Could Use Some Help Identifying The Newcomb Variety Of The 1853 Large Cent

Some keys for identification are as follows. On the obverse side the location of the point of the hair curl in relationship with the eight below. The one is embedded into the bust. The five does not touch the curl above, but there is a space. On the reverse side, the best identifier I can see is the fact the C does not touch the E. Also there is a decent space between the E and N at top.

Obverse looks like N-27, but the reverse does not match because on N-27 the C touches the E in CENT.

Where are all the Large Cent experts?

What is throwing me off for this coin, and maybe I am attributing incorrectly, but it has to do with two factors. The first is the position of the curl that points down towards the 8 in the date. The second has to do with the spacing between the C and E in CENT, and for that matter the spacing between the E and N too. For instance, the reverse matches more with N-32, but the obverse does not at all. I have compared the coin to all 33 Newcomb Varieties from the Dan Holmes collection, but have not found a match. One problem though is that the photos are not that great and hard to use to compare. I have also used ebay as many dealers have varieties posted on there for sale. Three varieties were missing, N-12, N-21, and N-31. I ruled out all three although N-12 is similar. N-12 is a common variety, so it might be N-12. Unfortunately, I do not have a large clear photo of an N-12 to look at carefully for comparison. It is possible, however unlikely, that this coin is a counterfeit. If it is, then it must be a rare 1890's electro copy. I have never heard of one before, but I am no expert in that area, nor do I collect these copy coins. It certainly does not look like a Chinese copy coin, so I believe it is authentic. If it is a fake, please let me know. If you know the Newcomb variety, please let me know. Thanks.

Thank you very much. This photo is great and I can clearly see the lumps around the earlobe that you are using as a diagnostic point. You did a great job of breaking it down for me. I was also leaning towards N-12, but I could not find a clear photo online. I cannot see the lumps very well on the Dan Holmes Collection photo, and Dan's coin appears to have a different reverse, but I could not tell for sure. What I was thinking was different was that the C and E on Dan's coin look like they touch at the bottom, but on my coin they do not. So, it is an N-12, cool! Thanks! At least now I know it is not a counterfeit. ;)

i can definatly c the lumps around the ear, most intriguing.