Obverse 1

The right side of the 1 is under the shield point. This die has a minor recut 5, slightly doubled to the south.

Right side of 1 below shield point, Recut 5

There is a raised dot due to a die chip in the center of the middle white (blank) stripe. This will be visible only on high-grade coins.

Raised dot in the shield

Die gouges are found near stars 1 and 2, and a diamond-shaped gouge is above Liberty’s foot.

Die gouges at stars (left) and diamond shaped gouge (right)

This obverse die has strong die polish in this early state, which will be visible on higher-grade coins.

Date Position: M 2, 0.50 mm

Reverse D

Mintmark has first C low and away from arrow, and tilted to the right. The second C is also low, centered between the arrow and the leaf, and tilted slightly to the left.

Low Close CC #2

This reverse die also comes buckled, similar to Reverse A of BF-1. It also has strong die polish, which would be visible on higher-grade coins.

Comments: This die marriage was found in January 2015.   BF-5 can easily be confused with the BF-1, which also has a low close CC. The tilt of the second C is the key difference. This die marriage is sequenced between BF-1 and BF-2.

This reverse was put into service after the severely cracked Reverse A was replaced, and seems to have been used for an even shorter period of time. This is the second use of this obverse die. This is the only use of this reverse die, which was apparently replaced quickly, possibly due to the buckling. None are known with die cracks at the present time.

Scarcity: Although its availability is still being studied, this die marriage appears to be very rare, representing a small fraction of 1% of extant 1875-CC coins. Rarity rating: R-6.