180 Degree Rotated Reverse------1864 Lg. Motto 2-cent pc.

keets

I was helping my pal sort through a large collection he purchased today and I came across another rotated coin. A few months ago it was a 1776-1976 Washington Proof rotated 135 degrees. This one is an 1864 Large Motto 2-cent piece that is rotated just shy of 180 degrees. It looks like a detector find that was cleaned since it has corrosion which is especially evident around the obverse rim. It looks to be G-VG and has an interesting cud at the RI in "America" on the reverse which joins the letters to the rim. I checked a census page and these are listed as R2 with 500-1000 known so it must have been a case of the die being installed in the press oriented 180 degrees off and an operator asllep at the wheel!!!!

Anyone ever seen one of these? This makes two in the last couple of months for me. Strange to say the least cause I'm not looking for them, they find me!!

Al H.

Russ

<< <i>Anyone ever seen one of these? >>



I own two.

Russ, NCNE

GaCoinGuy

I gave someone a 2 center with a rotated reverse in a swap once.....I think it was A2labmom. Don't recall what year it was though

Coinosaurus

A common variety & worth little premium as far as 1864 2c pieces go. You seem them on the Bay of E all the time, usually by someone looking for an unrealistic markup over the regular variety. Still a cool coin, IMHO.

Russ

Mine are both EF and I paid less than $35 each. One I grabbed on eBay and the other at a show. Might not be worth any premium, but I think they're high on the coolness meter.

Russ, NCNE

Conder101

They are quite common, I've owned several and seen a fair number more. I think R-2 is too high, it is an R-1-.

ldhair

A fun coin to have.

I picked up a VF for $20 about 10 years back.

SmallTownCoins

Don't have a 2 center but I do have a 1869 Shield Nickel rotated 180.... dark and ugly though... Cool....

keets

i had assumed others might have one of these or might have seen one, more than i had figured, though. can anyone tell me if their coin has the cud mine has and if it's bigger or smaller? it might be neat to do a little die progression study among the coins we have. post a picture of the reverse if you can.

al h.

dorkkarl

common, but certainly a lot of fun

K S

haletj

I have a 180 degree rotated reverse 1861 3 cent silver! Is this more common on these odd denomination coins?

RotatedRainbows

I have a 180 degree rotated reverse 1861 3 cent silver! Is this more common on these odd denomination coins?

No not really, rotated die errors can be found on most dates of Indian Head cents for the 1860's as well as many Shield Nickels. The 1861 3¢ Silver is well known with 180° rotation including many mint state examples.

jadecoin

Here's a 2 cent coin that has a major obverse cud: Two Cent with major rim break

In our opinion, the cud ads much more value than the die rotation error. I have seen many with smaller cuds, but the large cud errors are scarcer and even rare for certain dates. This is logical, since a large cud is indicative of a terminal die state, and probably crumbled shortly after the cud formed. Even if the die could continue to work for another 1000 or so strikes, mint employees of past would be more likely to notice the die damage and replace it in an expedient manner. Whereas with smaller rim breaks, they could go without being noticed and even if the die damage was noticed, it was too costly to replace the die for such minor damage. Just my thoughts.


Please note that we are not trying to advertise this coin to forum members, but rather we feel that it is important to the topic of this thread.

JohnZ

I've got an 1864 rotated 45 degrees. Maybe the operator was just starting to fall asleep!