One of the things about familiarity with dies is the ability to determine a variety without things like the date which is usually considered critical to such an identification. This is an example I recently picked up where identification is on the reverse along with exclusion of obverse possibilities. It was properly identified by the seller and confirmed to my own satisfaction as the 1796 S-85 R5-: While the coin has good detail at the top, the date is completely obscured with excessive wear at the bottom. Fortunately the reverse is just good enough for a positive ID. Triplet leaves with the lowest leaf at the upright of the I and the upright of the E(D) make identification solid. As a Liberty Cap on a thin planchet, the choices are limited to 1795 S-76b through 1796 S-91. The very first possibility is Sheldon's Reverse D of 1795 which appears to be a match. I'd honestly forgotten how close this is and will reproduce my reason for the exclusion of it. Flipping back to the obverse. Notice the positions of the letters of LIBERTY and the dentils above it, the space to them and the space to the portrait. The R is further right and closer to the portrait than the dentils than Obverse 3 of 95. The upright of E is just past a dentil rather than between dentils as on Obverse 3. 1795 Reverse E - No triplet at I 1795 Reverse F - No triplets 1795 Reverses G and H - Wrong reverse design 1795 Reverse I - No triplet at I 1796 Reverse A - No triplet at E 1796 Reverse B - Triplet at foot of E rather than the upright of E 1796 Reverse C - LOOKS LIKE THE MATCH for S-85 1796 Reverse D - Triplet at foot of E rather than the upright of E 1796 Reverse E - Triplet under D 1796 Reverse F - Triplet at foot of E rather than the upright of E 1796 Reverse G - Triplet almost under D Reverse C of 96 is paired with Obverse 3 of 96. Flipping them over and comparing them. Looking at the same points as when comparing the subject to the 1795 Obverse 3 we see the R at the proper position and the E just right of a dentil confirming the S-85. Now the question arises about whether Reverse D of 95 and Reverse C of 96 are the same. But while the left outer leaves are VERY CLOSE, the right side on better coins is obviously different with leaves at different locations.
