Looking at some flowing hair half dimes.

topstuf

Kind of surprised to see so MANY with adjustment marks.
That must have been weird. Filing down the weight on an itty bitty coin.

Dollars and halves I can see, but who was getting rich off of melting half dimes?

Kliao

If there is quantity might be possible

Do you have an example of a filed coin? Herd of them never seen one

divecchia

Here is an example from eBay of a flowing hair half dime with file adjustment marks on it.

Donato

topstuf

MS63

Kliao

Very sad to see these very nice coins ruined. Do they get a straight grade?

divecchia

@Kliao said:
Very sad to see these very nice coins ruined. Do they get a straight grade?

Yes, they get a straight grade. The reason being; it was something that was done at the mint to adjust the weight of the coin so that the metal content of the coin did not exceed the face value of the coin.

Edited to add:

The file adjustment marks were made on the planchet prior to striking the coin. Sometimes the marks were so deep that the striking of the coin did not remove the marks.

Donato

stman

Then I guess some folks wouldn’t like the “damage” on this one with a lamination.

Kliao

@divecchia said:

@Kliao said:
Very sad to see these very nice coins ruined. Do they get a straight grade?

Yes, they get a straight grade. The reason being; it was something that was done at the mint to adjust the weight of the coin so that the metal content of the coin did not exceed the face value of the coin.

Edited to add:

The file adjustment marks were made on the planchet prior to striking the coin. Sometimes the marks were so deep that the striking of the coin did not remove the marks.

Donato

Very interesting. Never knew this. Thanks for the info

Tomthecoinguy

TDNs 10 million dollar, silver dollar had adjustment marks on it.

All things being equal, I would rather not have adjustment marks. But it is a compromise I would be willing to make to have a nice coin from that era.

LindeDad

What about both on the same coin.

Walkerfan

@Tomthecoinguy said:
TDNs 10 million dollar, silver dollar had adjustment marks on it.

All things being equal, I would rather not have adjustment marks. But it is a compromise I would be willing to make to have a nice coin from that era.

I agree but only if they are subtle.

If they are blatantly bad and harshly done; I wouldn’t want it.

topstuf

"BAD"justment marks.

Coinstartled

@Tomthecoinguy said:
TDNs 10 million dollar, silver dollar had adjustment marks on it.

All things being equal, I would rather not have adjustment marks. But it is a compromise I would be willing to make to have a nice coin from that era.

Though the adjustment marks generally reduce the value, particularly when excessive, I prefer them as they are artifacts of the earliest days of US coinage.

Icollecteverything

That poor 63 looks like it would have been a stunner without the filing.

BryceM

Them old boys had a job to do and they took it seriously. If it was worth doing it was worth doing right. Besides, a half dime was a decent amount of value back then.

Tomthecoinguy

@Walkerfan said:

@Tomthecoinguy said:
TDNs 10 million dollar, silver dollar had adjustment marks on it.

All things being equal, I would rather not have adjustment marks. But it is a compromise I would be willing to make to have a nice coin from that era.

I agree but only if they are subtle.

If they are blatantly bad and harshly done; I wouldn’t want it.

Yes, I agree with you too. I think we are on the same page. It would have to be a nice coin, with the marks around the rim. I would have no interest in the MS63 listed above. The adjustment marks in that coin are just to distracting. They destroy most of the design, which is what I would want the coin for.

Paradisefound

Wait for a decent one if you afford ..... time and price wise IMHO I would not be happy with those example even if it's free.

topstuf

@Icollecteverything said:
That poor 63 looks like it would have been a stunner without the filing.

And someone saved THAT one!

CoinSuperstore

Here's one we picked up recently...wish they all looked like this!

Walkerfan

@CoinSuperstore wow! That’s beautiful and I can’t believe that it’s only a good 4! Love the old slab too.

Nysoto

Mint Director Henry William De Saussure, October 27, 1795, just before his resignation, "Great delays were incurred in obtaining the heavy iron-work, particularly the rollers; and these were not always fit for use, when obtained. Those which are now in use almost being worn out, I have been striving to replace them with the fine Andover iron."

The Mint could not roll planchet strips within thickness tolerances to make legal weight in 1794-95, so they relied on adjusting for overweight planchets, and some plugs on mostly dollars for underweight planchets. Plugging a half-dime would not be feasible, and evidently the Mint erred on the high side with the half-dime planchet strips and relied on adjusting to correct the weight, rather than throwing too-thin planchets back into the melting pot to go through the lengthy process again.

The NJ Andover Iron Works was shutting down by 1795, if the Mint obtained any "fine Andover Iron" it would have been on the secondary market.