Major error eye candy #7: Broadstrike with partial counterbrockage
jonathanb
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I'm about 80% sure I've got this right. I wish this wasn't a nickel. Of all modern coinage, nickels seem to hold details the most poorly, with transferred images getting 'granular' as seen here.
A brockage is caused when a struck coin is struck a second time, creating a negative impression into the second planchet. A counterbrockage is caused when a brockage is struck a second time, creating a raised image again. Since coinage metals are softer than die steel, brockages tend to be expanded with flattened designs, and counterbrockages more so.
On error often described (incorrectly) as a counterbrockage is a uniface second strike. If an existing struck coin is struck against a second coin, then not only will it cause a brockage in the second coin, but its original design will also usually become flattened and distorted in the process. One hallmark of a uniface second strike is that the design within the distorted area "matches up with" the adjacent undistorted design. This can be seen for example on the reverse of the double-struck-through-cloth example that I showed earlier. "Flattened and distorted" by itself is not the definition of a counterbrockage. A counterbrockage must be created as the second strike of a brockage.
The 1989-P 5c shown here has what I think is a counterbrockage second strike. The large area at 6:00 appears at first glance to be a normal indent... but it has detail. In particular, there is a large arc from about 7:30 to 5:00. I think that's the top of Jefferson's head. There are some other marks near the right side of the "indent" that match up with the LI of LIBERTY -- somewhat clearer in hand than in the images here, although you can see something here as well.
Counterbrockages are normally produced by die caps. First, a struck coin fails to eject. A second planchet is fed on top of it, receiving a normal strike from the obverse die and a perfectly centered brockage on the other side, from the impression of the first coin. That second coin then sticks to the obverse die, the first planchet is ejected, and a third planchet is struck that receives a normal impression from the reverse die and a counterbrockage strike from the second planchet stuck to the obverse die. By that sequence, counterbrockages are also almost always centered. An off-center counterbrockage is rare -- rare enough that it raises some doubt that this is one. It sure seems to be, though!
Earlier:
Major error eye candy #1: Edge strike, double struck
Major error eye candy #2: 125% struck through cloth
Major error eye candy #3: Struck through feeder finger
Major error eye candy #4: 1955 Double Date Lincoln Cent
Major error eye candy #5: Nonface strikes
Major error eye candy #6: Reeding struck through coin
A brockage is caused when a struck coin is struck a second time, creating a negative impression into the second planchet. A counterbrockage is caused when a brockage is struck a second time, creating a raised image again. Since coinage metals are softer than die steel, brockages tend to be expanded with flattened designs, and counterbrockages more so.
On error often described (incorrectly) as a counterbrockage is a uniface second strike. If an existing struck coin is struck against a second coin, then not only will it cause a brockage in the second coin, but its original design will also usually become flattened and distorted in the process. One hallmark of a uniface second strike is that the design within the distorted area "matches up with" the adjacent undistorted design. This can be seen for example on the reverse of the double-struck-through-cloth example that I showed earlier. "Flattened and distorted" by itself is not the definition of a counterbrockage. A counterbrockage must be created as the second strike of a brockage.
The 1989-P 5c shown here has what I think is a counterbrockage second strike. The large area at 6:00 appears at first glance to be a normal indent... but it has detail. In particular, there is a large arc from about 7:30 to 5:00. I think that's the top of Jefferson's head. There are some other marks near the right side of the "indent" that match up with the LI of LIBERTY -- somewhat clearer in hand than in the images here, although you can see something here as well.
Counterbrockages are normally produced by die caps. First, a struck coin fails to eject. A second planchet is fed on top of it, receiving a normal strike from the obverse die and a perfectly centered brockage on the other side, from the impression of the first coin. That second coin then sticks to the obverse die, the first planchet is ejected, and a third planchet is struck that receives a normal impression from the reverse die and a counterbrockage strike from the second planchet stuck to the obverse die. By that sequence, counterbrockages are also almost always centered. An off-center counterbrockage is rare -- rare enough that it raises some doubt that this is one. It sure seems to be, though!
Earlier:
Major error eye candy #1: Edge strike, double struck
Major error eye candy #2: 125% struck through cloth
Major error eye candy #3: Struck through feeder finger
Major error eye candy #4: 1955 Double Date Lincoln Cent
Major error eye candy #5: Nonface strikes
Major error eye candy #6: Reeding struck through coin
1
Comments
How many more errors are you going to show?
<< <i>Based on the images I think it is only struck once (a large broadstrike) and that it's an indent not a counterbrockage. >>
Whoops, yes, definitely struck only once. I wasn't thinking. I still think it's a counterbrockage, but I agree it's hard to be sure.
<< <i>How many more errors are you going to show? >>
I've got about a half-dozen more that I'd like to show. I might do a few more than that. There are some nice examples that aren't so much head-scratchers as just nice examples of their types. I'll see how far I want to go down that route.
<< <i>An off-center counterbrockage is rare -- rare enough that it raises some doubt that this is one. It sure seems to be, though! >>
I think it could be too, if you say that you see evidence of LIBERTY in the "indent", but I will defer to the experts. Also notice the large valley that forms the inner rim of the "brockage". I definitely don't think it was struck through a normal nickel.
Please - keep them coming!