Attribution help- 1837 half dime- LM-3? Or LM-2?

NHSBaseball

Am I mistaken, or is this an LM-3? (R-6)




I am sure that it is reverse LL, which makes it either an LM-2 or an LM-3. To me, it definitely looks like the low 3 obverse of the LM-3. Sorry for the bad pics- they are from an Ebay auction.

Thanks in advance for the help.

NHSBaseball

It's really tough to tell from the photos- I'll be happy either way, though!

MrHalfDime

It is, indeed, an LM-2, a current R5 die marriage. As you know, the LM-2 and LM-3 share the same reverse, easily identified by the doubled serif on C1 (C of AMERICA). The task, then, is to identify the obverse. This is also easily done by looking at one little diagnostic, readily seen on even well-worn specimens. Just look at the inner-most point of star 13 (lowest right star), and see where it is pointed. If it is pointed at the center of the hair curl (as on this specimen) it is an LM-2; if it is pointed at the top of the curl it is the rarer LM-3 (R6).

Congratulations if you were the high bidder on that coin last night on eBay. I watched it, but opted not to bid.

RichieURich

I agree with MrHalfDime and the other respondents, it is an LM-2. A nice coin, too and a tough die marriage to acquire. As you say, both LM-2 and LM-3 share the same reverse. The key to the obverse is the position of the "3" digit. For the LM-2, it is aligned with the rest of the date, for the LM-3 it is significantly lower. An example of each variety is shown on my website. I didn't see the coin on eBay, otherwise I would probably have been bidding. Congratulations on acquiring it!

Barndog

I thought about bidding on it too...glad you got it NHSB!

NHSBaseball

A sincere thanks to all for your help- I am very excited about the coin- my first R-5!