1808 Large Cent S-277 (12 Star) Upgrade

Your new S-277 is really pretty. Love the color! and it has nice detail as well. You have every reason to be happy. Nice coin.

I thought that S-277 was really a 12-star variety - had not realized that the missing star is meant to be there, but more often than not does not show due die sinking.

Here is my S-277 (which I recently found again in my miscellaneous box!). It is obviously a ground find with environmental damage, but a nice one I think. It shows all the stars and no signs of any die breaks.
Probably a very early die state.

TJscoins, you have quite a challenge ahead of you in your quest to assemble a die state set for S-277. But it should be very interesting.

Your posting your S-277 today caused me to re-discover my example (I had not even attributed it before today), and in the process learn more about the various die states described in Breen's book for this variety. Breen describes a total of 9 die states for S-277.

Breen describes various clash marks appearing before and later alongside the die breaks/cracks on the reverse. Die breaks start to become visible in die state IV. if I am not mistaken.
Can you see any clark marks on your upgrade S-277?
(I am not very good at spotting clash marks, and the surface quality of my example would make it difficult anyway).

Regarding the die breaks, I looked today at all 53 recorded examples in the HA Archives, and quite a few more from other auction houses (Goldbergs and Stack/Bowers). I was surprised to see that all of them show the arc-like breaks between D and S developed to some degree, from quite light to very prominent. I did not see a single example where the die breaks were not at all evident. I looked at my example under a loupe and cannot see any trace of die breaks at all. The clash marks may be there, but I cannot see them due to the rough surfaces.
It therefore seems that specimens w/o visible breaks are quite scarce.

I agree with you, S-277 is certainly an interesting variety!

[quote]Breen describes various clash marks appearing before and later alongside the die breaks/cracks on the reverse. Die breaks start to become visible in die state IV. if I am not mistaken.
Can you see any clark marks on your upgrade S-277?/quote]

I think there may be a clash connecting between inside leaf 2 to the NW of "O" in ONE then traveling N to the inside leaf 3. I think Liberty's chin / neck region formed this L shaped clash. Now that I know what I am looking for I think I am seeing waves of Liberty's hair to the rt of ONE CENT. The photo shows both but they are not super clear. Thanks Germanicvs for having me look closer.