The Early Quarter Dollars of the United States

No. 2

Obverse: Date very wide, not quite equally spaced, 8 not centered under curl; stars close to border; lower left star almost touches second fold in drapery; lower right star has three points next to border double engraved.

Reverse: Ends of scroll; left under upright of D; right under center foot of A. On scroll: I under T at left; S under S at right.

Obverse die cracked from upper left star to right, over cap and connecting three upper right stars. Reverse perfect, except for a few die marks about bottom of 2, due to slight flaws.

In later pieces obverse die cracked from right edge across to third from upper star joining first crack there. Reverse not cracked.

Still later pieces show second crack from right edge to star, much heavier. Reverse here is cracked from lower right edge, across lower arrow rods above, toward eagle.

This is one of the most common varieties.

Narrow dentils: 13th star repunched; first star almost touches drapery.

Scroll ends under center of upright of D and center of right foot of A.

Browning-2; Clapp-4; Duphorne-22; included in Breen-3896; Haseltine-3.

Rarity-1.

Die States:
I. Obverse crack faint.
II. Plain crack through stars 10, 9, 8 into field above cap.
III. Crack from 10th star reaches rim.
IV. The crack of State III becomes very heavy between star and rim. Reverse crack from rim through lowest arrowhead and upper two shafts, towards eagle.
V. Heavy double clash marks below scroll.
VI. Triple clash marks below scroll.

Intermediate states exist.

This obverse was retrieved among old broken dies sold by the Mint in 1833 as junk, bought by unidentified private parties (Mickley? Dickeson?), and muled with the reverse of the 1818 cent, Newcomb-10 (Randall Hoard variety), presumably obtained on the same occasion. One example was overstruck before 1862 on 1860 quarter dollar to make the silver curiosity known as Davis-24, Adams-Woodin 31, Judd-45.

There are dozens of Uncirculated survivors of B-2.

Numerical Condition Census (RWM, Sr. [circa 1992]): 65, 64, 63, 62, 60, 60.

Obverse: Date very wide, equally spaced and further above border than in [Browning] 2; 8 not centered under curl' stars not close to border; lower left star points to between first and second fold in drapery.

Reverse: The same as [Browning] 2.

Obverse die perfect; reverse cracked as in No.2.

A common variety.

Reground B-1 obverse: seventh star to about center of dentil.

Scroll ends under center of upright of D, center of right foot of A.

Browing-3; Clapp-3; Duphorne-23; Breen-3894 (State I), included in Breen-3895 (State II); Haseltine-2.

Die States:
I. Clashed. Traces of overdate 1818/15 visible on the thick raised parts of final 8. "1815/15, reverse small 5," Breen-3374. Not originally recognized as the same obverse later used for B-3, hence called "B-11" in Walter Breen, "Notes on Early Quarter Dollars," Numismatic Scrapbook Magazine, XX, 2: 137-146 (Feb. 1954).
II. Reground to remove clash marks. Last traces of overdate gone; stars slightly farther from border than on B-1, beads narrower and farther apart. Both 1's in date have defective left feet.

Reverse cracked as on last B-2's, the cracks progressively heavier. Common in all grades. Generally weak at inner wing left of shield.

Among the choicer Uncirculateds may be named.

1. Boyd, WGC:44
2. Boyd, WGC:45. Heavier reverse crack.
3. Haseltine Type Table:1315, Davis Graves:325.
4. Herstal:279. Small mint clip almost 6:00.
5. J.A. Stack Estate:13.
6. J.A. Stack Estate:14, Brown Library:192.
7. Brown Library:193.

Numerical Condition Census (RWM, Sr. [circa 1992]): 65, 63, 60, 60, 60, 60.