1856 Flying Eagle question

[jman425]

How do you properly attribute the S-3 (business strike) variety when NGC and PCGS both don't recognize this variety.

Coinfacts states that approx only 750 were business strikes compared to approx 1500 proofs (some were restruck at a later date) so the S-3 variety could potentially be the rarer variety.

[construct]

The S-3 has a repunched 5, but this can be difficult to see in lower grades.

[jman425]

Does this look repunched ?

 

 

Also, is the squared inside of the "O" a characteristic of a die variety or a common trait for all 1856 ?

[James_OldeTowne]

I just finished cataloging an example of Snow-3 for a consignor who purchased it in the mid 1970s. The problem with Snow-3 and the way these are handled by grading services is that this same die marriage struck both proofs and business strikes, and there is no fool"proof" method to determine which way the coin was struck. Only a very few proofs were struck, but the first few business strikes bear mirrored fields and lightly contrasted devices, which is how this consignor's coin looked.

 

Here is an excerpt from my description:

 

Although proof examples of Snow-3 exist (they are very rare), prooflike examples struck later are far more common in the relative sense, and the present example very nearly qualifies as such. Indeed, our consignor, who purchased the coin from the Colonel John A Beck hoard in 1976, states that it was attributed as an impaired proof at that time. (Colonel Beck accumulated one of the most famous hoards of 1856 flying eagle cents, at one time numbering 531 pieces.) ... The two main diagnostic points confirming the "Snow-3" attribution are a repunched "5" in the date, and a small die scratch descending from the end of the right ribbon on the reverse, and this coin displays both diagnostics. Assessment of die state requires prior knowledge that proofs were first struck off the freshly polished dies, and subsequent business strike coins began as prooflike examples (similar to proofs, but not as well struck), graduating to typically lustered business strike coins as the dies aged.

 

I hope this helps. If you can get closeups of the date and the area around the right ribbon end, I can help more.

[chinook]

The services no longer give MS designations to 1856 FE's

[jman425]

James,

 

Will this picture of the ribbon work ?

 

 

Posted a pic of the date earlier.

[jman425]

bump for Flying Eagle gurus to look at ...

[James_OldeTowne]

Unfortunately, I can't quite make out whether there's a die scratch there or not. Sorry, but the image would need to be a bit sharper and larger .

[jman425]

I don't have the best camera set-up to take much larger and clearer shots. Also, that slab doesn't make it easy... too much glare on most of them. I will attempt to get a better one when I get some time. Also have been doing some reading on Rick Snow's argument for an MS grading instead of just proof.