(Not so) Short Story: The 1918/7-D Buffalo Nickel (edited in post)
BuffaloIronTail
Posts: 7,494 ✭✭✭✭✭
A Beehive of Activity
The 1918/7-D Buffalo Nickel overdate was actually manufactured during the last three
months of 1917 at the main U.S. Mint in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On April 6, 1917,
the United States had entered into World War I, and the entire nation was gearing up to a
war footing. The eventual goal was to provide men and material to support our entry in
the struggle against Germany.
Even without our Nation’s entry into World War I, The Mint at Philadelphia at the time
was very busy manufacturing and producing dies for not only the current year (1917), but
also for the coming year (1918). The changeover in years always overlapped. Dies for
both years were produced at the same time.
During this critical time of coin production, new taxes and fees were imposed on the
American public to help finance the war effort. An unprecedented demand for minor
coinage of One and Five Cent denominations began to tax the Mint to its’ very limits to
produce these coins. One can probably envision this activity as being similar to a beehive,
with the bees scurrying everywhere to make ends meet.
The die, as they say, had been set. But there was one more ingredient to add to this mix.
Uncle Sam Wants YOU!
Patriotism reached into the sanctums of the United States Mint, and Mint employees, just
like their fellow countrymen, enlisted to serve overseas. Experienced and trained labor
from all three Mints suddenly left their posts to join the war effort.
In the midst of the critical changeover from coinage of 1917 to 1918, the Mint scrambled
to hire replacements. This, when operations on an uninterrupted schedule were crazy
enough, let alone without an influx of new, untrained employees. This scenario explains
the basic reason why events started to go wrong.
A Cold and Chilly Philly Morning
The winds of war and weather swirled around outside the environs of the Philadelphia
Mint sometime near the end of 1917. New hires and seasoned veterans struggled to get
the job done. I don’t think that it would be too out of place to state that the “Baptism of
Fire” had begun for the replacement employees. Amidst an insurmountable demand for
coins and productivity, the new force was trained as best as possible and thrown into the
cauldron of coin production.
And what a cauldron it was! The Mint is, in reality no more than a government owned
and operated manufacturing plant with a specialized product. The manufacture and
minting of coins involves myriad steps, each step creating its’own unique sound. There
would have been the constant clatter from the coining presses as they churned out new
coins, the metal clanging of furnace doors opening and closing, the hydraulic hissing of
the hubbing machines, the constant ruckus emanating from the blanking machine area, and
the whirls and squeaks from the upset mill. Add to that the constant motion of coin bins
transporting blanks, planchets, or newly minted coins going everywhere at once, and the
side by side hubbing of two different years coinage dies at the same time, with employees
removing annealed dies from the furnace and transporting them to the hubbing press for
another impression.
There was a whole lot going on..............
This hectic pace and frantic rush to produce coins is the cause for what was to happen
next.
The Janvier Premiers and Philly Fails
The Mint purchased a new Janvier Reducing Lathe in 1907, but didn’t actually use it
successfully until late in 1920! The new machine was capable of reducing in size a model
design of approximately 12 to 16 inches in size (what is called a Galvano) to the exact size
of a die needed to strike the actual coin.
The Mint first tried the direct reduction in 1907 on Augustus St. Gaudens’ new $20
Double Eagle design. Due to unknown technical problems, they were unable To do it. It
seemed the Mint could not get the Janvier to operate properly and correctly and
satisfactorily cut on a direct reduction from a larger-size Galvano. They scrapped the
direct reduction process and fell back to a compromise position.
As a consequence, Brenners Lincoln Cent, Fraser’s Buffalo Nickel, Weinmans Winged
Liberty Head Dime, and Macneils Standing Liberty Quarter (to name a few) were all
reduced outside the Mint to a more manageable 9 inch size by the Meddalic Art Company
located in New York, NY
From this point, the Janvier was able to successfully reduce the size to the exact dimension
needed to produce dies for coinage.
The first coin that The Mint was able to fully re-produce (without the outside reduction)
on the Janvier goes to Anthony De Francischi’s 1921 Peace Dollar. It took the Mint 14
years to master the use of the new Janvier Reducing Machine. One year short of 100, the
Janvier is still in use today. It must have been a heck of a complicated piece of equipment!
The Hubbing Process
The Janvier, in a long, slow process sometimes taking up to two full days to complete,
produced the Master Hub for production of coinage. The Master Hub is used every year
to produce the two (normally) Master Dies that will, in turn, be used to create several
Working Hubs, which are positive in relief, just like the finished coin will be.
