1836 halfdime I.D. help please

mrdq

This 3 is pretty mangled. Is this the 3/inverted 3 or is this typical of the 36 H10? I only have one bust half dime so I have nothing to compare it to and valentine's pics are small, breen doesn't show a closeup.
the 6 looks like heck too if that helps diagnostics.

JrGMan2004

Looks like a 3/Inverted-3... can you give pictures of both Obv and Rev? Then I can positively identify the die pairing...

mrdq

mrdq

Looks like Valentine 4 to me

JrGMan2004

Yup... I would suggest that you got the Logan/McCloskey Federal Half Dimes book... great pictures, and more accurate than Valentine...

But yes, that is an V-4, LM-3, R-1 coin...

mrdq

does LM-3 refer to the 3/3 inversion?

JrGMan2004

LM-3 refers to the Logan/McCloskey reference numbers...

mrdq

right, but do logan and mcCloskey mention the inverted date in that description?

I'm wondering why NGC didn't put that on the label

Conder101

Yes the LM description does mention the 3 over inverted 3. As to why NGC didn't list it, did they list it as LM-3 or V-4? While NGC lists more varieties than PCGS there are stil a LOT of varieties that they don't list or won't list unless requested. (VarietyPlus service level. If you don't send it in under this service it doesn't get attributed.)

JadeRareCoin

The 3 over inverted 3 1836 half dime is one of my favorite coins. What a classic blunder! I also like the 1806/9 bust half (the first "6" was punched in upside down, then corrected). Makes you wonder if the early US die sinkers were drinking whiskey while they worked.....

lathmach

<< <i>The 3 over inverted 3 1836 half dime is one of my favorite coins. What a classic blunder! I also like the 1806/9 bust half (the first "6" was punched in upside down, then corrected). Makes you wonder if the early US die sinkers were drinking whiskey while they worked..... >>




I don't think drinking was the problem.
I own a machine shop. What amazes me is the very high quality of the work done by the early mint workers considering the tools they had to work with. The lighting had to be terrible inside the buildings with nothing but candles and oil lamps to work by, as well.
The early mint was also affected by the sicknesses that abounded then. They were times when the mint was shut completely down due to all the workers being sick.
The Gallery Mint makes pretty faithful reproductions of early coins using methods available at that early time. However, they don't work by whale oil lamps and they have the benefit of modern optics and are never affected by plagues.

Ray

JadeRareCoin

lathmach, I agree 100%. When discussing the early US Mint, I often use the same examples that you stated in your post.

The Bowers & Merena Auction Catalog of the John Adams Collection of 1794 cents has a very neat cover. It's labeled "Die Cutting at the US Mint in 1794", or something like that. It shows a die cutter sitting at a small talble in front of a big window, working off of daylight. A candle is in the background, presumbably for days when daylight is short. He is not using a magnifying glass or any special tools, other than some chisels and punches. Really cool. I am especially impressed by the work that they did on the 1794 and 95 half dimes. Imagine the intricate detail of those dies.

dorkkarl

mrdq, that's a great coin, congrats.

K S

Barndog

I thought this another interesting half dime thread...including the nice pictures.