Classic Head Die Varieties... 9/29 TV posted for quarter eagle crossover

lermish · September 10, 2022 8:44AM

I was looking at @Pedzola 's newp (which is gorgeous) and the rest of the Virginian collection and decided to try my best to figure out die marriages for my two Classic Heads. This is my first attempt at any die marriage attribution. It was fun! I truly hope I don't go fully down that rabbit hole though, I'm already obsessed enough

As far as I can tell, the $2.50 is HM-4, which is somewhat scarce, and the $5 is HM-5 which is not particularly scarce. Hopefully I'm on the right track?

ricko · September 11, 2022 5:36AM

I cannot help with the die variety question, however, that is a very nice gold coin. I would be happy with that one in my collection. Cheers, RickO

Walkerguy21D · September 11, 2022 5:51AM

I don’t know the die varieties, but you did well choosing coins that match each other nicely, appearance-wise.

lermish · September 11, 2022 7:07AM

@Walkerguy21D said:
I don’t know the die varieties, but you did well choosing coins that match each other nicely, appearance-wise.

Thanks:) I was going for the matched set!

Currin · September 11, 2022 7:27AM

If you have interest in studying die varieties, I recommend the book, US Classic Gold Coins of 1834 - 1839, authored by The Virginian himself, Daryl J. Haynor. It has easy to follow illustrations for all the die varieties.

pcgscacgold · September 11, 2022 7:41AM

Great looking coins. I am no expert, but for what it is worth, I agree with your $2.50 HM-4 (12.5% of pop) and $5 HM-5 (30.5% of pop) designations. I have the book in hand and all the attributes match your choices.

I give a plug for D Haynor's book every time I can. He spends some time here as @Ronyahski . I bought the book when I started my Classic Head collection and agree with @Currin regarding the ease of use and great illustrations. I believe he spends much less time here now.

lermish · September 11, 2022 7:43AM

@pcgscacgold & @Currin Thank you, I'll keep an eye out for it!

pcgscacgold · September 11, 2022 8:09AM

@lermish
Just an add on, the book is more than just about each coin. The first 70 pages are about the history of the series with documentation and letters from that time period. There are 33 pages just for the 1834 $2.50 coin. The 1834 $5 also gets 30+ pages. Best of luck.

BillJones · September 11, 2022 8:11AM

It appears that $5 you have the 1834 variety, HM-5. The die combination is 1-4. According to the authors, it is the most common variety for the year with about 1/3 of the survivors checking in as this variety.

Some diagnostics:

Obverse - Forelock above Ms. Liberty's forehead is attached to her forehead. The "4" in the date is triple cut at the top.

Reveres - The second "S" in "STATES" is double punched. There are long dentils above "ES" in "STATES"

I will probably need bigger pictures to confirm the $2.50.

Ronyahski · September 21, 2022 7:29PM

Two for Two. I am so pleased when I see comments like this, that I have helped some with furthering their knowledge, and perhaps have sparked more interest in a U.S. gold coin series that deserves a closer look.

FWIW, my Go To attribution is the Broken M in AMERICA on that 1834 QE. For the 1834 HE, though the triple punched 4 in the date is fairly easy to spot, the thin (die polished) LIBERTY and the broken B is what I first look for. On the reverse, the Leaf 4 that overlies Leaf 3 quickly narrows it down to Reverse A, or the HM-5 (4-A), which you correctly identified.

Hope that helps.

jesbroken · September 21, 2022 7:36PM

Great looking pair of coins. Good job.
Jim

lermish · September 29, 2022 7:46PM

TV posted for all who may be interested. Came back as a 45 also...heading to CAC upon delivery.

Classic Head Die Varieties... 9/29 TV posted for quarter eagle crossover

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