1881 Large Cent Variety

I only have 3 of these clash coins 1 with a single clash showing lightly, 1 normal clash with a single row, 1 multi clash coin.

With all the clash coins showing in this post it seems that its safe to say they have 2 different obverse's that the mint used.

The 1 that Phil310 has identified as the same obverse used on the 1881 with the die crack in the later state turns out to be the one with the die crack running along the top of Victoria.

Then the obverse die with the die crack through the C in Canada and die crack at the last A in GRATIA

If anyone else has a different one please show us what you have thanks

Okie, I have one of the multiple (football shaped) clashes that has the marker you are talking about at the serif of the D in DEI.

That same marker is on a coin I have in a later obverse state with the die crack that closes up the top of the V in VICTORIA. There are no clashes on the reverse of that coin, so it must be a different reverse die paired with the later states of that obverse.

Papeldog, I looked at the three examples I have of the obverse with the die crack through the C and repunching of GRATIA. None of mine have the clash marks on the reverse like the original one you posted.

OK, now I've looked at all 183 1881's, but I may have some more in boxes, etc. Here are the totals of what I have that involve Reverse clashes or one of the key markers that have been mentioned in this thread. Although most of these 1881's are random samples, I quit just picking up 1881's unless they had some neat variety, so I let supposedly "vanilla" coins stay in dealer/vendor trays/books. So the 183 coin total is not entirely random.

All 3 of my single, round, long clashes have the large D/C through the C in Canada.

I have 2 more with the D/C of the C in Canada that do NOT have the clashed reverse.

I now have 4 of the multiple, football shaped clashes; all have the tiny horiz D/C at upper serif D in Dei

I have a single coin with the D/C across the top of Victoria with NO clash on Reverse

I have 4 with long long D/C across the top of Regina with no Rev clashes.

I have NO 1881's like the original coin with the shallow, short round clashes. I'd say that's an R-9 scarcity.

Make what you want about these totals and, as more folks chime in with examples and total coins looked at, maybe we can get some type of POP on these 1881's. I'm going to ask a friend heavy into Vicky to chime in on this ... may take a while.

Now, before someone takes these examples and misinterprets the scarcity or population, I have lived in the Toronto area for 20 years. I regularly attended almost all the major and large shows in T.O., Hamilton, Paris, Niagara, Brampton, Oakville and others heavily for at least 16 of those years. I would estimate that I have looked at between 6,000 and 7,000 1881 large cents, so my counts for the clashed coins, the "round-the'clocks, and the single serifs are examples that I found out of more than 5,000 coins, not 183. I have owned 3 other multiple football clashes, one more single round clash, and 2 single serif N's out the huge number that I have seen and that I have sold or given to fellow serious collectors. NONE of these clashes are something that you could expect to find in any kind of search ... you'd never find a "1 in 1,000 or 1 in 5,000" coin now in the raw after we published the varieties in the 2011 Charlton. The coins discussed in this thread, as well as the single serif N's, should be considered EXTREMELY scarce. I would consider the lightly clashed round clash that started this thread as truly "rare", with less than a handful existing.

Jim .. I think that the most significant of all your coins is the "single, round clash with no C D/C", but has the mark above the D serif. THAT coin is the original clash with that paired Obverse and before the die clashed again, forming the football shaped clashes. I think that the coin that you started the thread with is just a late strike of the damaged die that was wearing out. It has all the Obverse markers of the longer clash, but just not deeper/longer on the clash.

I MAY have some like that ... ones that are very shallow and short. Vicky crud or wear would make those clashes invisible. And I'm not going to go through 200 coins straining my eyes. I take it that this last one you found has the teeny mark above the D serif?

One thing to keep in mind is that light die clashes probably appear at some point on a majority of dies. They would quickly fade as more coins were struck, and would only show up on high grade examples of coins struck before they fade out.

They are somewhat useful for identifying dies because of their differing positions due to the slight differences in the orientation of the obverse and reverse dies. They are similar to die clogs for identifying dies because they can come and go during the life of the die.


Hounddog Bill's sharp eyes noticed the difference on those two at the beginning of this thread. This has been an interesting look at the value of clashes in die tracking.




I would agree with Okie on that.