Die Cracks and 1922 Peace Dollars

dakra

I just received a 1922-D peace dollar that I bid on @ ebay. It went pretty cheap and I guess others noted what I noted...a scratch under "In God We Trust". It was a nice example so I picked it up and despite the scratch it was a nice price.

I received it yesterday and yeah...it could be a scratch but something was telling me it could be a die crack. I have attached a pic, sorry but my scanner isn't too great, most notably the "extra metal" after the "R" and then how it branches off at the "V"

Then today, I was checking out ebay for other peace dollars and came across this:
Link-ster

Any die crack experts out there who can help determine if this is a die crack? Is it common with the 1922-D Peace Dollar? Does it help or hinder the value? Please see attached scan.

Thanks,
Dave

mrfred

I am definitely not a die-crack expert, but I do work a lot w/ Peace Dollars (see my logo at left). I do not recall that die crack in the VAM book. Ditto the extra metal. Anybody else? A new VAM?

paigowjohnny

It looks like a scratch to me. Die cracks come up off the coin...that one looks like it goes into the coin as I see it.
But that's based on your picture and not looking real hard at it with a loupe.

mrfred

...johnny: I agree; good points there.

dakra

I tried with a 10x loupe but it really didn't help me with exception to the area around the "R" and I don't have much experience with die cracks. The weird thing is the die crack/scratch starts around the same place as the other and the other weird thing is that my die crack/scratch branches off. I would think that would be unusual for just a scratch.

If I could get a better scan, I would post it but that took me a couple of tries

-Dave

dorkkarl

your digi-pic definitely does show a die-crack.

that die-crack on the ms-66 coin, below the "in god we" is, to my observation, common. in fact i think it is a vam variety w/ an r5 rating (if memory serves correct), but again, i just don't think it's that rare.

K S

mrfred

K.S. -- my kudos to your memory!!

mbbiker

I have 2 like that i'll go take some pics of them do you want just the die crack or the whole coin?

coinguy1

Dave, I'm with Karl - it's a die crack and, in my experience, is not unusual for that date.

Below, is an image of an NGC MS66 we currently have. You can see a die crack in the same place you noted. And, look to the right of Liberty's neck and hair - that is a die crack too.

Some people like them and others don't. It shouldn't affect the value.

dorkkarl

thanks mrfred!

dakra, in the study of classic coinage, especially those struck by hand, such die-cracks serve as an invaluable tool for studying die wear progression. ie., if you had a series of coins struck from the same pair of dies, & a die crack started out & began to enlarge over time, you would be able to essentially sort all the coins off that die pair into the order of which they were struck. thus, you could study such characteristics of die wear, die polishing, etc.

same applies to modern coinage, but due to the far higher volumes, & more consistent strikes, the study is not as accurate as on the hand-produced coins.

K S

paigowjohnny

Well as I look at it closer, it could be a die crack. My inital perception is that the line was "carved" into the surface. Looking a little closer, maybe my perspective is off.

You should be able to tell from a loupe whether the mark is "carved" into the coin or rising above the surface.

I have some Morgans with some really neat die cracks...I actually like them, as long as the don't obscure the main elements of the coin.

mbbiker

Here is a pic of my 1922 die crack the pic is bright but it shows the crack well, it starts under WE and goes along the neck all the way to the date.