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Jeff Ambio: An outstanding Gem with extraordinary technical quality and eye appeal. The surfaces are smooth and as close to pristine as can be obtained in an 1873-CC Arrows dime. None of the porosity often associated with circulated survivors of this issue is present here, and also absent are distracting or otherwise grade limiting abrasions. Full satin luster and razor sharp devices shine forth powerfully in the absence of all but the lightest iridescent toning. The outward appearance is close to uniform brilliance, in fact, and only upon closer inspection will one see faint champagne gold and pale russet highlights that are largely confined to the peripheries.
The 1873-CC Arrows Liberty Seated dime is a landmark rarity in high grades with only two Mint State examples positively confirmed to exist:
1 - PCGS MS-65. Ex: Numismatic Gallery (Abe Kosoff and Abner Kreisberg); Ben Stack (Imperial Coin Company); Ambassador and Mrs. R. Henry Norweb, acquired July 29, 1954; our (Bowers and Merena's) sale of the Norweb Collection, Part I, October 1987, lot 537; Waldo E. "Pat" Bolen, Jr.; the Numisma 95 sale (David W. Akers, RARCOA, Stack's) of the Waldo E. Bolen Collection of U.S. Dimes, November 1995, lot 2142; Heritage's sale of the Waldo E. Bolen, Jr. Collection of 1873-CC Coinage, April 1999, lot 5927; Rusty Goe, March 2003; the Battle Born Collection. The present example.
2 - NGC MS-65. Ex: Stack's' sale of the James A. Stack, Sr. Collection of United States Coins, January 1990, lot 153; Heritage's Long Beach Sale of October 1990, lot 541; Superior's Pre-Long Beach Coin Auction of February 2003, lot 1359; Ira & Larry Goldberg's Pre-Long Beach Auction of January 2004, lot 1885; and our (Bowers and Merena's) Baltimore Auction of March 2005, lot 445.
One of these two coins is believed to be the "Uncirculated" example offered as part of Numismatic Gallery's "World’s Greatest Collection" sale in 1945. A third MS-65 listed in current editions of the NGC Census appears to be a resubmission of either the Norweb-Battle Born or Stack specimen.
The Norweb-Battle Born specimen is widely regarded as the finer of the known Mint State 1873-CC Arrows dimes, ranking it as finest known for the issue. Virtually pristine surfaces yield very little in the way of useful pedigree markers, although close scrutiny of the reverse does reveal a minuscule toning spot in the field below the left foot of the letter M in DIME that is also apparent in the coin's image in our Norweb Collection catalog.
Rusty Goe: For some reason, about three and a half weeks after workers had struck the first and only run of 1873-CC No Arrows dimes, Nevada's newly elected U.S. Senator John P. Jones and his colleague Senator William M. Stewart replaced the mint's coiner and its melter-refiner. They sent two letters, at the end of March 1873, to President U.S. Grant.
A week later, in early April, a group of 21 Carson Mint officers and other personnel sent a letter that protested the senators' requests. "Such removals will result in disaster to a much needed public institution," stated the protesters.
We don't know why Senators Jones and Stewart chose to oust Coiner Chauncey N. Noteware and Melter-Refiner R.P. Andrews, but by mid-year of 1873 President Grant had replaced these two mint hands. Rumors circulated around Carson City that Noteware's replacement as coiner, W. Hy Doane, had landed the job because of political patronage. Doane lived in Gold Hill, NV, where his brother-in-law Bill Gibson had carved out a reputation as a chief Republican strategist in that town, which happened to be where Nevada's Republican U.S. Senator, John P. Jones, lived. Doane's appointment, many people surmised, was a favor from Jones in payback to Doane's brother-in-law Gibson for helping Jones win the election in 1873.
Melter-Refiner Andrews had a solid reputation in Carson City and his replacement by George W. Bryant shocked most citizens, even though Bryant was well liked, had worked in the mint's melting department for several years, and had served in a similar position at the San Francisco branch before that.
Superintendent Henry F. Rice, a friend of Noteware's and a fellow Masonic lodge member, expressed his disapproval of Washington's removal of his two capable employees by submitting his resignation.
The official changing of the guard took place on Tuesday July 1, 1873, the start of the mint's new fiscal year. Rice turned over the superintendent duties, a clean set of books, and a $280,000 bullion fund to Frank D. Hetrich, who had served for the past several years as chief assayer at the Carson Mint. Although sad to see Rice go, the Carson Daily Appeal welcomed Hetrich to his new position with lavish praise. "Since Mr. Rice would go," stated the Appeal in its June 1, 1873 edition, "it is a most fortunate thing that so worthy and able a successor as Mr. Hetrich has been found willing to assume the high and responsible duties of the Mint...."
"Farewell" celebrations for the three departing officers colored Carson City's social life during the first week of July. Mint workers saved the grandest display of admiration and appreciation for their popular superintendent, Henry F. Rice. All of his staff, from the highest ranking ones to bottom-level porter, gathered at Rice's house after work to join in for "a very notable demonstration" of their feelings for him, reported the July 2, 1873 Appeal. The "magnificent silver punch bowl and ladle," bought in San Francisco for $500, overwhelmed the surprised superintendent and his wife. "A more elegant and rich present has rarely been made in Nevada," declared the Appeal (The cost of this punch bowl set equaled one-sixth of Rice's annual salary).
