The Early Quarter Dollars of the United States

No. 3

Obverse: Date low near border, 6 is large and about half way under curl; upper left star points to center of lower curl; lower left and upper right most distant from bust, spaces about equal; lower right further from hair than in [Browning] 2, about the same as in [Browning] 1.

Reverse: The value, 25 C., low, and spaced as in [Browning] 2, but end of olive branch is right over part of C; arrowheads are smaller and the eagle has a tongue.

This variety has been found in four conditions with the obverse never perfect.:

(a) Obverse cracked from fifth star down and around to near last or lower right, star through five stars at left, under front part of bust and through top of date. Reverse perfect.
(b) Obverse has two more cracks; second, from upper edge at right of upper edge at right of upper left star, down over bust to lower edge at left of lower right star; third, from left edge through first star, curving over bosom of bust, ending near bottom of bust over center of date. Reverse cracked in two places; from upper edge through first S in STATES, down over eagle at left of shield to lower edge at left of 2; second from lower right part of shield up to inside part of eagle's wing at right.
(c) Obverse has a fourth crack; from top of 8, up on bust joining third crack and extending over ornament to hair, joining second crack. Reverse has two cracks as above.
(d) Obverse has a fifth crack, from lower edge up through 3, and joining fourth crack (from top of 8) at bottom of bust. Reverse has two more cracks; third, from upper edge through first A in AMERICA to top of eagle's wing; fourth, connecting I, C and A in AMERICA and the three arrowheads.

One of the most common varieties.

Seventh star far from forelock.
Small short arrowheads; plain tongue.
Browning-3; not in Clapp; Duphorne-81; included in Breen-3931; not in Haseltine.
Rarity-1.
Die States: I. Browning's state A.
II. Browning's state B. First and second reverse cracks. WGC:133.
III. Browning's state C. WGC:134.
IV. Browning's state D but with only third reverse crack. Eliasberg Estate.
V. Browning's state D but with both third and fourth reverse cracks. Eliasberg Estate; WGC:135.
VI. Shattered obverse: all obverse cracks extend to border and meet in head. Second reverse crack extends through shield to meet first; those of State V are heavier. Philip Strauss Collection, privately sold; NN 57:623, EF.

1. J.A. Stack:43. State V. (Ex Boyd, WGC:135?)
2. Grant Pierce:621, Speir Estate sale:30.
3. Eliasberg Estate. State V.
4. Boyd, WGC:133. State II.
5. Boyd, WGC:134. State III.
6. Eliasberg Estate. State IV.
7. Julius Reiver. AU.
8. JRCS 012. AU.

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

No. 4

Obverse: 6 in date small and about halfway under curl; upper left star points to between the two curls as in [Browning] 1 and 2, but is further away, about the same as in [Browning] 3; lower right star close to hair with two points equally distant; lower edge and upper right most distant from bust, spaced exactly as in [Browning] 2.

Reverse: The same as [Browning] 2.

Obverse die cracked in two places; across, top to bottom, over front part of cap and down over bust to lower edge almost touching 6 at right; second, from left edge through first star up to neck midway between chin and bosom. Reverse cracked as in No. 2 but second crack (from left edge through U to eagle's wing) extends across the wing to shield.

Apparently a rare variety, but one specimen found.

Two points of 13th star equally very close to curl.
Top arrowhead longest; die scratch extends it almost to border.
Browning-4; Clapp-4; Duphorne-83; included in Breen-3931; Haseltine-2.
Rarity-7, low.
Die States: I. Cracks as Browning describes. WGC:136.
II. "Additional obverse die crack." WGC:137. Untraced: but cf. NN 57:624, "readily identified by heavy cracks through first star, 6 cap, U and F."

The following are traced:
1. Fulton:835. "AU, cleaned." State II.
2. Bergen:97. EF.
3. NN 57:624. VF to EF. State I. Cherrypicked at the 1974 G.E.N.A. Convention.
4. Col. Green. VF to EF. State I. Plate VIII.
5. Boyd, WGC:137. Fine to VF. State II.
6. Winter Collection. Fine. State I. Cherrypicked at the 1974 G.E.N.A. Convention.
7. Leon Goodman:946, "VG-10," cleaned, retoning, hairline scratch in hair. Not illustrated.
8. Boyd. WGC:136. VG. State 1.

Numerical Condition Census (RWM, Sr. [circa 1992]): 45, 45, 45, 45, 40, 35.