1926-D Buffalo-- some thoughts?

gyocomgd

The top coin is one I picked up today. Although the 1926-D is problematic from the get-go, I've really enjoyed trying to find BU examples with a full horn. It's challenging trying to find something other than a "pancake" and satisfying when I do.

Compare the top coin with the one below it and give me your thoughts, including grades. Both are BU, but I rather favor the example at top I got today. The toning isn't quite as pretty, but the surfaces are much cleaner. I put them both at MS63; you have to relax the standard a bit for the exigencies of the year and mint.
Guy

gyocomgd

Buehler...anyone?

BuffaloIronTail

Are you sure that the second one isn't an S?.

You bought them raw, I gather. Both are about the same except the second one seems better.

The fields are nicer, and the plain that Black Diamond is perched atop is much bolder.

I'd say 63 on both.

As I stated before, indifference to quality by mint employees back then, and a serious problem with die steel made these badly struck coins a reality.

The dies were wearing out way too fast. The problem was linked to poor annealing (hardening) of the dies at Philadelphia, the only Mint back then that had a die shop. If dies are not properly heat-treated, they do not have the inherent hardness to withstand the constant coining pressure, and they wear quickly.

Now, Philadalphia, having the die shop, had new dies available anytime they needed them. That's why Philly coins are superior. Denver and San Francisco had to make do with what was on hand.

Philly shipped as many dies as were needed to complete the requisite amount of coins specified by the Government. Sometimes they would get no more. Sometimes they would have to order more and wait.

Coinage of a specific denomination (run) were part of an employees day. The presses had to be set up, dies installed, and blanks made for coining that specific denomination had to be loaded and available.

Changing a run because of premature die wear was not an option. Once everything was set up, the coins were struck.....however they looked.

An extreme example of the above happened in 1922 at Denver, when that facility was required to strike 7 million Lincoln Cents.

They ran out of dies, and when they notified Philly that they needed more.........they were told that no more would be sent. So they used whatever scrapped and overused dies that were there to complete the coinage. This resulted in the 1922 "Plain" Cent. The mintmark just disappeared on 2 dies, and on the third it was abraided off.

So there you go.

Hope this helps.....



Pete