Frosty chocolate brown surfaces are awash with cartwheel and free of any notable marks. The date, bust truncation, and most stars are surrounded by resilient red, while the reverse elements are framed in attractive pale blue. Nearly all details are fully struck, though trifling softness is seen at stars 5 through 7 and the very top of Libertys head. Minor softness on the leaves below UN of UNITED allow for a shallow linear lintmark to become visible in the right light. The reverse is rotated about 45 degrees counterclockwise from proper coin turn, a fact that allows the die state to be identified precisely before even looking at the rest of the coin. Manley studied enough coins to match the peculiar rotations to particular die states, and this one most nearly matches his State 3.0, late. With die cracks from the point of the bust and across star 1 to the rim and another extending to the rim beyond star 1 and the tips of star 3 from star 2, this closely parallels his State 4.0, though a single vertical die line above Libertys head may still be made out.The most notable aspect of this variety is the heavy criss-cross of die lines right of the date. They appear to cover a letter that doesnt belong in the space between the date and star 13. Manley suggests an errant A, but if so, the A would seemingly need to be upside down. Little remains of whatever is under the criss-crosses, though study of early die state specimens could be instructive. The only two specimens of any die state graded above MS-65 by PCGS are the Gene Reale - Missouri Cabinet coin and this one.
