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One error the US has avoided so far ... or has it?

ZoinsZoins Posts: 34,117 ✭✭✭✭✭
edited December 4, 2020 6:45AM in U.S. Coin Forum

This is what happens when you use the same design for every denomination!

If you look closely, you'll see a double rim on the obverse since the die used is intended for a smaller coin, the 10 cent coin, not the dollar coin. Understandable when they are the same design for every coin.

Some people call this a double denomination but the 10 cent denomination isn't actually on the coin so this is debatable to me.

The US used to use the same design on many coins, especially for the Liberty Seated and Barber series. We even had the Liberty Seated Double Dime coin!

Did the US Mint ever use the wrong denomination obverse with the same design for a coin?

Comments

  • ZoinsZoins Posts: 34,117 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @messydesk said:
    If I'm not mistaken, the same reverse dies were used on draped bust $2.50 and heraldic eagle dimes.

    It would be great to see those!

  • ZoinsZoins Posts: 34,117 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited December 4, 2020 8:23AM

    @messydesk said:
    1797 $2.50

    1798/7 10c

    Great coins!

    Love the James Stack coin! It's a dream coin for me.

    The Hansen coin nice too. Love the clashing on it :)

    Is the die not intended for one of the denominations? Or was that intentional?

  • CaptHenwayCaptHenway Posts: 32,144 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @messydesk said:
    If I'm not mistaken, the same reverse dies were used on draped bust $2.50 and heraldic eagle dimes.

    I believe that this was done intentionally as a cost saving measure, which would make it not an error, but I cannot prove that.

    Modern Quarter/Dollar mules are under a cloud of suspicion as to whether they are errors or deliberate fantasies.

    Numismatist. 50 year member ANA. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner numerous NLG Literary Awards.
  • messydeskmessydesk Posts: 19,965 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Zoins said:
    ...

    Is the die not intended for one of the denominations? Or was that intentional?

    I'm not positive. The coins are almost the same size, the designs are the same, and the press permitted it, so why not do it just to save money in the early days of the mint? There may be other such re-uses throughout the two series, but I haven't dug into it.

  • CaptHenwayCaptHenway Posts: 32,144 ✭✭✭✭✭

    There are various "patterns" where dies of different denominations were paired together, sometimes for the sake of convenience and sometimes as deliberate fantasies.

    Numismatist. 50 year member ANA. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner numerous NLG Literary Awards.
  • SweetpieSweetpie Posts: 474 ✭✭✭

    Cool topic!

    Wondering if there might be a few gold plated heraldic eagle dimes circulating back in those days similar to the 1883 V nickels.

  • messydeskmessydesk Posts: 19,965 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Sweetpie said:
    Cool topic!

    Wondering if there might be a few gold plated heraldic eagle dimes circulating back in those days similar to the 1883 V nickels.

    You'd think so, but perhaps the difference in the obverse design plus the penalties for counterfeiting made it not worth the risk.

  • CryptoCrypto Posts: 3,687 ✭✭✭✭✭

    There are mules of coins of different designed paired together two famous ones
    1839 small letters Rev bust half
    1840 (o) large letter seated half (Rev of 1838)

    Some how they made some reeded edge bust halves with a Rev from seated halves

    And New Orleans made some seated halves with bust have revs

  • coinkatcoinkat Posts: 23,097 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Anyone else notice the Kangaroos seem to be moving in a circle?

    Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.

  • messydeskmessydesk Posts: 19,965 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Heraldic eagle halves and $10 gold are about the same size, so those reverse dies were also interchangeable. I don't know if they were reused across denominations. The quarters and $5 gold are 2 mm apart in diameter, so reuse there was less likely to work well.

  • CaptHenwayCaptHenway Posts: 32,144 ✭✭✭✭✭

    The classic opportunity would have been a Liberty nickel Obverse with a Liberty $5 reverse. Same size and similar design. Never happened that I know of.

    Numismatist. 50 year member ANA. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner numerous NLG Literary Awards.
  • MsMorrisineMsMorrisine Posts: 33,077 ✭✭✭✭✭

    this is a great thread

    Current maintainer of Stone's Master List of Favorite Websites // My BST transactions
  • messydeskmessydesk Posts: 19,965 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @CaptHenway said:
    The classic opportunity would have been a Liberty nickel Obverse with a Liberty $5 reverse. Same size and similar design. Never happened that I know of.

    And that could have easily been a "made to order" pattern, too, given the shenanniganry of the time.

  • ThreeCentSilverFLThreeCentSilverFL Posts: 1,686 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I believe that I see the same Die chip result in both the $2.50 and the 10c reverse...

  • CaptHenwayCaptHenway Posts: 32,144 ✭✭✭✭✭

    These are known to be the same die. Look at the die state of the star below. It was used to strike quarter eagle, and then dimes.

    Numismatist. 50 year member ANA. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner numerous NLG Literary Awards.
  • BustDMsBustDMs Posts: 1,608 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @messydesk said:
    If I'm not mistaken, the same reverse dies were used on draped bust $2.50 and heraldic eagle dimes.

    This is true. An interesting article about interdenominational die clashes was written by Ed Price for The John Reich Journal. You can read it on the Newman portal or join the society at JRCS.org.

    @messydesk said:
    Heraldic eagle halves and $10 gold are about the same size, so those reverse dies were also interchangeable. I don't know if they were reused across denominations. The quarters and $5 gold are 2 mm apart in diameter, so reuse there was less likely to work well.

    There is no evidence that these dies were used interchangeably.

    Q: When does a collector become a numismatist?



    A: The year they spend more on their library than their coin collection.



    A numismatist is judged more on the content of their library than the content of their cabinet.
  • TiborTibor Posts: 3,554 ✭✭✭✭✭

    There was a collection several years ago that dealt with the $2.50/ .10 pairings.

  • BustDMsBustDMs Posts: 1,608 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Tibor said:
    There was a collection several years ago that dealt with the $2.50/ .10 pairings.

    Ed Price collection of dimes and quarter eagles. The story of the interdenominational die clashes are included in the catalog by Heritage.

    Q: When does a collector become a numismatist?



    A: The year they spend more on their library than their coin collection.



    A numismatist is judged more on the content of their library than the content of their cabinet.
  • TiborTibor Posts: 3,554 ✭✭✭✭✭

    That's the one. Can't seem to find the Catalogue. Thanks.

  • BustDMsBustDMs Posts: 1,608 ✭✭✭✭✭

    It is a small dedicated collection catalog if that helps.

    Q: When does a collector become a numismatist?



    A: The year they spend more on their library than their coin collection.



    A numismatist is judged more on the content of their library than the content of their cabinet.

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