1844 OC-1
Misplaced Date and Doubled Die Obverse - Top 30 Variety

Die Pair 1-A
Date Grid L QTR / 4-5.0 / VS up
Obverse Die States a, b, c
Estimated Rarity R2
1, 4 Vertical L, L
Reverse Die States a, b, c



Comments:
  This is the only use of obverse 1 and the only use of reverse A.


Obverse 1

The photo below shows the attribution grid for Obverse 1. This is the only business strike obverse die, so it’s not hard to attribute, but it’s still interesting to note the features. The arrows point to the die doubling and the misplaced 18 in the gown that make this one of the most notable varieties in the series. The die doubling created one of the names for this variety, the “quad stripes” variety. The doubling is shifted almost exactly the width of a vertical shield line, making it appear as though the sets of vertical shield lines contain 4 lines instead of 3.



1844 Obverse 1 Attribution Grid


Obverse 1 Die States
  1. Perfect Die.
  2. A single light but very sharp clash mark is visible in the field under the arm.
  3. The die has been polished, then clashed again. Double clash marks show under the right arm, neither quite as sharp as in state b. It’s possible that an intermediate state exists, with two sharp clash marks.
No later die states have been observed.


Reverse A

1844 Reverse A features numerous very heavy die lines scattered throughout the reverse. The next photo shows the upper left area of the shield. Some of the most notable lines are in this area and above the left wing. Also note the significant extension of the lowest horizontal shield line through the left border of the shield.



1844 Reverse A Die Markers


Reverse A Die States

  1. Perfect Die.
  2. Very light clashing visible in the field at the juncture of the right claw with the leg feathers.
  3. Additional clashing is now visible as a line joining the upper leaf to the left wing.
The early die state of OC-1, state a/a, is extremely rare. We’ve seen only two examples.


Photo credits:

Obverse P1:   PCGS PR64, ex. Gene Gardner, from the Heritage archives.
Reverse 1840 PA:   PCGS AU58, from the Osburn-Cushing reference collection.


Copyright © 2015-2021, by Dick Osburn and Brian Cushing, All rights reserved.