1868 5c Missing Leaf, Scribe Mark, FS-401 MS

Key to Collecting: This is a very plentiful date due to its high mintage. Gem Mint State coins are scarce, however, as few were saved. This high-mintage issue is spiced with many interesting die varieties, a veritable wonderland of delights! Proofs of this year and the next are often especially deeply mirrored.

Characteristics and Appearance: Often with slight areas of light details, especially on the horizontal shield stripes and a few of the star centers. Luster varies but is usually good. Many die pairs were used, causing many variations. Usually seen with the normal reverse (illustrated above), but a few have the Reverse of 1868. 2900 (Deep Cameo)———— 6,250—

The Mint seems to have gone wild with erratic die punching this year, as there are many different repunchings, errors, and the like. The Fivaz-Stanton text devotes 16 pages to this date alone! There are multiple varieties of doubled dies and repunched dates. The CONECA files, maintained by Ken Hill, describe about 60 doubled dies for 1868-dated nickels. FS-102, F-111, is a tripled-die obverse, one of only three in the Shield nickel series.5 The following are selected favorites of mine among the varieties of this year.

Repunched Date—This year offers a nice selection, the most dramatic being FS-310, F-20, with the first date placed south about 50% offregister.

Misplaced Date—FS-312; F-102, Flynn MPD-003. Ample traces of the 1 from a different date punch, much smaller than that used on the 1868 nickel, are seen protruding from the left side of the ball above the date. URS-4.

Scribe Mark—FS-401, F-56. A raised ring or circle line is mostly seen at the shield border. Someone scribed a circle, slightly o!-center to the left, on a working die for unknown reasons.6 The ring is most prominent as an arc above and to the upper left of the shield. As icing on the cake, this is also one of numerous missing-leaf varieties (see below).

Reverse of 1868—Reverse die E was used only this year and only for a limited time. Among 1868 nickels, this scarce style can be quickly identified by stars that point under the left serif of S in STATES and at the interior of M in AMERICA (at the right edge of its left upright). While the Reverse of 1868 is seen much less often than the normal reverse, there are enough around to supply Shield nickel enthusiasts seeking an example.7 The working hub, with the features in relief, failed at an early date, as certain letters became broken. Working dies made from that working hub display progressive deterioration. Three pages are devoted to the Shield reverse dies of 1868 in the FivazStanton work, based on the efforts of Dennis Paulsen.

Missing Leaf—No outside leaf on the second group at right; three leaves instead of four. Ed Fletcher lists 14 missing-leaf varieties, to which Ken Hill has added five more. Shown is FS-401, F-56. This is also the above-listed Scribe Mark variety (see for pricing).