Liberty Seated Dimes Varieties 1837-1891 - 1842 New Orleans Variety Chapter Page

1842-O

Small O

Medium O


Mintage: 2,020,000

Top 100	Var#	Obv	Rev	DR	Obverse / Reverse Quick Diagnostics	Ahwash	Greer
	101	1	A	0B1	Medium Level Date / Medium O, [mm Rt,C,TR7]	A-1
	102	2	B	1L	Medium Level Date / Medium O, [mm Rt,L,TR11], EDS Die Crack STA(TES)	A-2
*	102a	2	B.2	1L	Medium Level Date / Medium O, Shattered Rev #2		G102
*	103	2	C	1L	Medium Level Date / Medium O, Shattered Rev #1, Rev 1841 (D)	A-3	G101
	104	3	D	0R	Medium Level Date / Small O, [mm Rt,H]
*	104a	3.2	D.2	0R	Medium Level Date, Rim Cud Stars 3 to 6 / Small O, Cracked Reverse	A-4
	105	4	E	0R	Medium Date, Slight Upward Slope, Die Gouge / Medium O, [mm R,H]
	106	4.2	F	0R	Die Gouge, DD at Liberty's Nose, Rim Cud / Medium O, [mm C,C,TR]
	107	4.3	E.2	0B1	Lapped Die, Die Gouge / Medium O, Shattered Rev #3		G103
	107a	4.3	E.3	0B1	Lapped Die, Die Gouge / Med O, Shattered Rev #3, Filled AME(R)ICA
	108	5	G	0C	Medium Level Date, / Medium O, [mm R,H], Die Crack ST(AT)ES


Variety Vs. Denticle Ruler Cross Reference Table

Reverse Die and Mintmark Position Comparison Guide

Scarcity: Both the Small and Medium O varieties are common in the lower circulated grades with the Small O being more 
difficult.  In EF to AU, the Small O is extremely rare.  There are no Mint State Small O examples known at this time.  The 
Medium O is very scarce in EF to AU grades and is considered underrated.  Finding well struck examples of the Medium O 
in higher grades will require considerable patience.
 
Updated Greer Rarity Ratings
Small O Rarity: G-VG R2+, F-VF R3+, EF-AU R6, MS -
Medium O Rarity: G-VG R1, F-VF R2+, EF-AU R5-, MS R6+
Overall Rarity: G-VG R1, F-VF R2+, EF-AU R5-, MS R6+ 

Fortin Variety Rarity Estimates In VF - Mint State

Variety	Rarity	Suggested Premiums	Variety	Rarity	Suggested Premiums
101	R3	-	105	R3	-
102	R4	-	106	R6	300-500%
102a	R4	20-40%	107	R3	-
103	R4	20-40%	107a	R6	50-100%
104	R5	100-200%	108	R6	150-300%
104a	R5	100-200%


Comments: The 1842 New Orleans dies saw extensive usage based on the extent of die lapping and shattering of reverse dies. 
In the author's mind, there is an open question as to whether the stated mintage for both 1841-O and 1842-O dimes is 
accurate.  1841-O Variety 105, with a shattered reverse from use with an 1842 obverse die, suggests that 1841-O dimes 
could have been struck in 1842 and included in the 1842-O mintage total.  Since the 1842-O mintage is stated at 2,020,000, 
it would be reasonable to assume that 7-9 die pairs would have been used.  However after lengthy investigations by Seated 
dime and New Orleans specialists, only 5 obverse and 7 reverse dies have been documented.  Given the higher availability 
of surviving 1841-O versus 1842-O dimes and the 10:4 ratio of known 1841-O vs. 1842-O obverse dies, one must conclude that 
the 1841-O and 1842-O stated mintages do not reflect the true quantities of New Orleans dimes dated 1841 and 1842.  I would 
offer that the 1841-O mintage is understated while the mintage for 1842-O is probably overstated.
 
Value As A Date (Coin World Trends/CoinValues)

Grade	1963	1973	1983	1993	2003	2010
G	2.5	4	12.5	8	20	25
F	6	7.5	27	17.5	30	50
EF	-	25	200	110	250	400
MS60	40	115	-	2650	2500	2500
MS63	-	-	-	8000	5000	4750

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