What did/or does the US mint do with used coin dies after they deface or cancel them?

NumisOxide

I know the US Mint does sell modern coin dies. You can buy some of them directly from the mint, but what about the old days (19th- early 20th century). Did the mint sell them to collectors back then, too? I do know that the mint did reuse reverse dies a lot. Also, sometimes obverse dies. That's why there are overdate coins. When the die life was up, what did the mint do with it after they cancelled it? Lets see what you all know about this subject. Thanks.

ROBERTB

They probably tossed them in the trash or melted them I'd imagine??

cladking

Most of these, I believe, still end up in an electric furnace for destruction. Various
means have been used over the years.

GAT

I have seen Sitting Liberty Dollar dies with a X ground out in private hands. It's my understanding that the Mint stopped releasing such dies as unscrupulous people were making off center coins with them.

numobri

I think the mint use to cancelle the dies then ether sell them for scrape or dug a hole and dump them in.

I think I read a story about the DPW of Denver laying a road and found a bunch of cancelled dies.

I have an example of a Morgan obv and rev that was cancelled with a big X stamped into a slab of silver,also an example of a seated dime rev and a $5.00 lib obv that were cancelled.

I think cancelled dies and stampings from such dies are COOL.


Brian

Craton

I'd like to think that many of the dies were defaced with a large X and then tossed into the trash. and sold for scrap metal. Some euntropronuers (shees, I have never spelled that word before so if I buthered it, sorry) saw them and thought, Hey!, Those are Cool! Lets get em' out of dat scrap heap. So, Joseppi and John Claud Van Dong picked a few out and took them home. They started to play with them and decided that they could probably make some cool but fake error coins if they did some practice. They practiced away and became good at it. To this day, even if I coud afford an O/C Indian, it would make me wonder about Joseppi and John Claud Van Dong and I would wonder if I had one of their fake errors.


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p.s. This actually did happen to some Indian head dies. They scored them with an X and tossed them. Someon got a hold of some and a few smart guys figured out what they could make with them. This is why they now "puddle" the dies with a blow tortch.

PerryHall

The US mint sold cancelled dies from the 1996 Atlanta Olympic commem program. The dies had an X machined into the face and 95% of the design was still visible. They sold out in a few days and most orders couldn't be filled. Dealers and collectors complained to the mint that these dies could be used to strike fake error coins so the mint won't be selling cancelled dies in the future. Sometimes you see these dies on eBay and they sell for $600 and up. The state quarter dies the mint is selling aren't cancelled but are rather totally defaced by grinding off the total design. As far as I'm concerned, these are just scrap metal.

Conder101

In the early years of the mint they simply sold them sold them as scrap metal. If you read histories of the early mint you may recal the story about how after the mint burned in 1816, during clean up an onld vault was opened and a bunch of old dies and hubs were found. These were sold to a dealer in scrap metal, but a couple dozen were acquired by Joseph Mickley.

Later they wre canceled and sold for scrap, or simply buried on the grounds. During the recent renovations at the Carson City mint a large number of canceled dies were found buried. They were under a sidewalk, if I remember correctly. Eventually after the scandels of the restriking the law required that at the end of the year all old dies on hand were to be destroyed "by fire and sledge", meaning that they should be heated to softness and the die faces destroyed by being defaced through blows of a sledgehammer. What was done with the dies after that was done was not stated, but they were probably sold as scrap. Eventually they just melted the face of the die with a welding torch.

morgannut2

Condor has it correct: both the Denver and CC dies were buried and have been subsequently dug up. One die from CC--I think it's a 1878CC quarter-- was canceled and then used again by the mint.
On the other question: Yes, just like today, after collecting became popular post Civil War, you wrote the mint and they'd send you coins generally wrapped in tissue paper. Or you could get them from a local dealer like the Chapman Bros. who cherrypicked nice coins from the mint. They would also get you "proofs" or other oddballs from their friends at the mint on order.

NumisOxide

Excellent replies guys, I learned a lot.
numobri, that's awesome that you own a couple of dies. Cancelled dies are cool. I'll probably buy some modern coin dies from the mint. Even though they deface them.

numobri

John,

I do not own the dies only stampings from such dies.

I still think they'er cool.

Brian

NumisOxide

<< <i>John,

I do not own the dies only stampings from such dies.

I still think they'er cool.

Brian >>


I misunderstood, sorry. That's still cool.