The Working Hubs form the basis from which all Working Dies will be produced.
Working Hubs are placed into hydraulic presses. The press is then lined up with a piece
of metal which will, after several impressions from the Working Hub, be transformed in to
a Working Die that will be used to strike coins. This is called a “Hubbing”.
Before the piece of die steel receives its’ first hubbing, it is sent to an annealing furnace
and heated till it becomes cherry red in color. This procedure softens the die enough to
allow it to be pressed into (squeezed) with the Working Hub to form a partial impression
of the coin design.
The technology exists in the present to create a Working Die with only one impression
from the Working Hub. This “single squeeze” procedure has been in use since 1997.
Back in 1917, each die needed to be impressed several times to completely form the final
Working Die. This varied by coin, size, and design.
A Buffalo Nickel required 3 to 5 hubbings to completely transfer the image to the
Working Die. In comparison, it could take up to 20 hubbings before a Working Die was
finished for a Morgan Dollar!
After the first annealing, the Working Die would be set aside and allowed to cool. Then it
would have been transported to a press, locked in, and the Working Hub would , under
tons of pressure, be forced into it. An image begins to form, though it is incomplete. As a
result of the pressure imposed on it from the Working Hub, the Working Die becomes
stress hardened, so after being “hubbed”, it must be sent back to the annealing furnace to
be softened again.
This is the initial point where things began to go wrong..........
Folly in Philly...the Uncaught Mistake
Amidst the buzz of activity circulating throughout the production floor at Philadelphia,
and as a result of of the previously mentioned noise and hectic pace involved with
production of much needed minor coinage, the workforce was starting to become stressed
to the point of cracking.
It could have happened during a shift change, where a worker who had just started their
shift walked in on the ongoing operation and was unaware as to where the 1918 and 1917
Working Dies were being created.
Or, it could also have happened when a worker, who was feverishly trying to keep up with
the output of production, became confused with the location of the two separate dates
being produced at the same time.
In the confusion of the moment, a 1917 dated die that had been impressed once or twice
previously, was retrieved after cooling and installed into a press that was making 1918
dies.
It was impressed, one or more times with a 1918 dated Working Hub and became an
Overdate.
Clearly, the die was intended for 1917 coinage, as it can easily be seen with close
observation that the1917 date was impressed OVER the 1918 date.
The finished die was then placed into a container, most likely a box, with other completed
dies for 1918, awaiting inspection and approval for use. It obviously escaped inspection.
Why this is the case, is again open to speculation. I believe that only a cursory look was
given to the completed dies. They were all needed for production as fast as they could be
produced. The production of the obverse (Overdated) die was complete at this stage.
Reverse dies, however, that were ultimately destined for use at the branch mints at
Denver, Colorado, and San Francisco, California still needed to have mintmarks impressed
into them. Mintmarks for all denominations in 1918 were all hand punched into finished
dies that were destined for use at Mint facilities other than Philadelphia.
Denver Bound - The Westward Journey
The Pennsylvania Railroad (called “Standard Railroad of the World” in advertisements by
the Railroad itself) began the transportation of the finished dies to the Denver and San
Francisco Mints.
After interchange in Chicago, they would have been handed off to a Western Railroad for
final delivery. It is unclear whether they were loaded onto a passenger train, and stored in
a baggage car, or if they were loaded into a freight car and sent as normal freight. I lean
towards them being transported in a freight car, because other coinage parts made in
Philadelphia, such as machine parts and die collars also had to be shipped..
Arrival and use....Inspection abuse?
Totally reliant on supply of dies and parts from Philadelphia, the Denver Mint unloaded
the shipment, logged the contents, and stored everything in inventory until its’ eventual
use.
The reverse die eventually mated with the obverse overdate was of the new, freshly
introduced “D” punched mintmark (the device used to impress the mintmark is called a
puncheon) which debuted during that latter part of 1917.
The old punch, used from (1913-17) was retired in the middle of 1917 in favor of the new
(1917-34) punch. Denver nickels of 1917 can be found with both punches, though no
premium exists between either the old or new.
All 1918 Denver produced nickels have the new punch.
So it is known that the Overdate was mated with a fresh, new reverse die, not one used, or
unused from previous years. The “D” on the die used on the Overdate is punched almost
perfectly centered between the “F” of “Five” and the “C” of “Cents”.
This centering is one of the”diagnostics” to be checked to authenticate the Overdate.
