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Message:: [QUOTE="Conder101, post: 2710255, member: 66"]N-3 and N-4 are both from the same obverse die.  N-9 and N-10 are each different obv dies. The N numbers are "Newcomb" numbers assigned by Howard Rounds Newcomb in his book from 1944 that described the die varieties know at that time.  A die variety or die marraige is a unique combination of a given obv die and a given reverse die.  In the case of N-3 and N-4 they have the same obv but different rev dies.  Die wear and or die stages of the obv die indicate that N-3 was struck before N-4.  I'm not sure other than for die use chaining how Newcomb numbered the varieties on the 1816 to 1835 varieties, other than the fact that he copied the numbering of the work of Andews from 1883.  For the later varieties the varieties are arranged with N-1 having the date the furthest left and subsequent obverses being further and further right. The R# is the rarity of the variety based on the "Sheldon " rarity scale that runs from R8 (1 to 3 known) for the rarest to R-1 for the most common (>1,500 estimated to exist)[/QUOTE]