The Problem: Understanding and recognizing features dealing with large cent physical characteristics used to identify varieties. My Tentative Solution: I find pictures of the physical characteristics mentioned in descriptions of the features. Then I copy the image at a larger scale and set up a library of them that I can refer to. I can't share my work because I'm copying the image out of published material that I own. Doing that is legal. Sharing that with others would violate copyright law. But if it works well enough for me to ID Large Cent varieties, I'll be a much happier person. I've considered doing my own photographic source work and making it available. But at my age I believe the time required would be greater than I have left.
fair use from US copyright laws 107. Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use41 Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include— (1) the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes; (2) the nature of the copyrighted work; (3) the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and (4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.
I did the same thing. I am still looking for all the die pairs of 1852. I got lucky and found really good pics of all the 1852 die pairings on a dealer's webpage. The hard part comes when you have to actually go looking for specific die pairings to buy. Especially when the pairing has attributions that can be attributed to several different die pairs. When the difference is so small, like, the positioning of the 1 to a dentil, bad pics could have you buying a duplicate. Done that. After buying a couple duplicate die pairs is when I went and found pics to reference back to. Good luck with the hunt.
