The June 2-5, 2002, Pre-Long Beach Sale, Sale 14
Lot 2109
1809. JR-1, R-4.
VF-35. Light steel gray in color, with slighter darker fields.
Evenly struck by the dies, but the surfaces show a few faint scratches, the
worst of which extends from Liberty's drapery to the rim below the first star.
Important as the first year of issue of the new John Reich design, and a very
difficult date to locate in high grades.
Here we begin an extensive
specialized collection of Capped Bust dimes by die variety. This collection was
formed by a West coast collector over many years, and represents years of
searching and upgrading to form his variety set. Many rare varieties are
offered, some of which appear only infrequently at auction, or sell quickly by
private sale. From a collecting standpoint, this series represents many
challenges to the numismatist. There are currently 122 known Capped Bust
varieties which range from common to extremely rare, and these are listed in
detail in "Early United States Dimes 1796-1837" by Davis, Logan, Lovejoy,
McCloskey and Subjack and this important reference work is widely available and
an absolute necessity for any serious variety collector of dimes. We would also
highly recommend interested collectors join the John Reich Collectors Society,
which specializes in early Federal coinage from 1792 to 1837 for both silver
and gold denominations. The JRCS club can be reached by contacting Bradley S.
Karoleff, P.O. Box 135, Harrison, OH 45030-0135 or see them on the web at
http://www.JRCS.org. Capped Bust dimes are a fascinating series to collect, and
we are proud to offer this wide ranging selection from moderate grades to high,
common to rare for all numismatists.
Estimated Value $300-400.
Lot 2110
1820. "STATESOFAMERICA",
JR-1, R-4. PCGS graded AU-58. A scarce variety and this one is very
close to mint state and may actually qualify. Full separation on the uppermost
curls on Liberty, and lovely light steel gray color over abundant luster. Die
swelling on the obverse through the first four stars, as often seen. Sharply
struck and a truly exceptional coin for the grade. PCGS has only graded 4
examples of this variety, this one and 2 as MS-64, and 1 as MS-65. Curiously,
the reverse die was used in 1814, and then reused again in 1820 to coin more
dimes, but the story just gets interesting now, for the reverse die was sold as
scrap metal during the 1830s, and found its way to New York coin dealer Robert
Bashlow by 1962. Bashlow took the die Scotland and struck several impressions
in various metals, but when he returned to the United States, the Customs
Office forced him to surrender the die and all the impressions he had made, and
then destroyed the die and all the impressions, despite the pleas from the
Smithsonian curator who had heard about the incident. Hence the historic die
was lost, but supposedly a few impressions made by Bashlow are still known.
Estimated Value $800-1,200.
From the Larry Blackwelder collection
via Julian Leidman in 1993.
Lot 2111
1820. Large 0, JR-8, R-3.
VF-35. A scarce variety which is seldom found in higher grades, this
particular example has lovely color and surfaces for the grade and will satisfy
most collectors. The reverse die always shows a crack from the eagle's neck
into the left wing, and all known examples show this crack. No sign of the
swelling on the obverse or reverse, so this is an early die state. Despite the
moderate rarity, this coin would nearly qualify for the condition census for
the variety (9/96, published in the John Reich Journal) although a few more
have undoubtedly turned up in the last five years. Scarce and underrated.
Estimated Value $75-125.
Lot 2112
1820 JR-1, R-4 and 1821
JR-4, R-2. Both grade VF-20. The 1820 JR-1 is the scarce
STATESOFAMERICA reverse, the coin is toned with dark gray in the fields which
contrasts with the silvery gray devices, the reverse shows some irregular heavy
toning and there are some minor surface scratches. On the 1821 we see pleasing
color and average surfaces for the grade. Lot of 2 coins.
Estimated Value
$150-200.
Lot 2113
1820, JR-10, R-3.
EF-40 or better. Sharp on the obverse periphery, a touch weak at the
centers, with the usual weakness on the eagle's neck. Light hairlines on both
sides from circulation, probably from an ancient cleaning. One of the more
common 1820 varieties.
Estimated Value $250-300.
