1859 OC-2

Die Pair 1 - B
Date Grid C / 4-3.0 / Level
Obverse Die States a, b, c
Estimated Rarity R3
1, 9 Vertical VSL, VSL
Reverse Die States a, b



Comments:
   This is the second and final use of Obverse 1 and the only use of Reverse B.


Obverse 1

The photo below shows the Obverse 1 attribution grid.



1859 Obverse 1 attribution grid

Obverse 1 exhibits no notable die markers. The area under Miss Liberty’s chin is completely finished.


Obverse 1 Die States
  1. Perfect die.
  2. The die has been polished. The toe isn't fully enclosed.
  3. Tiny rim cuds are visible opposite stars 1-2.
No later die states have been observed. OC-2 has been found with all three obverse die states.


Reverse B

Reverse B displays very few die markers, but one minor one distinguishes it from others for the year. The photo shows the extension of horizontal shield line #1. It’s visible outside the left-side shield border but not between the borders.



1859 Reverse B shield line extension


Reverse B Die States
  1. Perfect die.
  2. Shattered die. The reverse is surrounded by light die cracks.
OC-2 is found with die states a and b. Die state b is apparently very rare. We’ve seen only one example. We’ve seen OC-2 with die rotations of up to 15 degrees counterclockwise. These rotations don’t seem to be particularly rare.



Photo credits:

Obverse 1:   1859 NGC MS64 CAC, from the Heritage archives.
Reverse B:   1859 PCGS AU55, from the Osburn-Cushing reference collection.


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