The Red Book lists IHCs with both Shallow and Bold N's on 1870 through 1872 issues. I checked both the PCGS and NGC sites and neither seem to recognize the two types. What am I missing?
Just made the mistake of opening Snow's guide to IHCs. Thought that would help. Turned out to be a can of worms. Things just got more complicated. So back to my original question. Does NGC and/or PCGS recognize Shallow vs. Bold N's? Will they label their slabs with these varieties if requested (and paid for)?
It seems logical that if the Red Book lists the variety(s) the TPG's should follow suite.......for an extra charge, of course.
I don't recall ever seeing the Shallow N/Bold N listing on a PCGS or NGC label. PCGS lists these as Die Varieties in Coin Facts. I suspect that the TPGs don't label these as a matter of course but will be happy to do so for a fee, as they do with other die varieties.
I'm not sure what you're missing. Looking for love in all the wrong places? 1870 shallow N is PCGS #408017 and also FS-901. https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/coin/1870-1c-shallow-n-fs-901-bn/408017 1871 shallow N https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/coin/1871-1c-shallow-n-fs-901-bn/404549 1872 shallow N https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/coin/1872-1c-shallow-n-fs-901-bn/404546 Maybe you're not clicking the + in their price guide? NGC has the shallow N in their writeup, and also in the writeups for 1871 and 1872: https://www.ngccoin.com/coin-explor...n-cents-1859-1909/12097/1870-1c-ms/?des=ms-bn All 3 are in NGC VarietyPlus as "Rev of 69" https://www.ngccoin.com/variety-plus/united-states/cents/indian-cents-1859-1909/816439/ Here's one designated by PCGS: Here's one from ANACS: Haven't found one designated on an NGC slab but I haven't looked very hard.
@KBBPLL thanks for the links. The FS variety label is one that I've seen but never looked into. They're new to me but I'm seeing them showing up on more and more slabs of other types of coins. Except for the IHC varieties listed in the Red Book, I haven't paid much attention to IHC varieties. I'm going to have to dig out my IHC set and see if I have any that are in Snow's guide. Then try to link any to FS varieties.
And I thought I had a complete collection (except for 1877) of the IHC's. I just looked at my 2021 Red Book, and there it was in plain type..Shallow and Bold types. I'm going to have to find a good source that an old man of 76 can see the difference.
If you don't want to spend the money on the Snow books, the Whitman book on Flying Eagle and Indian Head Cents is very informative on many matters including the Shallow N/Bold N matter and is available for less than $20 new. And to add to your confusion, for 1870 there is a third reverse that has the characteristics of both shallow and bold N types. It arose when they repunched the shallow N die with bold N punches to make it strike up better. Note that 1871 and 1872 reverses do not show this hybrid. Side note, the 1877 used a shallow N reverse long after the mint stopped using it. Why did they use it again in 1877 when they'd last used it in 1872? As to how to tell the difference between the shallow and bold N types: The shallow N is just more shallowly struck but it's hard to determine without both side-by-side. The shallow N has broader serifs on the N but again, hard to tell without a direct comparison. For me, the easiest tell is that the Bold N has middle serifs on the Es that are shaped like bugle horns. Get it B(ugle) = B(old). The middle E serifs on shallow Ns are shaped more like a T. Attached are pictures of all three types.
