100 Top Liberty Seated Dime Varieties
Top 100 #60 1873 WA Fortin 103

Owner Comments:

Doubled Shield, dramatic obverse die doubling within upper shield and to the right of upper shie - This doubled obverse die variety was discovered by Kam Ahwash, but not published in his 1981 encyclopedia. The misplaced 3 digit was discovered in 2002 and first listed in Kevin Flynn's MPD book entitled "Two Dates Are Better Than One, A Collector's Guide to Misplaced Dates". This variety, with its spectacular die doubling within and to the right of the shield, is considered R-6 and is infrequently encountered, bringing a significant premium when located. Kevin Flynn has suggested that the die doubling results from a working die being rotated from a pivot point at 2:00 and receiving only a partial hubbing in the center design elements.

Plate Coin; Locating a choice and original F-103 example will take patience and considerable effort. Presently, I am aware of two coins in AU or higher grade with fully original surfaces; one sits in the collection of a major dealer, the other in a PCGS registry set. The plate coin was purchased in December 2008 after years of searching for a high grade fully original specimen (that someone would sell!). This dime has mint state details with lovely original grey, brown, green and even rose toning. The original toning may be the result of a small mark below (D)IME that kept the coin from being dipped and sent to TPGs for a mint state slabbing attempt. I believed the original toning to be more important than the reverse mark and wholeheartedly welcomed this rare doubled die obverse example into my reference collection. During January 2010, PCGS agreed with my assessment of this dime's original surfaces and certified the coin as PCGS AU55.