The rate of new hand-made die struck counterfeit CBH varieties documented has remained relatively consistent for at least the last decade with three (3) to five (5) new varieties reported year-over-year, and I think one of those years had seven (7) varieties documented. When Davignon published his first book on counterfeit CBHs in 1996 he documented 188 varieties of all types (hand-made, transfer, cast). In 2010, 340 total varieties were documented. Today, just the hand-made die struck varieties total 309 (and counting), along with at least 48 transfer dies and about 86 cast counterfeits identified to their Overton number, leading to 443 total varieties. This is seven (7) varieties shy of all the CBH Overton varieties, and it looks like these counterfeit CBHs will eventually surpass 450 within the next couple years.
The two (2) new CBH varieties documented in 2023 are both dated 1835. This brings the total number of hand-made die struck counterfeit 1835 CBH varieties to 20.
The first 1835 variety documented this year and discussed in the January 22, 2023 blog post, is a ‘singleton’. Only 3 of the 20 1835-dated varieties are singletons. This example exhibits low-grade details but the die work is relatively crude.
The latest newly documented 1835-dated variety belongs to the Clinton Head family. Seven (7) of the 20 1835-dated varieties belong to this family. The Clinton Head family is the largest known counterfeit CBH family with currently 31 varieties documented and likely more identified in the future. This variety used the same obverse die as 1835 D.5-E which is notable for having 14 stars around the periphery rather than the expected 13. The reverse die is brand new and has never been documented before. In total, this counterfeiting group created at least 45 dies, 28 obverses and 17 reverses. Finally, one (1) variety from the Clinton Head family, 1814 D.1-A, was listed as Riddell 440 in his 1845 Monograph but an example of this variety has not been documented in the modern era.
I’m actively interested in documenting and owning Clinton Head family varieties for the forthcoming Bad Metal book. Much of the missing information from this family is related to the lettered edge varieties. Nevertheless, I’ll offer $1,000 to anyone who finds and sells me a respectable example of the aforementioned 1814 variety. I’m also missing nine (9) other varieties from the Clinton Head family (along with 75 other varieties overall) which I’d like to acquire, as follows. 1813 D.1-A; 1832 D.unlisted; 1833 D.23-W; 1833 D.28-CC; 1833 D.30-EE; 1834 D.13-M; 1834 D.unlisted; 1835 D.8-H; 1835 D.12-L.