The Overdated obverse sat with its siblings, stored in the die locker at the Denver Mint,
awaiting its eventual use. When the time arrived, it was withdrawn from the box it was
shipped in, and sent to be basined. This is the second time that the Overdate was not
discovered.
“Basining” is a Mint process done to ensure that the proper contour, or radii, of a die is
curved correctly to facilitate the proper flow of metal into all areas of the outer die.
This process is unique to the mint of manufacture, Dies are not basined at Philadelphia for
the branch mints.....they perform that process themselves. The basining process also did
not disclose the overdated die.
The die is then inserted into a press, and again it escaped being discovered before coining
by the Coiner himself.
So, after at least three missed inspections, the Overdate rolled off the presses and into
history...........
The Aftermath...13 year later.
It eventually was left to a coin collector, who, upon inspecting a 1918 dated coin in 1931,
discovered the error, and alerted The Numismatist of its existence. Being that the
Overdate was not discovered until 13 years later, sufficient time undetected in circulation
had worn down many examples to undated status, with most of the remaining ending up in
grades below Fine.
This is why the Overdate is so rare. Not a soul even knew of its existence till it was far
too late to hoard it.....or to even find individual pieces.
In Summation
Problems from hurried production of not only minor coins during 1918 led to the creation
of the 1917/8-S Standing Liberty Quarter.
That coin, discovered in 1937, is probably ever rarer than the Buffalo overdate, as it also
had a vary fragile and exposed date.
Add to that the fact that Bill Fivaz (The Cherrypickers Guide) stated that 1918 Buffs have
a proportionally higher share of off-center strikes and defects than normal, and it becomes
painfully clear that shoddy production, hurried and harrowed work, and no, or only
cursory inspection during an extremely busy period at the U. S. Mint, led to the release of
the famous 1918/7-D Overdate.
(Thanks to Hoot (Mark Hooten) for his help and input to this short story)
I hope you all enjoy this.
Please feel free to correct, or comment on this dissertation.
Every coin has a story.
I love coin collecting.
Pete
The 1918/7-D Buffalo Nickel overdate was actually manufactured during the last three
months of 1917 at the main U.S. Mint in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On April 6, 1917,
the United States had entered into World War I, and the entire nation was gearing up to a
war footing. The eventual goal was to provide men and material to support our entry in
the struggle against Germany.
Even without our Nation’s entry into World War I, The Mint at Philadelphia at the time
was very busy manufacturing and producing dies for not only the current year (1917), but
also for the coming year (1918). The changeover in years always overlapped. Dies for
both years were produced at the same time.
During this critical time of coin production, new taxes and fees were imposed on the
American public to help finance the war effort. An unprecedented demand for minor
coinage of One and Five Cent denominations began to tax the Mint to its’ very limits to
produce these coins. One can probably envision this activity as being similar to a beehive,
with the bees scurrying everywhere to make ends meet.
The die, as they say, had been set. But there was one more ingredient to add to this mix.
Uncle Sam Wants YOU!
Patriotism reached into the sanctums of the United States Mint, and Mint employees, just
like their fellow countrymen, enlisted to serve overseas. Experienced and trained labor
from all three Mints suddenly left their posts to join the war effort.
In the midst of the critical changeover from coinage of 1917 to 1918, the Mint scrambled
to hire replacements. This, when operations on an uninterrupted schedule were crazy
enough, let alone without an influx of new, untrained employees. This scenario explains
the basic reason why events started to go wrong.
A Cold and Chilly Philly Morning
The winds of war and weather swirled around outside the environs of the Philadelphia
Mint sometime near the end of 1917. New hires and seasoned veterans struggled to get
the job done. I don’t think that it would be too out of place to state that the “Baptism of
Fire” had begun for the replacement employees. Amidst an insurmountable demand for
coins and productivity, the new force was trained as best as possible and thrown into the
cauldron of coin production.
And what a cauldron it was! The Mint is, in reality no more than a government owned
and operated manufacturing plant with a specialized product. The manufacture and
minting of coins involves myriad steps, each step creating its’own unique sound. There
would have been the constant clatter from the coining presses as they churned out new
coins, the metal clanging of furnace doors opening and closing, the hydraulic hissing of
the hubbing machines, the constant ruckus emanating from the blanking machine area, and
the whirls and squeaks from the upset mill. Add to that the constant motion of coin bins
transporting blanks, planchets, or newly minted coins going everywhere at once, and the
side by side hubbing of two different years coinage dies at the same time, with employees
removing annealed dies from the furnace and transporting them to the hubbing press for
another impression.