Lot 2114
1820. JR-6, R-3.
EF-40 but cleaned and retoned. This one has been cleaned and retoned
to a dull gray color on both sides. Nevertheless, the coin is very sharply
struck, and shows substantial hair and feather details. We also note a rim bump
below the 8 in the date, and a small nick on the edge by the tenth star.
Research by numismatists has shown that Mint Engraver John Reich apparently
"signed" the dies he engraved by using a notched star, often the last star by
Liberty's curl on Capped Bust half dollars. Although the design is attributed
to him, no notched stars appeared until 1820, 3 years after he left employment
at the Philadelphia Mint. It is believed that this die was prepared without a
date by John Reich, or perhaps his "signature" punch was used without realizing
the significance by another mint worker. The later theory would appear to be
unlikely, as all 13 stars show the notched point, always pointing towards the
rim, just as it is positioned on half dollars of the Reich period. On dimes,
only a single obverse die shows the notched stars, and it was used to coin both
JR-5 and JR-6 dimes of 1820.
Estimated Value $125-175.
Lot 2115
1820. JR-4, R-5.
Fine-12. A rare and seldom offered variety, this one is toned a
medium steel gray color, with bluish and gold highlights at the periphery. The
die crack through the second to fourth stars is well developed. As to the
strike, it is sharp on the reverse, while the obverse seems shallow in depth,
due to the lapping of the obverse die more than weakness in the strike. One
tiny pit like defect at the end of Liberty's bust will serve to identify this
one, and a few scattered handling marks, expected for the grade. A very
presentable example of this difficult variety, which is probably within the top
dozen known.
Estimated Value $150-250.
Lot 2116
1821. Small date, JR-8,
R-2. EF-40. Lovely medium gray in the fields, with lighter devices.
The left obverse field has a few microscopic pin lines which are not that
distracting. Clean surfaces otherwise. Obverse die swelling at stars one
through three.
Estimated Value $175-225.
Lot 2117
1821. Large date, JR-1,
R-2. EF-45. The obverse has been cleaned with faint hairlines
running from diagonally from the left down to the lower right, but these should
tone over if given a chance. A late obverse die state, with a crack through
stars one to four, and a die bulge in the left field near the stars. The strike
is sharp, and the coin shows very little wear from a technical standpoint.
Estimated Value $175-250.
Lot 2118
1821. Large date, JR-3,
R-4. VF-20. One of the scarcer 1821 varieties, diligent searching by
collectors have turned up enough to reduce the population to a high rarity-4
over the past seventeen years since the publication of the dime variety
reference. Nevertheless, most of the known examples grade fine or below, and
the higher grade coins seldom appear on the market. This specimen is a pleasing
steel gray in color, slightly darker fields offsetting the silvery gray
devices. The surfaces are better than usually encountered for the grade, and
show minimal handling marks. Early die state, as always seen.
Estimated
Value $150-250.
Lot 2119
1821. Large date, JR-6,
R-2, and 1821. Large date, JR-7, R-2. Both grade VF-30. The JR-6 is
natural steel gray in color, with one light pin scratch in the left obverse
field, very nice overall, the JR-7 also has nice color and average surfaces for
the grade. Both are well struck and represent nice examples for the collector.
Lot of 2 coins.
Estimated Value $175-225.
Lot 2120
1823. 3 over 2, large E's,
JR-2, R-5. Fine-12. A very respectable example of this rare variety.
The surfaces are light silvery gray in color, with traces of iridescence around
the periphery. Most of the examples known of this die pairing are in grades
below this, and the better ones tend to be tied up in specialized collections
which virtually are never offered for sale. Far and away the rarest die pairing
of the year, and well worth a significant premium as a variety.
Estimated
Value $225-300.
Lot 2121
1824. 4 over 2, JR-2,
R-5+. Fine-12. This specimen shows silvery gray tones, and the
surfaces show light pin scratches hidden on Liberty, and a few more below the
eagle's neck on the left. We also note a few trivial scratches near the rim
above star two. These scratches are minor, and not very distracting. An
important and rare coin that is seldom offered.
