Numismatist Gerry Fortin has reported the discovery of an 1851-O Seated Liberty dime struck at the New Orleans Mint that is absent Star 7 in the obverse field, in front of Liberty's face.

In the October 2015 issue of the Liberty Seated Collectors Club's electronic newsletter, The E-Gobrecht, Fortin writes the entire production of 400,000 1851-O Seated Liberty dimes was accomplished from a single pair of dies.

Fortin says he examined a Professional Coin Grading Service About Uncirculated 50 1851-O dime acquried by collector Ken Rubin who suspected he might have encountered a Chinese counterfeit. Fortin's examination of Rubin's coin determined the coin to be a genuine U.S. Mint product.

Fortin believes the almost complete absence of Star 7 in front of Liberty's face is most likely the result of a grease-filled die.

"The fact that Star 6 and Liberty's facial details are not disturbed is amazing," according to Fortin. "The foreign material that filled the Star 7 crevice on the die was localized leaving only a faint impression of the star at top most point."

Since the identification of Rubin's find, a second example has surfaced, accordiing to Fortin.