As a complete opposite to the falling-apart dies that struck my 1813 half dollar, This coin was struck from rather fresh dies. I attribute it as S-261 (small date, large fraction, 3 embedded in drapery), which is famous for the circular die crack that develops. The circular crack is seen on the 1804 cent restrikes because the obverse die was used to make those. However, I see no evidence of the crack on my coin (which begins between the 8 and 0). I can’t find another like this (not that I have looked too hard). Is this die state rare, and does it command a premium over the “normal” S-261? Thanks for your opinions! @Conder101 @Marshall @Moekeever @Eduard
I believe you have the attribution right. This is either obverse die state A or very early B depending on whether you think there's an early portion of the crack showing up just below the drapery. I do not see the rust at the neck just in front of the curl below the ear which appears very early on. But both your coin and the one illustrating Die State A in Noyes appear to have excessive wear at that part of the coin. This could be due to the die state or from being smoothed. As far as rarity, I really don't know. I believe it's certainly the rarer Die State between A,B,C and D, but I suspect it won't draw much of a premium with so few collectors collecting by Die State on a R2+ variety. I'd probably pay a slight premium, but there aren't many like me to drive up the price. It will probably price out based on the aesthetics rather than the rarity.
Red Arrows point to the "rust" spots I'm looking for. I don't see a mention of these, so I'm not sure how to describe them,