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Message:: [QUOTE="Jaelus, post: 2064602, member: 46237"]Very true. Cherrypickers lists the B-1 as FS-25-1834-901 and says that it's a "rare variety" when anyone collecting this series knows they are the most common variety of the most common date. What it doesn't mention is that the coin has a different reverse with a deliberate design change and the die doubling (O/F) is largely irrelevant for spotting the variety. You bring up an interesting question. Since the O/F reverse was first used at the tail end of 1833 it seems logical that this design change was carried over to the first coins minted in 1834, after which they decided to revert to the three line stripes in the shield. Accordingly, it may be possible that the lion share of quarters accounted for in the mint count for 1834 were O/F and 1834s minted in 1835 were all other varieties. The reverse on the O/F is also a lower profile with rounder edges on the devices and would likely hold up better in circulation. Also, I haven't seen it mentioned in any of the texts on this series, but it seems to me that the '34s have a noticeably different face on the bust as well. The chin protrudes further, comes to more of a point, and is a lot rounder. The nose also has more of a downturn and a longer bridge with a slightly different curve. I can always tell a '34 before I've even looked at the date.[/QUOTE]