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Correct. The complete meaning is: 3.5 shots of gin and half a shot of vermouth over 4 parts ice, finished off with three stirs (the 3×360o). Just in case anything is not obvious: H2O = water. Hence H2O3 = water cube or ice (power of three = cube) The Gin and Vermouth is on top of H2O3. Hence the over ice cube. 360o is a full circle or one stir. Parker Pen Company ran an advertising campaign in the early 1970s, showing a hand using a Parker Pen to write the 'mathematical' formula on a piece of paper. The result was that they received numerous inquiries by chemists, mathematicians, and physicists, asking for the meaning of the formula. Apparently the campaign received one very critical letter asking "Who ever heard of a martini without an olive?"

I'd give a few different examples to make the point: Major: H and KN - mint marks are clear and obvious Minor: the recut portait for large silver in 1920 - some authorities denied this existed, but after research the obverse has sufficient small differences to register as a variety Micro: the two reverses of 1937 penny, which hinge entirely on whether the horizon meets a tooth or a space.

I would have been pleased to save them from the melting pot.

I did a back of an envelope exercise a few months ago, putting together the 164A's we know about on here, plus those sold at LCA and other known auctions, plus those in well known collections. It came to about 23. So you could perhaps reasonably assume there are say 60 +/- 10, extant in total worldwide. Something like that. So when I said not too wide of the mark, I meant by comparison with some of the other estimates, not that it was a truly accurate representation ! As you say the 1922 trident dot is no doubt an under estimate as well.

Yes, I don't know whether he's invented these "new" Freeman varieties or they were described as such when he bought them. He described his website as being designed more for "beginners" as opposed to mine which he describes as more for "experts". I'd probably use the term "pedants" 😀

7 parts gin and one part vermouth, over 4 ice cubes, stirred three times, gives you a Martini?

Wow. That's an AMAZING variety. Did the hand originally have 5 fingers? Is the 6th one re-engraved? The hologram effect of the hand appearing to move is just awesome. Is it yours? Would you consider selling?

There's also a 1902 low tide variety with the bar in the zero and an inverted wavy 2.