I would say really the key development in building the collection was when the Showers Collectionbecame available in 1976 and I was able to buy that. - R. Tettenhorst, as told to Gregg A. Silvis, Penny-Wise, January 2006Abundant faded mint color emerges amidst the thick frost and intense cartwheel luster shown on both sides. Though mellowed to beautiful steel and light brown, the surfaces still display the rich undertones of color that once glowed red. Well struck nearly everywhere, with good central star detail and bold central devices, the only portion of this coin with softness is the lower right reverse, where the frame of denticles fades into the rim and the letters RICA are a bit flat at their tops. A tiny spot is present in the right obverse field between stars 9 and 10, but other than some parallel hairlines above AME, the surfaces are pristine. With its uncommon degree of luster and exceptional color, this half cents visual appeal far outpaces most gems of this issue. The die state is early, equivalent to Manley 1.0. The crack that crosses Libertys portrait through the hair above her shoulder was present when this die was made, a relic of the portrait hub that produced this die.The hallmark of this die variety is an interesting characteristic of the date, showing a "circle" within the 0 numeral. As Breen and Manley point out, the 0 is actually punched over a smaller 0; Breen posits that it may be one intended for a half eagle die. The aspect is plainly visible here under low magnification.If a Hall of Fame of Half Cent Collections was to be composed, a few legendary names would be shoo-ins: the Alvord Collection, sold by S. Hudson Chapman in 1924; the Brobston Collection, sold by Stacks in a 1963 fixed price list; the Missouri Cabinet, the combined half cent collections of Eric P. Newman and R. Tettenhorst which together formed the most magnificent assemblage of the denomination ever. Several collections that remain intact rival these both for quality and completeness. Though never sold at auction or thoroughly cataloged, the Philip M. Showers Collection was worthy company to these legendary cabinets. It was sold once, intact, in 1969, then again in 1976. It was documented through a simple photo inventory, published by Stacks in 1969 in an edition of 12, and then reprinted within the last decade. The Showers Collection was thrust back into the spotlight when the Missouri Cabinet was offered at auction in 2014, as most of that collections gems had remained in St. Louis since they briefly appeared on the market in 1976.Greg Germaine, in the pages of the July 1976 issue of Penny-Wise, tells the tale succinctly:Strolling through the bourse room, we came to the table of a Midwestern dealer who was proudly displaying the famous Showers collection of half cents. We soon learned that the collection had just come out of hiding after being held for nearly a decade. Reportedly, the collection changed hands three times during the show, each buyer to a dealer, and each seller tacking on $100,000. profit!!!Showers had carefully assembled one gem after another for three decades beginning in the late 1930s. When R. Tettenhorst heard that it had been sold intact in 1969, he asked Ben Stack about its whereabouts and mentioned that hed be a willing buyer if the current owner ever needed money. Without divulging the identity of the owner, Stack told Tettenhorst that "his last name begins with D and he lives in Delaware" and indicated that hed likely never need the money. When Willis duPont did sell the collection, Tettenhorst quickly moved to acquire the bulk of the pieces, forming the basis of the finest gathering of half cents ever brought together.This stands as one of the finest of all 1809 half cents and is considered one of the two best of this variety.
