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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;stairstars, post: 4289029, member: 111609&quot;]I bought this &#039;problem&#039; coin 42 years ago. It is a 1839 proof dime with a few flaws, but spectacular in appearance (not that you can discern from my images) as the mirror fields are shinny and reflective. I had Breen&#039;s brand new Encyclopedia of Proof Coins (1977) where he listed but two known examples. I thought for sure this was B2, the &#039;impaired&#039; one. In my excitement, I wrote to Kam Ahwash who promptly called me on the phone. This opened for me a new door, as we became friends and I later sought his help and counsel and he provided me with superior findings during the next few years. But, he did not agree with me about the dime. Breen stated B1 &quot;date not recut&quot; and I had told him I saw something under the 9. Sight unseen, he never considered this coin. After he died in 1983, I sold all but the dime, still feeling unvindicated and went about life.</p><p><br /></p><p>I got old and retired. In moving I found the old zippered bag and looked again, after decades, on her dark toning and raised image and did a search to see if anything was new. I found there were now five known examples and that Fortin had discovered a second set of proof dies had been used! I sent him images and he confirmed it was the F 105 die. In person, he also concluded it was a proof coin.</p><p><br /></p><p>Now, I wanted to again confirm it was the B2 coin and found another new tool, the Newman Portal, and found the original 1956 catalog, with plate, notes on the buyer and the wonderful lineage the coin had. From vest pocket dealer Jim MacAllister (died 1945), to legend TJ Clarke (died 1952), through the hands of Wayte Raymond, JJ Ford and cataloger Breen, it was purchased by Aber Kreisberg, who sold it on in 1958. Heady company. I still yearn to find where MacAllister acquired it from, so the work continues. My image below shows the various documents that prove provenance. Note, the ding on the reverse and the pock on Liberty&#039;s right arm which are the main identification marks. </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1091781[/ATTACH] </p><p>My first post - sorry for the length.</p><p><br /></p><p>rick[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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