Definitive Reference For Indian Cent Die Varieties

DEFINITIVE REFERENCE FOR INDIAN CENT DIE VARIETIES

Home
Table of Contents
For Sale List
Numismatic Links
David's Numismatic Blog

1905 Variety 18


Obverse 18	Reverse S

Obverse Diagnostics

Macro Photography Of Obverse 18 Date Position, Misplaced Digits and Variety 18a Misplaced Digits
Date Position	Misplaced 0 and 5 (Click Image To Enlarge)	18a Misplaced Digits (Click Image To Enlarge)

Macro Photography Of Obverse 18 Repunched Digits
Repunched 1 and 9 (Click Image To Enlarge)	Repunched 0 and 5 (Click Image To Enlarge)

Reverse Diagnostics

Macro Photography Of Die Roughness, Rev. S.2 Die Crack From Left Wreath and Rev. S.2 Die Crack From 7:15
Die Roughness Between Left Wreath and Shield	Rev. S.2 Die Crack From Left Wreath	Rev. S.2 Die Crack From 7:15

Macro Photography Of Rev. S.2 Die Crack From 5:00 and Rev. S.3 Retained Cud
S.2 Die Crack From 5:00 (Click Image To Enlarge)	Rev. S.3 Retained Cud Between 3:30 and 5:00

Obverse 18 is identified by date placement at C, the tops of misplaced 0 and 5 digits in the denticles below and to the left of the primary 0 and 5 digits of the date and date repunching that features initial date impressions to the south below the serif of the 1, to the south within the upper loop of the 9, to the west of the upper left of the 0 and to the north on all elements of the 5.

Reverse S is rotated 8 degrees clockwise.
Rev. S.2: Reverse S developed the following die cracks:
1. Light die crack from the rim at 5:00 extends upward through right ribbon end, lowest and middle arrowheads.
2. Light die crack from the rim at 7:15 extends into the lowest olive leaf.
3. Light die crack extending from the upper left wreath and into the field above.
Rev. S.3: Reverse S has now developed a retained cud between 3:30 and 5:00.

Comments: During mid December 2019, Mark Clewell contacted this author in regard to a 1905 cent with a reverse cud that was not yet identified in this book. Mark subsequently provided images of this coin, which are illustrated below. Upon examination of the images, I determined that Mark's coin was struck from Obverse 18 and a previously unidentified reverse that differed from Snow's Reverse R from the Snow 17 Die Pairing that included Obverse 18. I suspect that Mark's coin represents the initial usage of Obverse 18 and after Reverse S was retired due to the die break, Obverse 18 entered into its second usage paired with Snow's Reverse R during the Snow 17 Die Pairing.

Several 1905 reverses break in a similar manner and location as Reverse S. Therefore, recognition of the reverse die break pattern is necessary to differentiate between similar die breaks in order to arrive at an accurate attribution.

The Variety 18a Plate Coin and Variety 18a were first identified by Mark Clewell.

During mid January 2020, I discovered previously unidentified date repunching of Obverse 18 and a rotation of Reverse S of 8 degrees clockwise while including in this page an earlier die state of Variety 18 prior to the formation of the Reverse S retained cud.

During Mid May 2020, David Killough submitted two examples of Variety 18 that exhibit two sets of misplaced 0 and 5 digits, compared to the seemingly single set initially illustrated for Obverse 18. My theory as to why the Variety 18 Plate Coin does not exhibit the two sets of misplaced digits is based on the working die misalignment of Obverse 18, which created a thinner denticle area below the date and may have caused these misplaced digits to not be struck up as well compared to when the Obverse 18 working die misalignment was absent during the Variety 18a and 18b Die States. It should be noted that Obverse 18 still experienced working die misalignment subsequent to the Variety 18 Die State, though this misalignment does not create a thinner denticle area of which the misplaced digits are embedded.

Plate Coin (Variety 18): Bob Travis Collection, AU55
Plate Coin (Variety 18a): Courtesy of David Killough Collection, AU55
Plate Coin (Variety 18b): Images courtesy of Mark Clewell

Die States For 1905 Variety 18

VARIETY 18 OBVERSE 18 REVERSE S
VARIETY 18a OBVERSE 18 REVERSE S.2
VARIETY 18b OBVERSE 18 REVERSE S.3