woodin, Newcomer, Raymond, NN 49:1411,R.P. for an unidentified Southern collector, KS "Golden II" :2279 (1/63).

6. Breen II: 156 at $29,000 to a dealer. Is this same as 2 or 3?

As preceding, dies 2-D: no spine from L, many curved striae around stem end, many nearly horizontal striae in rev.sun. Collar II: bases of M not level. Hirt: 1746. Minute pre-striking planchet chip in border above r. edge of 0 (F).

Dies and collar unchecked as yet on those to follow:

A. Mint, Charles E. Barber, Mrs. Barber before his death, Adolphe Menjou (1950): 1846. In that sale is mention of Mrs. Barber'sduplicate, privately sold, possibly another of these.

B. That included among coins stolen from Lester Merkin in the Railway Express robbery of 1965. Rim dent at top obverse.

C. Long coll. (Bryant-Mathey sale, S 2/73:871), possibly same as A or the Mrs. Barber duplicate, or as no. 3 or 5 above.

D. "Golden I" (KS 3/62) :2848, Jack Collins, KS 3/65:206 where misidentified as to pedigree, thereafter the same chain of pedigree as no. 1 above, "Gilhousen": 992, Leidman, Flynn, to another private collection at a reputed $75,000; different finish from any of foregoing. Involved in litigation as no. 1 above, settled out of court, title clear.

E. That in the cased 1908 St. Gaudens set, which also included the unique plain edge coins and an Ultra High Relief.

1907 "Arabic" Double Eagle

III. "Arabic" date (a misnomer) 1907. Low relief.

By C. E. Barber imitating St. Gaudens. Time of issue unknown, probably Dec. 1907, which would make it a contemporary rival of the MCMVII. (1) Edge lettering too large (same dollar as the MCMVII), in 1908 St. Gaudens cased set. (2) J. Kelly, Nov. 1957. I did not see this piece, but the illustration is quite remarkable and indicates striking quality far and away above that of production coins. (3) B. Max Mehl, Kern:629, "first seen," 1958 ANA:2052, same as (2)? (4) That pictured here, provenance unknown, apparently from Wayte Raymond, and probably one of the two preceding. Baldenhofer: 1610 was supposed to be another, but I saw the coin and it was not - possibly switched before the sale?

Gold proof sets. Liberty head design only. Not more than 74 could have been made, probably a few less. (1) KS 2/60:2985-88. (2) Lichtenfels 11:2264. Both have probably been broken up since.

Complete proof sets. The Brock, Morgan, ANS set is of the early type with Liberty head gold only. That in SI is similar but with the ultra high relief MCMVII coin added. Several others were offered in the early 1950's but I cannot swear they were not at least partly assembled.

1908

Cent. [1620] No special peculiarities.

Five Cents. [1620] Ditto.

Minor proof sets. [1620] As in 1903.

Dime. [545] Several varieties.

- Normal date. Positional varieties possible. Relapped die of next?

- Minor repunching on 908. LM 4/66:286, others.

- "Overdate," over 1906? Hirt:1181. Not same as preceding.

Quarter. [545] Normal date only. As in 1907.

Half Dollar. [545] Normal date only. Speculator activity ten years ago drove records as high as double neighboring dates, though the coin is anything but rare in cleaned proof state. (Uncleaned is another story.) The neighboring dates have since caught up.
Silver proof sets. As in 1907.

1908 Quarter Eagle

Quarter Eagle. Indian head design. [236] Rather dark matteproof only. Extremely popular as first year of the design; least rare Indian proof. Genuine matte proofs have sharpness far and away superior to that of regular quarter eagles (look at feathers on both sides -on the proofs they are needle sharp), and there is normally a knife-rim or "wire edge." The somewhat brownish color is distinctive, though obscured by dipping; it is quite different from that obtained by applying acid or eraser to regular quarter eagles with fraudulent intent. Record $2,600 (5/74).

Experimental Finishes, 1907-1916
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