1897 IHC "1 in neck" (Snow-1)

[KurtS]

I've been looking for this coin for several months. I found this one unattributed, surprising since it's such a visible and widely collected variety. But, perhaps the eBay photo wasn't much to go on?

Auction photo:


When I did an overlay with a verified S-1, I found a very close match. Sure enough, when the coin arrived everything checked out!



Here's a detail showing the base of a second "1" punched in the neck. It's interesting to consider this was probably done to check die hardness, although they had no idea of the interest collectors would take in this variety!

[Robert]

Isn't it great to know about die varieties... a bit of knowledge goes a long way. I don't know much about IHC vareities but I'm learining.

GREAT catch!

[Dick]

Nice find! I was looking at the "ica", and it shows! It is snow-1.
Dick

[Bob P]

Very well done, and a great find. This is another example of the people who know about die varieties, and those that don't. As the numbers of variety collectors increase, the chances of finding things like this decrease. However, there were many, many varieties struck, and they will continue to be found as long as education and persistence is a primary part of your collecting habits.

[KurtS]

Thanks everyone! Rick Snow's attribution guides have sure helped me to spot things, even this well-known variety. By now, I have a large "catalogue in my head" of what to look for at shows.