For this coin:
There are two different obverses depending upon the date of the coin. This coin was struck with three dates: 1879, 1884 and 1885. The obverse for 1879 dated coins is different from the obverse for 1884-1885 dated coins. The Numista webpage only shows the obverse for the 1884-1885 dated coins which can be confusing for someone with a 1879 dated coin.
The differences are:
1. Location of privy marks: On 1879 dated coins the privy marks are located inside the inner beaded circle to the left of the “A” mintmark and to the right of the “AB” engraver's initials. For 1884-1885 dated coins, the privy marks are located outside of the inner beaded circle to the left and right of the date.
2. The Mint Director's privy mark for the 1879 dated coins is a bee. The Numista webpage makes no mention of a bee privy mark for this coin, and only lists a cornucopia privy mark under the “mint” section. The cornucopia privy mark appears on the 1884 and 1885 coins.
3. The 1879 dated coins have large dots to the left and right of the date (where the privy marks appear on the 1884 and 1885 coins).
I recommend updating the Numista webpage for this coin with a picture of the 1879 obverse, and the addition of the bee privy mark under the “mint” section. There are excellent photos of the obverse of 1879 coins on the Numista webpage under the “Auctions” section: either this one (Katz Auction 72/lot 2321) or this one (Katz Auction 177/lot 1917) could be used.
One final question: This is an example of a design change (dots to the left/right of the date in 1879 removed for the 1884 and 1885 dates, and a major relocation for the privy marks) during the production run for this coin. Should there be different catalog numbers for the two different versions?
