Coin Values Spotlight: 1843 Braided Hair cents

The designs of the Braided Hair cents were in transition in 1843, with a new portrait introduced on the obverse and a new variant reverse introduced as well. Today, collectors collect these as the Petite Head and Mature Head designs, and the Small Letters and Large Letters designs.

Chris Bulfinch, in his “Coin Values Spotlight” column for the Aug. 19 issue of Coin World, writes about the 1843 Braided Hair cents and the various combinations of the four designs.

To learn more about the design changes and about which versions are rare, see Chris' article in the digital and print editions of the Aug. 19 issue of Coin World.

Coin Lore: A numismatist at the Battle of the Bulge

In his latest “Coin Lore” column, Gerald Tebben writes, “Mistakes, his own and his German enemy’s, saved the day for Capt. Julius Reiver, stopping a Nazi advance on a miserable winter day outside the Belgian village of La Gleize during the Battle of the Bulge.”

Reiver, who later became a renowned numismatist, was in charge of a unit protecting a U.S. Army fuel depot when German forces approached. Reiver’s actions inadvertently led German forces to overestimate the size of the American unit and to retreat, rather than advancing to capture the fuel that the German tanks badly needed.

To read more about the action and Reiver’s numismatic background, read Gerry’s column, found only in the print and digital editions of Coin World.

Varieties Notebook: Collectors find die varieties

Collectors in 1972 were thrilled when a major 1972 Lincoln, Doubled Die Obverse cent variety was discovered in circulation. Not long after, additional varieties were found, all with lesser degrees of doubling though they were quite collectible as well

In his “Varieties Notebook” column, John Wexler writes about a recent circulation find by a reader. “Coin World reader Thomas Curtiss submitted a specimen of the 1972 Lincoln, Doubled Die Obverse cent variety listed as Obverse Die #2, and it is one of the strongest of the ‘lesser’ varieties, adding, “It is a respectable doubled die variety in its own right. ...”

To learn more about  this 1972 Lincoln cent variety and to see images of other reader circulation finds, read John‘s column, published only in the print and digital editions of the Aug. 19 issue of Coin World.

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