The Early Quarter Dollars of the United States

No. 9

Obverse: Date not equally spaced, 0 and 6 too far apart; lower left star and curl are close, opposite star and drapery very close, they almost touch; upper left star and bottom of L and opposite star and top of Y are equally spaced, and further apart than in any other variety.

Reverse: In the value, 25 C., C is slightly nearer eagle's tail than the arrows; eagle's tail long and tapering; end of olive branch is over C at right, and is higher, further above C than in any other variety; in the wing at right, foot of A touches side of second and rests on end of third feather.

Dies perfect in early impressions; later pieces show the following:
(a) Obverse cracked across from top to bottom, through E, over hair, through 1; another branches off on hair just above drapery and extends over bosom to right edge.
Reverse broken at edge over A and T in STATES.
(b) Obverse cracked as above. Reverse broken at edge over A, T and E in STATES, and over OF.
(c) Obverse cracked as above. Reverse broken at edge over A, T and E in STATES, and from over OF to over A in AMERICA.

Stars extremely far from L and Y.

A at second and third feathers, branch far from C.

Browning-9; Clapp-2; Duphorne-17; included in Breen-3888; Haseltine-2.

Rarity 1.

Die States:
I. Perfect.
II. Clash marks; faint cracks at tops of UNITED STATES OF.
III. Rim breaks above AT only.
IV. Crack, rim to 1 in hair.
V. Full date (including the crack) clash marked at ATES.
VI. The crack of state IV extends through hair to E. Reverse shows the clash marks faintly or not at all: worn or reground?
VII. Crack, rim to bosom to hair just above drapery, to the crack of state VI, Browning's state A.
VIII. Rim breaks above ATE. WGC:26.
IX. Rim break above OF. Browning's state B.
X. Rim break extends over OF A. Browning's state C. But see XI.
XI. Obverse drastically reground to remove clash marks, curls incomplete at lower left.

Reverse heavily clash marked at clouds, OF, and wing. Browning "9-A." WGC:27; Spring:515 (4/11/78): many others.

Common in all grades. Many of this variety were struck in 1807.

Allenburger:5888 (only Good) has an RF counterstamp, like one of the 1818/15s, supposedly representing circulation in some French colony (but when? The Republic no longer existed after Napoleon's coronation!).

Numerical Condition Census (RWM, Sr. [circa 1992]): 63, 60+, 60, 60, 60, 58.

No. 9-A

Obverse: From the same die as No. 9, but an imperfect impression showing parts of the hair not struck up, and could not be mistaken for a different die. The small curl at extreme left is not up, which causes the lower left star to appear much further from the hair than in No. 9. The lower half of curl touching 1, is not up; curl on the forehead not up; some of the hair above head under E, not up. A magnifying glass will reveal complete traces of the missing hair.

Reverse: The same as No. 9.
Obverse cracked; reverse broken as in No. 9.
Degree of rarity about the same as No 9.

Not a "true" variety.
State XI of preceding. See B-9.