There was a whole lot going on..............
This hectic pace and frantic rush to produce coins is the cause for what was to happen
next.
The Janvier Premiers and Philly Fails
The Mint purchased a new Janvier Reducing Lathe in 1907, but didn’t actually use it
successfully until late in 1920! The new machine was capable of reducing in size a model
design of approximately 12 to 16 inches in size (what is called a Galvano) to the exact size
of a die needed to strike the actual coin.
The Mint first tried the direct reduction in 1907 on Augustus St. Gaudens’ new $20
Double Eagle design. Due to unknown technical problems, they were unable To do it. It
seemed the Mint could not get the Janvier to operate properly and correctly and
satisfactorily cut on a direct reduction from a larger-size Galvano. They scrapped the
direct reduction process and fell back to a compromise position.
As a consequence, Brenners Lincoln Cent, Fraser’s Buffalo Nickel, Weinmans Winged
Liberty Head Dime, and Macneils Standing Liberty Quarter (to name a few) were all
reduced outside the Mint to a more manageable 9 inch size by the Meddalic Art Company
located in New York, NY
From this point, the Janvier was able to successfully reduce the size to the exact dimension
needed to produce dies for coinage.
The first coin that The Mint was able to fully re-produce (without the outside reduction)
on the Janvier goes to Anthony De Francischi’s 1921 Peace Dollar. It took the Mint 14
years to master the use of the new Janvier Reducing Machine. One year short of 100, the
Janvier is still in use today. It must have been a heck of a complicated piece of equipment!
The Hubbing Process
The Janvier, in a long, slow process sometimes taking up to two full days to complete,
produced the Master Hub for production of coinage. The Master Hub is used every year
to produce the two (normally) Master Dies that will, in turn, be used to create several
Working Hubs, which are positive in relief, just like the finished coin will be.
The Working Hubs form the basis from which all Working Dies will be produced.
Working Hubs are placed into hydraulic presses. The press is then lined up with a piece
of metal which will, after several impressions from the Working Hub, be transformed in to
a Working Die that will be used to strike coins. This is called a “Hubbing”.
Before the piece of die steel receives its’ first hubbing, it is sent to an annealing furnace
and heated till it becomes cherry red in color. This procedure softens the die enough to
allow it to be pressed into (squeezed) with the Working Hub to form a partial impression
of the coin design.
The technology exists in the present to create a Working Die with only one impression
from the Working Hub. This “single squeeze” procedure has been in use since 1997.
Back in 1917, each die needed to be impressed several times to completely form the final
Working Die. This varied by coin, size, and design.
A Buffalo Nickel required 3 to 5 hubbings to completely transfer the image to the
Working Die. In comparison, it could take up to 20 hubbings before a Working Die was
finished for a Morgan Dollar!
After the first annealing, the Working Die would be set aside and allowed to cool. Then it
would have been transported to a press, locked in, and the Working Hub would , under
tons of pressure, be forced into it. An image begins to form, though it is incomplete. As a
result of the pressure imposed on it from the Working Hub, the Working Die becomes
stress hardened, so after being “hubbed”, it must be sent back to the annealing furnace to
be softened again.
This is the initial point where things began to go wrong..........
Folly in Philly...the Uncaught Mistake
Amidst the buzz of activity circulating throughout the production floor at Philadelphia,
and as a result of of the previously mentioned noise and hectic pace involved with
production of much needed minor coinage, the workforce was starting to become stressed
to the point of cracking.
It could have happened during a shift change, where a worker who had just started their
shift walked in on the ongoing operation and was unaware as to where the 1918 and 1917
Working Dies were being created.
Or, it could also have happened when a worker, who was feverishly trying to keep up with
the output of production, became confused with the location of the two separate dates
being produced at the same time.
In the confusion of the moment, a 1917 dated die that had been impressed once or twice
previously, was retrieved after cooling and installed into a press that was making 1918
dies.
It was impressed, one or more times with a 1918 dated Working Hub and became an
Overdate.
Clearly, the die was intended for 1917 coinage, as it can easily be seen with close
observation that the1917 date was impressed OVER the 1918 date.
The finished die was then placed into a container, most likely a box, with other completed
dies for 1918, awaiting inspection and approval for use. It obviously escaped inspection.
Why this is the case, is again open to speculation. I believe that only a cursory look was
given to the completed dies. They were all needed for production as fast as they could be
produced. The production of the obverse (Overdated) die was complete at this stage.
