2 questions on 1823 50 cent capped bust
Herb_T
Posts: 1,707 ✭✭✭✭✭
I recently bought this coin and have two questions
I haven’t seen many, if any, double die 50ct capped bust coins. Is it frequent?
This looks like a broken 3 coin, but wasn’t graded as such.
Your comments?
1
Comments
Yes, double profiles were common around this time. They weren't doubled dies or even double-struck. It was a matter of loose press hardware.
Your coin appears to be the Overton 110, sometimes called the "perfect 3". Along the way the way the die cracked from the rim upward to the right side of the 3 creating the "ugly 3" (Overton 110a), a valued Redbook variety.
The broken 3 is a different die marriage...the O.101. While the 3 looks much like the O.110 careful examination of the obverse (e.g., stars and dentils) shows clear differences.
Lance.
That doubling patern is seen frequently, but as Lance says its something to do with the press. I'd love to have a better grasp
of how and why this was happening, since it seems to be limited to the profile and happened over a large part of the cbh time span...
Why not on other parts of the coin?
Great example!
Excellent picture showing both areas in question. Cheers, RickO
As for the broken 3, unless the submitter requested the variety on submission, they will not note it.
BHNC #203
It has happened to other parts of the coin. Sometimes it can be seen, much less dramatically, at eagle's wings. But by far, it is seen on the obverse from the top of the nose south. Triple, even quadruple images can be found.
Blame has been placed on a loose screw in the hammer die, allowing a little wobble to the strike. Best guess, I suppose.
Lance.
Always so cool to see these!
They are common enough that generally no real premium is added to ordinary doubling, at what point do they start to fetch a premium?
I suspect there are collectors who might pay up for doubling like on the three examples shown above...
Lance knows CBH's.
It just hapepns to be his "territory".
I haven't noticed a premium but I'll bet extreme examples might carry one.
It's a fun, quirky characteristic that just happens to be most common in 1823. Maybe it's overshadowed by the many weird "3" varieties of that year.
Lance.
Some years ago I spoke at length with Russ Logan on the double profiles. Many Bust aficionados wondered the same things about this anomaly. Russ came upon a die trial strike of an Ike dollar where only the profile began to show. Now, when a coin is struck the metal flows from the central portion of the coin towards the periphery. We postulated that if the hammer die (obverse) was loose that at first touch the profile began to emerge. Then the die shifted slightly as the pressure increased completing the strike leaving us with the double, triple or even quadruple profile!
I’m not sure this hypothesis is absolutely correct but it is the most logical explanation I’ve ever heard.
Your thoughts?
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.