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1841 
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General Comments
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High-grade business strikes are sometimes prooflike, but more often frosty. With high mintage, only four business strike die pairings, and only two business strike obverse dies, the dies wore sufficiently to eliminate prooflike surfaces for most examples. Nice prooflike examples can be located with patient searching.
1841 Die Marriages
5 die marriages have been positively identified. Two obverse dies were paired with 3 reverse dies, one transitional from 1840, to strike four business strike die pairs. None of these dies were used for proofs. A single proof die marriage has been identified, combining a unique obverse die with the reverse die used for almost all original proofs through 1854.
The table below summarizes the known die marriages for 1841. Breen lists a “small stars” proof, Breen 5427. We haven’t noted any significant difference in the size of the stars. However, since we’ve identified only one proof die marriage, it’s not really an issue.
Click the links below to view the details of each die marriage.
Die Marriage |
Rarity |
Obverse Die |
Reverse Die |
Estimated Survivors |
| OC-1 | R2 | 1 | 1840 A | 700 |
| OC-2 | R1 | 1 | A | 1950 |
| OC-3 | R2 | 2 | 1840 A | 900 |
| OC-4 | R1 | 2 | B | 1700 |
| OC-P1 | R7 | P1 | 1840 PA | 8 |
1841 Business Strike Emission Sequence
The obverse die sequences were easily determined due to die polishing on later states of obverse 1 and
rim cuds on the late state of obverse 2.
Emission Order |
Die Marriage |
Comments |
| 1 | OC-1 | Obverse 1 exhibits repunching on the 4 in early states of OC-1. Evidence of the repunching has been removed by die polishing in the OC-2 usage, indicating that OC-1 was the first issue. |
| 2 | OC-2 | Evidence of repunching on the 4 has been removed by die polishing, indicating that OC-2 was issued after OC-1. Placements of OC-2 and OC-3 are arbitrary. |
| 3 | OC-3 | A greater extent of die polishing on Reverse 1840 A indicates that OC-3 was issued after OC-1. Placements of OC-2 and OC-3 are arbitrary. |
| 4 | OC-4 | Rim cuds below date in the latest die state indicate that OC-4 was issued after OC-3. |
1841 Quick Finder Chart
Notably different date placement makes the 3 obverse dies easy to identify. The reverse differences are subtle,
but attribution should be easy for any examples grading F12 or better. The steps that lead to quick attribution
are as follows: First use the date placement to identify the obverse die. Each obverse is paired with just two
reverses (only one for the proof). Next review the die markers that characterize the reverses paired with your
obverse. Finally use these markers to identify the reverse, and thus the die marriage. None of the die marriages
are particularly rare, so only those collectors wishing to assemble a die marriage set need to worry about attribution.
Die Marriage |
Obv. Die |
Rev. Die |
Right Base |
Keys to Identification |
| OC-1 | 1 | 1840 A | L QTR | Obverse - Right date, 5-4.0. Repunched 4. Light die lines extend down to the right from the lower right edge of the shield. Reverse - Vertical shield line 3-3 extends through the inside shield border. |
| OC-2 | 1 | A | L QTR | Obverse - Right date, 5-4.0. Light die lines from shield still visible. Repunched 4 gone. Reverse - Vertical shield line 1-2 extends into the horizontal lines to line 5. |
| OC-3 | 2 | 1840 A | B | Obverse - Left date, 4-4.5. Die lines slant down to the right above the leg, left of the pole base. Reverse - Vertical shield line 3-3 extends through the inside shield border. |
| OC-4 | 2 | B | B | Obverse - Left date, 4-4.5. Die lines slant down to the right above the leg, left of the pole. Reverse - A faint die line visible in shield recesses 3 and 4, extending across the vertical shield lines, just above the middle of the recesses. |
| OC-P1 | P1 | 1840 PA | C | Obverse - A tiny but strong die dot in the gown just above and left of the pole.
Reverse - Defects on A3. |