Reverse dies, however, that were ultimately destined for use at the branch mints at
Denver, Colorado, and San Francisco, California still needed to have mintmarks impressed
into them. Mintmarks for all denominations in 1918 were all hand punched into finished
dies that were destined for use at Mint facilities other than Philadelphia.
Denver Bound - The Westward Journey
The Pennsylvania Railroad (called “Standard Railroad of the World” in advertisements by
the Railroad itself) began the transportation of the finished dies to the Denver and San
Francisco Mints.
After interchange in Chicago, they would have been handed off to a Western Railroad for
final delivery. It is unclear whether they were loaded onto a passenger train, and stored in
a baggage car, or if they were loaded into a freight car and sent as normal freight. I lean
towards them being transported in a freight car, because other coinage parts made in
Philadelphia, such as machine parts and die collars also had to be shipped..
Arrival and use....Inspection abuse?
Totally reliant on supply of dies and parts from Philadelphia, the Denver Mint unloaded
the shipment, logged the contents, and stored everything in inventory until its’ eventual
use.
The reverse die eventually mated with the obverse overdate was of the new, freshly
introduced “D” punched mintmark (the device used to impress the mintmark is called a
puncheon) which debuted during that latter part of 1917.
The old punch, used from (1913-17) was retired in the middle of 1917 in favor of the new
(1917-34) punch. Denver nickels of 1917 can be found with both punches, though no
premium exists between either the old or new.
All 1918 Denver produced nickels have the new punch.
So it is known that the Overdate was mated with a fresh, new reverse die, not one used, or
unused from previous years. The “D” on the die used on the Overdate is punched almost
perfectly centered between the “F” of “Five” and the “C” of “Cents”.
This centering is one of the”diagnostics” to be checked to authenticate the Overdate.
The Overdated obverse sat with its siblings, stored in the die locker at the Denver Mint,
awaiting its eventual use. When the time arrived, it was withdrawn from the box it was
shipped in, and sent to be basined. This is the second time that the Overdate was not
discovered.
“Basining” is a Mint process done to ensure that the proper contour, or radii, of a die is
curved correctly to facilitate the proper flow of metal into all areas of the outer die.
This process is unique to the mint of manufacture, Dies are not basined at Philadelphia for
the branch mints.....they perform that process themselves. The basining process also did
not disclose the overdated die.
The die is then inserted into a press, and again it escaped being discovered before coining
by the Coiner himself.
So, after at least three missed inspections, the Overdate rolled off the presses and into
history...........
The Aftermath...13 year later.
It eventually was left to a coin collector, who, upon inspecting a 1918 dated coin in 1931,
discovered the error, and alerted The Numismatist of its existence. Being that the
Overdate was not discovered until 13 years later, sufficient time undetected in circulation
had worn down many examples to undated status, with most of the remaining ending up in
grades below Fine.
This is why the Overdate is so rare. Not a soul even knew of its existence till it was far
too late to hoard it.....or to even find individual pieces.
In Summation
Problems from hurried production of not only minor coins during 1918 led to the creation
of the 1917/8-S Standing Liberty Quarter.
That coin, discovered in 1937, is probably ever rarer than the Buffalo overdate, as it also
had a vary fragile and exposed date.
Add to that the fact that Bill Fivaz (The Cherrypickers Guide) stated that 1918 Buffs have
a proportionally higher share of off-center strikes and defects than normal, and it becomes
painfully clear that shoddy production, hurried and harrowed work, and no, or only
cursory inspection during an extremely busy period at the U. S. Mint, led to the release of
the famous 1918/7-D Overdate.
(Thanks to Hoot (Mark Hooten) for his help and input to this short story)
I hope you all enjoy this.
Please feel free to correct, or comment on this dissertation.
Every coin has a story.
I love coin collecting.
Pete
"I tell them there's no problems.....only solutions" - John Lennon
0
Comments
“We are only their care-takers,” he posed, “if we take good care of them, then centuries from now they may still be here … ”
Todd - BHNC #242
U.S. Nickels Complete Set with Major Varieties, Circulation Strikes
U.S. Dimes Complete Set with Major Varieties, Circulation Strikes
I still can't envision the minting process...I need pictures or better yet, a trip to the mint.
Is there an illustrated book that walks a reader through all this?
I always look forward to your posts!
Hoot
It IS a short story........
I just don't know how to type shorthand.........
Pete
I have always wondered "HOW IT HAPPENED".
<< <i>It could have happened during a shift change, where a worker who had just started their
shift walked in on the ongoing operation and was unaware as to where the 1918 and 1917
Working Dies were being created.