Rice's 205-word speech to his former employees paid tribute to them, reflected his lack of regret for resigning, and touched their hearts. He concluded by saying, "Our official relations are severed; and thanking you again, and yet again, for this substantial evidence of your friendship, I bid you, as Superintendent of the Carson Mint, a kind farewell."
Two weeks later, about July 15, with Frank D. Hetrich at the helm, the new coiner, W. Hy Doane, delivered 11,641 1873-CC dimes, with arrowheads on either side of the date that designated the new weight of 38.58 grains each. Noteware had struck 7,150 of these "new style" dimes before he left, which brought the total output for this date-subtype to 18,791.
Of that number, perhaps no more than 105 problem-free examples survive today (2012). Two of these, the James A. Stack specimen (now owned by Eugene H. Gardner), and the Norweb-Battle Born specimen, tower above all other extant pieces in the condition census. NGC graded both of them MS-65, which accounts for the two listings for that condition in its census report. The Norweb-Battle Born coin, originally rated MS-64 by PCGS, subsequently earned that service's approval for the MS-65 grade. These two spectacular pieces are the only examples of this date-subtype certified in Mint State condition.
The highest graded specimen formerly owned by the Battle Born collector before I sold him the Norweb coin was an F-15, rated by PCGS. Having the good fortune to own the Norweb Arrows dime and the Eliasberg No Arrows example, both at the same time, is a dream come true. Will someone else ever be so privileged?
Q. David Bowers: The mintage of the 1873-CC Arrows dime was 18,791. It fits nicely into the general description given earlier for the 1871-CC and the 1872-CC. Examples were struck, placed into circulation regionally, and soon became worn. No numismatic attention was paid to them. Today, Rusty Goe estimates a meager population of just 75 to 105 in all grades, not many considering the fantastic popularity of Carson City coinage in general. Only a few specialists are lucky enough to have an example, and in grades from Extremely Fine upward, the number known can be counted on the fingers of one's hands.
This and other early Carson City coins have been the subject of many articles and comments in The Gobrecht Journal. In 1988, Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial Coins suggested the mathematical estimate of one percent of the mintage surviving, not necessarily based on any serious research. Rusty Goe, who later studied Carson City coinage to a fare-thee-well, in The Mint on Carson Street suggests that only one-third to one-half of one percent is more realistic. As is the case with rare Carson City coins as well as any other elusive varieties, the estimates of the number of known specimens can be distorted by population reports, as resubmissions are the order of the day. This includes quite a few coins graded by PCGS, then later by NGC at a higher grade, as well as examples submitted to both services on multiple occasions. A Fine 1872-CC dime, if submitted two or three times in the hope of increasing its value by thousands of dollars if it is given a Very Fine label, shows up as two or three different coins to an unstudied reader of such data.
Even more so than the dimes of 1871-CC and 1872-CC, it has been our experience that the 1873-CC Arrows dimes are nearly all with porous surfaces, probably at least nine out of ten. Accordingly, when contemplating a specified grade among mid-level circulated numbers, connoisseurship is the order of the day. Interestingly, the pursuit of the relatively common Philadelphia dimes of the 1871 to 1873 years and the slightly scarce San Francisco issues has not involved porosity. Nearly all from those two mints have smooth surfaces. Such are the mysteries of numismatics.
This issue comes with more widely spaced reeding (a lower reed count) than Philadelphia or San Francisco issues. The die crack first observed on the reverse of certain examples of the 1872-CC is prominent here. "Usually found with problems or porous surfaces," notes Brian Greer, a given, of course, but not many authors have mentioned it in print.
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Statistical Snapshot*
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Service
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Grade
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Population in Battle Born Grade
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Population in Higher Grade
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Population in All Grades
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Survival Estimate
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Mintage
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PCGS
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MS-65
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1
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0
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71†
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—
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—
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NGC
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—
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1
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0
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72‡
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—
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—
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—
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—
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—
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—
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143
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75-105
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18,791
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* As of July 2012
† The columnar totals add up to 56 submission events. The discrepancy probably stems from PCGS not listing coins graded below VG (Resubmissions of the same coins can also skew populations figures).
‡ The columnar totals add up to only 40 submission events, compared to NGC’s aggregate total that shows 72. NGC also shows two MS-65 listings for this date-subtype. In reality, there is only one specimen currently graded MS-65 by NGC.
Combined PCGS and NGC Population: just two coins in all Mint State grades, both of which grade MS-65.
PCGS# 4666.
From the Battle Born Collection. Earlier ex: Numismatic Gallery (Abe Kosoff and Abner Kreisberg); Ben Stack (Imperial Coin Company); Ambassador and Mrs. R. Henry Norweb, acquired July 29, 1954; our (Bowers and Merena's) sale of the Norweb Collection, Part I, October 1987, lot 537; Waldo E. "Pat" Bolen, Jr.; the Numisma 95 sale (David W. Akers, RARCOA, Stack's) of the Waldo E. Bolen Collection of U.S Dimes, November 1995, lot 2142; Heritage's sale of the Waldo E. Bolen, Jr. Collection of 1873-CC Coinage, April 1999, lot 5927; Rusty Goe, March 2003. The plate coin for the issue on the PCGS Coin Facts website.
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