A 1792 Half Disme and a letter that tell us this is a birthday gift to Mary Brain Breach in 1872 were submitted to Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) by Numismatic Financial Corporation of Winter Springs, FL. NGC graded the coin as VG 10 and the certification label on the document display “Presentation letter & envelope for 1792 H10C, Mary Brain Beach, 1872".
The letter and envelope were also placed in a holder by NGC designed for long-term storage, made from the same preservation-grade material used by PMG to encapsulate currency. While no longer in the possession of the Willard-Brain-Beach family, together these wonderful items will surely be preserved and passed on to future generations of collectors.
The letter tells us much about this coin’s history. It reads as follows:
Springfield Dec 1872
Dear Little Mary:
I send you a birth-day
present; not because a half-dime is
worth much, but it bears the date,
(1792) of your grandmother Brain.
It is ten years older than your
grandfather Willard.
You may perhaps give this
same little coin to your grand
child. U.S. coins of this size and
80 years old are not common now.
As this will never grow any bigger
nor any better; but you will grow
bigger, - whether better or worse I can
not say.
Your grandfather Willard
The man presenting the coin was Levi Jefferson Willard, then living in Springfield, Ohio. The recipient was his granddaughter, Mary Brain Beach. As the note states, he was 70 years old when he gave the coin to the young girl for her birthday.
In his few words, much more is revealed. By 1872, coins of this type were already scarce enough to make this gift with a five-cent face value worthy of presentation – of course, today it is a much-prized rarity. Willard was also aware that the condition of the coin was not superb at the time the gift was given.
He ends his letter with a cheeky line, questioning whether his granddaughter will grow, “better or worse.” Perhaps, he meant this earnestly; how Mary grew up would be within her control. But more likely, it’s just said in jest. After all, this 70-year-old grandfather had just given his granddaughter a rather quirky gift and was probably having a bit of fun.
Levi Willard died at the age of 81 in 1884, likely having gotten to see much more of how little Mary turned out. According to the envelope, the coin stayed in the Beach family for two more generations, passing from "Aunt Jessie" and to another "M. Beach."
Source: NGC