Or, it could also have happened when a worker, who was feverishly trying to keep up with
the output of production, became confused with the location of the two separate dates
being produced at the same time. >>
Great Article!!
If I only had a dollar for every VAM I have...err...nevermind...I do!!
My "Fun With 21D" Die State Collection - QX5 Pics Attached
-----
Proud Owner of
2 –DAMMIT BOY!!! ® Awards
like their fellow countrymen, enlisted to serve overseas. Experienced and trained labor
from all three Mints suddenly left their posts to join the war effort.
In the midst of the critical changeover from coinage of 1917 to 1918, the Mint scrambled
to hire replacements. This, when operations on an uninterrupted schedule were crazy
enough, let alone without an influx of new, untrained employees. This scenario explains
the basic reason why events started to go wrong."
Some of the very best US doubled dies have occurred during wartime-as mentioned, the two 1918/17 coins and, during WWII the 1942/41 P and D dimes; the 1943/42 nickel, and a whole bunch of very nice doubled die quarters-the 1942-P DDR quarters (two major ones); the 1942-D DDO and DDR, and the 1943 11-O-I and 1943-S 1-O-I. You have the 1918-S/17 quarter listed correctly as a 1917/-18-S too-the final hubbing was made with a 1917 die. Look closely at a high grade EDS coin-the 7 lies on top of rather than under the 8. This is something not often recognized or mentioned on this overdate.
<< <i>
Some of the very best US doubled dies have occurred during wartime-as mentioned, the two 1918/17 coins and, during WWII the 1942/41 P and D dimes; the 1943/42 nickel, and a whole bunch of very nice doubled die quarters-the 1942-P DDR quarters (two major ones); the 1942-D DDO and DDR, and the 1943 11-O-I and 1943-S 1-O-I. You have the 1918-S/17 quarter listed correctly as a 1917/-18-S too-the final hubbing was made with a 1917 die. Look closely at a high grade EDS coin-the 7 lies on top of rather than under the 8. This is something not often recognized or mentioned on this overdate. >>
There were several things in the article of which I wasn't aware. This is one of them.
Go BIG or GO HOME. ©Bill
<< <i>As a consequence, Brenners Lincoln Cent, Frasier’s Buffalo Nickel, Weinmans Winged
Liberty Head Dime, and Macneils Standing Liberty Quarter (to name a few) were all
reduced outside the Mint to a more manageable 9 inch size by the Meddalic Art Company
located in New York, NY >>
I found this interesting. What was your source material for this? I know they did have some problems with the Janvier reducing machine but they still had an older style reducing machine on hand which makes me wondr why they didn't just use it. I also find it odd that they would "mess around" with the Janvier machine for 14 years rather than just go to the Paris mint or one of the other mints that was using it and larn how to use it properly. (Saint-Gaudens assistant, expecting the mint to claim that they could not make the proper reductions had taken to steps to have a reduction made on a Janvier by someone else so that once the mint said it wasn't possible he could show them that it was possible. If he was able to do this then there most have been another Janvier available somewhere. What machine was Medalic Art using?)
pete
great post. keep them comming. i am really learning alot of great info. thanks!!!!
john
Ken
I have learned more than one new thing for today!
Complete Set of Chopmarked Trade Dollars
Carson City Silver Dollars Complete 1870-1893http://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/showcase.aspx?sc=2722"
Basically, he added some things I would not have known, and I thank him for his input.
Here's a little addition to the Story: My comments are in parenthesis.
The changeover from one date to the next was usually during the October to December time frame each year.
(George) Morgan was appointed Engraver in March, 1917, about a month after Barber died. He did not have any assistant engraver to help - only five die sinkers.
Note that an overdate quarter occurs the same year. (Noted at the end of the Story).
Basically Morgan couldn't keep up. Victor Brenner (Lincoln Cent) offered his services to the mint, but was rejected - possibly because odf bad feelings over his Lincoln Cent, which senior Mint officials did not like.
Thank you again, Roger.
Pete
Guess it was more than just Charles Barber that had a problem with poor Victor D. Brenner.
K
My 1866 Philly Mint Set
One question pertaining to this paragraph.
The technology exists in the present to create a Working Die with only one impression
from the Working Hub. This “single squeeze” procedure has been in use since 1997.
Back in 1917, each die needed to be impressed several times to completely form the final
Working Die. This varied by coin, size, and design.
Does this mean there will be no doubled dies because of the single squeeze procedure used since 1997?
Thanks for sharing...Mike