Possibly a new Seated dime variety?
ziggy29
Posts: 18,668 ✭✭✭
Taking a chance that it might be a great cherrypick (slightly overpaying if not), I picked up this 1874 Seated Dime on the first Teletrade Express auction tonight.
According to Greer and Fortin, one of the very rare varieties of Seated dime is the so-called "no arrows" variety of 1874 dime. This actually has arrows, but the arrows are very faint. There are at least three of these known according to the last update on Gerry Fortin's (dismeguy) web-book. He classifies this "no arrows" variety as F-106. No other listed variety uses this obverse.
I found a coin on Teletrade which had one prominent arrow (the left one) and one almost obliterated arrow (the right). I compared it closely to F-106, looking at the date's location and characteristics as well as those of the arrows and the direction the arrows were pointing in. In all respects, other than that the left arrow is prominently present, this looks EXACTLY like F-106 based on the blow up I was able to make from the Teletrade picture (that DjVu thing finally came in handy). The '74' are weak, and weakest in the same places, the date position is identical, the arrows are located in, and pointing in, the same direction. Whether the left arrow was faint and repunched later to be prominent, or originally prominent and then the die was polished or filled to obscure it, I don't have a clue.
I'll know for sure with the coin in hand, but folks, to me this looks like a new and currently unlisted Seated dime variety. I'm pretty excited about this one.
According to Greer and Fortin, one of the very rare varieties of Seated dime is the so-called "no arrows" variety of 1874 dime. This actually has arrows, but the arrows are very faint. There are at least three of these known according to the last update on Gerry Fortin's (dismeguy) web-book. He classifies this "no arrows" variety as F-106. No other listed variety uses this obverse.
I found a coin on Teletrade which had one prominent arrow (the left one) and one almost obliterated arrow (the right). I compared it closely to F-106, looking at the date's location and characteristics as well as those of the arrows and the direction the arrows were pointing in. In all respects, other than that the left arrow is prominently present, this looks EXACTLY like F-106 based on the blow up I was able to make from the Teletrade picture (that DjVu thing finally came in handy). The '74' are weak, and weakest in the same places, the date position is identical, the arrows are located in, and pointing in, the same direction. Whether the left arrow was faint and repunched later to be prominent, or originally prominent and then the die was polished or filled to obscure it, I don't have a clue.
I'll know for sure with the coin in hand, but folks, to me this looks like a new and currently unlisted Seated dime variety. I'm pretty excited about this one.
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Comments
I used to do seated varieties myself but found such a thin market for them, probably because it is so damned long. I consigned a bunch of rarities to Heritage for the FUN sales. Some are in the bullet sale and others never got listed. That kind of demonstrates the appeal. Even though a piece might be the only certified example of an extremely rare variety, if it is in VF or XF and not MS, it doesn't make the cut because it is referenced to the common material of the date. If they come back to me, I'll just ebay them where I can properly represent them and their rarities. I cringe seeing pop 1234/567 (example) when it is really 1/0.
VAMs work out much better for me than those shield nickels, half dimes, dimes, and quarters.
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