Q. David Bowers
• DIE STATES:
Die State I: Perfect obverse die. Perfect reverse die. May not exist with perfect obverse die.
Die State II: Obverse die very slightly relapped, Part of interior of lowest curl gone. Perfect reverse die. May not exist.
Die State III: Obverse die as preceding. Reverse With massive crack and smaller crack as described above. The only two specimens known are of this die state. (Of course, it is possible that intermediate states, perhaps numerous, may have existed at one time between Die State II and III.) .,
•• AUCTION POPULATION SURVEY:Not relevant.
• COLLECTING NOTES: Two are believed to be known of this variety.
The only coin known to me was in the cabinet of K.P. Austin, of Salisbury, Maryland, leading specialist in the series several decades ago. It then went into the AJ. Ostheimer, 3rd Collection, then to Superior's 1975 ANA Convention sale, where it appeared as Lot 823 and was described as follows:
1796 obverse Bolender-2, but with a semi-unique and unlisted reverse having a long vertical die crack from the denticles at 1:00 passing left edge of 0 in OF, through wreath, wing tip, wreath, C of AMERICA and curving left slightly to a denticle. Was VF before someone scratched the lines across the diameter of the obverse in a wheel spoke fashion; after which someone else tried improving this piece by lightly burnishing the entire obverse. Reverse is untouched and shows the unmistakable weakness on the left three quarters of the coin due to the die failure. Damaged, but still semi-unique to date. [$850]
The coin went to the collection of Jules Reiver, long-time expert and specialist in early American silver coinage. From a value viewpoint, some have considered to the coin to be net VG-8. The condition of the second piece is not known to me. In a conversation, Jules Reiver related the following: "Commentary "transcribed" from-my memory, a few minutes after my telephone conversation with Jules Reiver, December 2, 1992. "I know of just a single specimen of the 1796 B-6 [BB-64], the one I own. This is a very curious coin. Some time ago I held a class on grading coins for some local schoolchildren. Some of them became quite knowledgeable. The B-6 [BB-64] has a huge die break on the back, arid on the left side of the break it is very weak and worn-appearing, and on the right side it looks AU and is sharp. I would cover over the sharp part of the coin and ask a student to grade it. One of them said it was Good to Very Good, which was about right. 'I would then cover over that part, and resubmit the coin with the sharper part of the reverse showing, and the same person graded it as AD, which was also right.
We then had a discussion as to why a coin could be Good in one section of the surface and AU in another. The obverse of the coin is' scratched up and somewhat defaced. The same student suggested that after this coin was struck, someone at the Mint examined it and saw the effects Of the broken die, and said it was unfit to be released into circulation. This Mint employee then scratched it, so it wouldn't be given out, but, somehow, it escaped. That theory sounded good to me.
NOTABLE SPECIMENS:
Austin Specimen. VG-8 .: K.P. Austin .• ,AJ. Ostheimer, 3rd .• Superior's 1975 ANA: Convention sale: 823. Jules Reiver Collection.
Untraced Specimen. Another specimen, untraced, details not known to the author.
Note: The coin listed as Lot 23 of the World's Greatest Collection was incorrectly attributed and is a late die state of BB-65.
• POPULATION DISTRIBUTION:
Approximate population MS-65 or better: 0 (URS-0)
Approximate population MS-64: 0 (URS-0)
Approximate population MS-63: 0 (URS-0)
Approximate population MS-60 to 62: 0 (URS-0)
Approximate population AU-50 to 58: 0 (URS-0)
Approximate population VF-20 to EF-45: 0 (URS-0)
Approximate population G-4 to F-15: 1 (URS-1)
Approximate population for all grades combined: 2 (URS-2)
• CONDITION CENSUS: 8-0 (untraced specimen not rated)