Collectors of Capped Bust
dimes by variety know how hard it is to find a high or even moderate grade
1824. Most of these circulated down to lower grades, similar to the 1822s,
which are seldom found in grades above Fine. The 1824 JR-2 variety was
discovered by the late numismatist H. Roland Willasch in 1982 when he was
comparing a recent 1824 dime purchase to the one in his collection. The reverse
die didn't match up, and soon it was determined that the reverse on the 1824
JR-2 dime was used on 1825 dimes as reverse "D". After the 1984 publication of
Early United States Dimes 1796 - 1837 the search was on for this variety. In
the 20 years since the discovery, this variety remains very difficult to
locate, and virtually all are in grades of Very Good or below. The rare reverse
is quickly distinguishable by the curved top serif of the 1 in 10 C., while the
more common 1824 reverse shows a flat serif at the top of 1. After years and
years of census reporting and searching by dozens of dime enthusiasts, this
variety remains one of the scarcest of the Capped Bust dime series, and all
specimens are eagerly sought-after by variety collectors. We anticipate some
well deserved collector bidding when this coin crosses the block.
Estimated
Value $400-UP.
Purchased from Coin Galleries Sale, July 14, 1993, as lot
2264.
Lot 2122
1825. JR-2, R-2.
PCGS graded MS-66 "Eliasberg". A superb example of this early date
dime, the surfaces display satiny luster throughout and when examined under a
light, the fields and devices come alive with mint fire seldom seen except on
very original, uncleaned coins. Toned with deep rose which changes to blue and
amber near the rims of both the obverse and reverse. From a technical
standpoint, this coin is well struck for the variety, and shows only a trace of
weakness on the high points of the curls and eagle's claws, but all stars and
feathers are sharp. In terms of quality, this coin is easily one of the very
finest known for the date and variety, with the PCGS Population Report showing
3 coins graded this high, and none higher. If you love super gems, then take a
long look at this spectacular coin, and expect a battle to claim this prize
when it crosses the block.
Estimated Value $15,000-20,000.
Ex:
Bowers and Merena's Eliasberg Sale, May 1996, lot 1075 and the Michael Riordan
collection.
Lot 2123
1825. JR-5, R-5.
VF-20. This is the rarest of the 1825 varieties and few have been
offered over the last decade. Medium gray in color, but examination will note
several very faint scratches extending down Liberty's face, neck and drapery
and these are visible with the aid of a glass. If this coin had circulated a
bit more, these scratches would have worn away. Nevertheless, this is a rare
variety which should be considered despite its minor problems.
Estimated
Value $200-300.
Lot 2124
1825 JR-1 VF-20; 1825 JR-2
VF-20 and 1825 JR-3, F-15. Each is toned with medium silver gray and has
decent surfaces. The 1825 JR-1 remains a very difficult coin to locate above
grades of VF30, and as a date, few are seen in nice collector grades as offered
here in this lot. Get a big jump start on the 5 varieties of 1825 by purchasing
this group. Lot of 3 coins.
Estimated Value $250-350.
Lot 2125
1827 JR-13, R-3.
AU-58. This coin may well qualify as mint state, but we reduced it a
couple of points because of hairlines in the reflective fields. Toned with
light golden gray tones on the obverse, the reverse has an intense blue area
above UNITED on the rim, and splashes of bright gold elsewhere. One tiny mark
on Liberty's chin. Probably well up in the condition census for the variety,
with most seen in lower circulated grades of EF or below. A foremost coin in
this condition, and worthy of a strong bid from a specialist.
Estimated
Value $400-550.
Lot 2126
1827 JR-2, R-5 and 1827
JR-9, R-5. A rare pair. However, both have problems, the JR-2 has multiple
digs, especially on the reverse and the coin may be slightly bent, and the JR-9
has been harshly cleaned in acid, shows surface scratches and was retoned to a
dark gray. Certainly a pair that won't win any beauty contests, but both are
very rare varieties and are seldom offered in any grade. As stated about the
JR-2 variety in the Early Dime book "This rare variety is hard to find in any
condition. Most specimens seen are in the VG-8 to VG-10 range" and on the JR-9
the authors note "This variety is very rare in any condition with only a few
specimens seen above VF-30." An excellent opportunity to purchase two very
difficult varieties, and if the opportunity later presents itself, these can be
traded or sold for a better example. Lot of 2 coins.
Estimated Value
$200-UP.