Odd looking half cent variety

python

The spiked chin variety, too bad about the marks in the field otherwise a nice looking coin.link

darktone

python- nice looking coin. I think those marks you see are normal for the variety. mike

lordmarcovan

Yes, I have seen those marks before.

Too bad about the seller.

python

Darktone, thanks my coin knowledge is very basic, do you know what caused the marks?

darktone

python-I am no expert on these coins but I would think die damage.
mike

CLASSICS

python, those marks on the lower right, they are suppose to be there, it was part of the damaged die, which also caused the spike on her chin.

python

I assume the mark on the chin is a die crack, but the marks by the rim appear to go into the surface of the coin,
what happens to a die to make this happen. Sorry for the stupid questions.

Cam40

I,m sure it was accidental damage to the die somehow by a worker and due to the absents of any quality control issues,the die was allowed to continue on, just to meet to demands of the day for those coins.

Yes I too see the die-crack across the chin area.

forgot to add me little y face.

CLASSICS

<< <i>I assume the mark on the chin is a die crack, but the marks by the rim appear to go into the surface of the coin,
what happens to a die to make this happen. Sorry for the stupid questions. >>

.......from what i understand sometimes the dies were rusted, and not up to par right from the start. the spike on her chin was caused by a die break, i also beleive those marks were also caused by pieces of the die cracked and small chips of it broke away.

Drizzt

Yes--they were having a hard time getting the steel to make
new dies with. The spike gets longer with grinding and polishing
marks running in parallel lines out to the rim.

Conder101

That's a C-8 Die state II. If you ever get to see a high grade early die state of the Spiked Chin obverse you will see those lines clearly cut into the die from the rim almost to Liberty's throat. The best guess so far is that the dies came together with a small bolt between the obverse die and a planchet. The lines are from where the thread on the bolt cut into the die and the head of the bolt created the spike on the chin. There are excellent pictures in the Breen half cent encyclopedia and a not so good one in the Breen colonial and US coins encyclopedia #1541.