Peeping at Reverse U

Bikergeek

Capped bust half dimes have names based on the marriage (or remarriage) of one obverse and one reverse die. Obverse dies are numbered 1 thru n for a given year (the series ran from 1829 thru 1837; all 9 years had 6 or fewer obverses). Reverse dies have an alpha moniker (and a reverse can be used with obverses of multiple years). The name of the coin comes from the Logan/McCloskey book published in 1998. An example remarriage is 1832 LM-10.2, which we know to mean the second remarriage (.2) of the marriage (LM-10) consisting of 1832 Obverse 4 and Reverse U.

Reverse U, as the chart below shows, was paired with 1832 Obverse 2 and 1833 Obverse 2 (don't let the #2 fool you - these are completely different obverses, unrelated to one another - it's not like they just changed that "2" in the date to a "3"). Rev U also happens to be my favorite reverse (how geeky is that?) because, with the repunched O in OF it's easy to recognize - but several of the remarriages are very scarce and very dramatic in their late states.

When I got an 1832 LM-10.x recently, I asked a few experienced folks to attribute its remarriage based on (pretty decent) images. I thought LM-10.2 but there's some pickups that may nudge this toward LM-10.3. Die cracks make a big difference, and this particular coin has some schmutz on it that looks like cracks. I want to be accurate with attribution so I got out the lens that @in2Coins taught me about and took some extreme close-ups of the reverse pickup points that tell the story. @Barndog and @BHNC054 and @jesbroken and @yosclimber may want to opine here... big pics below. (You should be able to expand them but that may mean right-clicking to "open in new tab" or somesuch). Anyway, welcome your thoughts... have fun!

This chart is my own version of the more concise deterioration chart on pp74-75 of the LM book.

STATE closeup:

A2 closeup (A1 is the A in STATES so A2 is the first A in AMERICA):

Left wingtip (and N) closeup:

jesbroken

Great info, enjoyed the read. Important thing to remember is Obverse numbers are for the year they were struck, only. The same number can be used for a different year and will not be the same obverse, while the reverse alpha designation can be used for various years. Sean, I know you stated the same, but for those learning the series it is a why? thing. lol
Also, a truly good explanation for the term remarriages might well be restated. Jus' sayin'. I know that had me confused for a while.
Thanks
Jim

Barndog

the longer you look at the half dimes, the better your mind can CREATE or DIMINISH die cracks. It's a trip, really. One day, easy 10.2, another it might be a 10.1, but then a couple days later, 10.3. In hand is best judgment. Maybe ship it around the nation for in-hand opinions!

Bikergeek

@Barndog said:
the longer you look at the half dimes, the better your mind can CREATE or DIMINISH die cracks. It's a trip, really. One day, easy 10.2, another it might be a 10.1, but then a couple days later, 10.3. In hand is best judgment. Maybe ship it around the nation for in-hand opinions!

Lol, I'm not shipping anything for a while! A coin I bought on January 3 got held up by a snowstorm. I missed the one attempt they made to deliver it on 1/15 (cuz my google doorbell malfunctioned). Since then they haven't tried again, and although they acknowledged my "missing package" report last week, they haven't actually told me they found it. Not ready to submit a claim, though... I think it's on a back shelf somewhere and that it'll pop up in my mailbox someday soon.

I'll bring this 1832 to the ANA in August!