1847/6 Liberty seated half....I just do not see it

@RichieURich said:
Please note there are three different die states for the 1847/46 half dollar. The first one (shown above) has all 3 of the underdigits, 1, 4, and 6. The second die state has only the 6 of the underdate visible. The third die state has no underdigits visible, but you can tell it is an 1847/6 because of the doubling on the obverse shield. As you might guess, the first die state is much more desirable than the second, which is much more desirable than the third.

Is the doubling on the shield indicative of a re-hubbing? Like after the underdate was (mostly) effaced by grinding or polishing down the field of the die?

@LJenkins11 said:
Bill Bugert has an excellent write up regarding this variety in his A Register of Liberty Seated Half Dollars Volume V Philadelphia Mint 1839-1853 that can be found along with his other registers on Seated Half Dollars online. He is of the opinion that it was a medium date beneath the 1847.

http://old.lsccweb.org/BillBugertBooks.php

Thanks for the website to

@CaptHenway > @CaptHenway said:

Well, I have tremendous respect for Bill, but I am not convinced that the underdate was the Medium Date rather than the Tall Date. I am willing to amicably agree to disagree.

Can anybody do a photographic overlay of the two 1846 dates, centering the smaller base of the 4 from the Tall Date over the center of the wider base of the 4 on the Medium Date? I would like to see where the outer edges of the 1's and the 6's end up relative to that reference point. In Bills overlay he has the remnant of the 1 from the 1846 date being the center of the 1 from that date. I am wondering if it might be the lower left serif of that 1.

BTW, are we in agreement that the indentations in the base of Liberty above the 1847 date digits are not the result of an attempt to efface, or polish away, the 1846 date? These indentations, found on many Seated Liberty coins, are merely the result of metal being displaced upwards during the date punching, and can be found on both overdated and non-overdated dies. See how the indentation above the 8 is wide, matching the top of the 8, while the indentation above the 4 is small, and centered above the upright of the 4.

Because the field above the date digits is adjacent to the large hole in the die that strikes the Liberty figure, the metal in the field is less constrained and can be displaced towards that hole. Those bulges into the hole in the die than become indentations on the coin.

I collect this series but submit that I am no authority on how such over dates are created as a result of the manufacturing process, to me that's still all chalked up as 19th century US Mint witchcraft. I only presented Bill's work as alternative consideration.

The references I find for this variety tend to only point out the base of the digits but when comparing multiple examples, what few there are, the top of the 6 on a few of the higher end coins is visible. In addition to lining up a photographic overlay as you recommend, and I agree with, the top of the six as well could serve a second reference point for comparison on tall and medium date? When looking at the two CoinFacts coins on the left, JBN's example 3rd in, and my coin 4th remnants of the 6 are visible as it originates out of the right side of the 18(4)7 and I agree that anyone with some photo editing/overlay skills willing to assist could line up the base of the 4 as well as the 6 for both tall and medium dates would be helpful.

One can view an even larger version of this image by right click on the image and choose to open in a new tab.