1873 OC-2a

1873 OC-2a

Die Pair	1 - B
Date Grid	LE / 5-3.5 / Level
Obverse Die States	a

Estimated Rarity	R4-
1, 3 Vertical	SH, VSH
Reverse Die States	b

Comments: This is the third and final use of Obverse 1 (including one re-marriage) and fourth of five uses of Reverse B (including two re-marriages).

Obverse 1
The photo below shows the Obverse 1 attribution grid.

1873 Obverse 1 attribution grid

A small lump under Miss Liberty's chin provides an additional die marker. This marker is in the hub. It's also seen on Obverses 2 and P1, but not on Obverse 3.

1873 Obverse 1 lump on neck

Obverse 1 Die States

Perfect die.

No later die states have been observed.

Reverse B
Reverse B can be quickly identified by the presence of several small lumps around GOD in the motto. The easiest to see is the large lump just right of and above the serif of G. These are indicated by the arrows on the following photo.

1873 Reverse B lumps near G in GOD

Reverse B Die States

Perfect die.
The right end of the scroll has lost detail due to die polishing.

No later die states have been seen. OC-2a is differentiated from OC-2 by the reverse die state. The pictures below contrast the two die states.

1873 Reverse B die state A (above)
vs. die state b (below)

Photo credits:

Obverse 1:   1873 PCGS AU cleaned, from the Osburn-Cushing reference collection.
Reverse B:   1873 ANACS AU58, from the Osburn-Cushing reference collection.
Reverse B die states:   1873 PCGS MS65 and NGC MS64, from the Heritage archives.