1848 OC-1

1848 OC-1

Die Pair	1 - A
Date Grid	JR of C / 4-3.0 / Level
Obverse Die States	a

Estimated Rarity	R2
1, 8 Vertical	VSH, C
Reverse Die States	a, (b?)

Comments: This is the only use of Obverse 1 and the only use of Reverse A in 1848.
Reverse A was subsequently used to strike business strikes in 1849, 1850, and 1851.
It’s use in 1852 has been reported but not confirmed.

Obverse 1
The photo below shows the Obverse 1 attribution grid:

1848 Obverse 1 attribution grid
This is the only business strike obverse die. The date position provides enough information for conclusive attribution.

Obverse 1 Die States

Perfect die.

No later die states have been observed. The OC-1 die marriage is normally seen with a clockwise die rotation of about 5 degrees. Unrotated examples have been seen, but they seem to be much less available than those with slight rotation.

Reverse A
1848 Reverse A was well-documented in issue #120 of the Gobrecht Journal (reference 11). It was used for 4 years, 1848 through 1851. Its usage in 1852 is reported but unconfirmed. It features some notable die lines near the top of shield recess 1 and two tiny die lines in the middle of recess 4. The die lines in recess 4 aren’t necessary for attribution of the 1848 reverse, but they become important as this reverse die is tracked through its subsequent usages. The next photo shows the die lines in recess 1.

1848 Reverse A die lines in shield recess #1
Reverse A Die States

Perfect die.
A light die crack crosses the top of STA.

We have some question about the existence of state b in 1848 coins. Our notes indicate that we've seen one, but if so it means that some 1848 coins were minted in 1849. We have an example of the 1849 die marriage which uses this reverse in state a.

Photo credits:

Obverse 1 and Reverse A: 1848 NGC AU58, from the Osburn-Cushing reference collection.