CBH 1829 Overton 120

oldUScoins

Hi All:

I have a question about the 1829 O-120 attribution. In Overton's book about the reverse it states "A die defect line crosses upper olive berry and joins the two upper pair of leaves". I'm having a hard time seeing this in the PCGS plate coins for the O-120 variety.

The 2 plate coins are below. Any help appreciated!

ricko

I do see a 'line' on the first coin, between the berry and leaves, extending to the wing feather....though it does not 'appear' raised, as a die line would....could be the picture....I do not see anything on the second picture. Cheers, RickO

GoBust

The die line is much less prominent on the 1829 O-120 than the 1831 O-104 that shares the same reverse. I have studied all three examples in hand. I own the ebay discovery example that finest known that completed by 453 die marriage set that includes the four proof only die marriages. The Overton collection specimen has almost no visible line there, although parts can be seen with magnification. So its not a very easy characteristic to use to screen 1829s. The 1829 O-112 has the same obverse is extremely common, perhaps the most common 1829 marriage. So better to use scroll and letter alignment for the reverse whenever you see the appropriate obverse.

lkeigwin

The below image is from a 31-104, to give you an idea of what Overton was referring to.
Lance.

oldUScoins

Thanks for the eduction everyone! Great to have a forum where these types of questions can be answered by experts.

Thanks again.

GoBust

Thanks for adding the picture Lance!

RichieURich

Great thread! Really makes me wonder how this die marriage is so rare. No obvious damage to either die, so it couldn't have been early failure of a die.

lkeigwin

We'll never know with certainty, of course. But it does make you wonder.

It must have had to do with the obverse die since the reverse lived on.
Lance.

astrorat

Some speculation ... but here goes a possible scenario ... based on what I understand of how coins were struck at the time.

The dies were kept in a location that was locked or otherwise had restricted access. The coiner would select or receive an obverse die and a reverse die when coins were ordered to be struck. The dies were not in pre-matched pairs, but selected independent of each other. Thus, when coins were to be struck, the pair of dies choses was subject to chance based on the dies available. [We know obverse and reverse dies were used independent of each other based on the surviving die marriages.]

What if ... an order to strike half dollars was received and the appropriate dies selected. Coining then commenced, but was interrupted for whatever reason (e.g., shift was over, coining press needed repair, coiner was injured, new 'urgent' coining order was received, etc) and only a small number of coins were struck.

The serviceable dies would be placed back into storage until it was time to strike half dollars again. At that time, a different pairing of dies was selected.

This could lead to a small number of coins for a die marriage (i.e. Overton variety) and not as the result of a damaged die.

Possible?

If not possible, please educate me.