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1942 Glass Cent Patterns
Zoins
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Just ran across the 1942 Glass Cent Pattern which has been in the news recently. This is a 1942 cent pattern struck by the Blue Ridge Glass Company using US Mint dies. The dies were prepared by Mint engraver John Sinnock with a obverse portrait of Liberty copied from the Columbia two centavos and a reverse using a wreath designed by Anthony Paquet in the mid-nineteenth century.
Not sure if it's been posted here yet or not, but it looks pretty cool!
- E-Sylum: http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v19n42a10.html
- Numismatic News: http://www.numismaticnews.net/article/glass-cent-discovered
18
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Pretty cool, but how do you grade this coin a Proof? I've always said that "Proof" is a method of manufacture for coins.
Thanks for posting.
Not only can glass be graded as Proof, so can plastic, as is this related PCGS PR63 red plastic version (which still needs a TrueView).
This must be the one that sold on ebay some time ago? Cool piece for sure.
Great piece.... I like that ... what is the price on the glass '42?.... Cheers, RickO
I hope Oreville landed that one. That would be a significant addition to his '42 experimental cent collection.
"Everything is on its way to somewhere. Everything." - George Malley, Phenomenon
http://www.americanlegacycoins.com
There is another PR63 that the planchet is broken;
http://www.pcgscoinfacts.com/Coin/Detail/12250/63
The break lines do not match the OBV (curved crack) and REV (straight crack). Strange.
Here is the recent auction result from Stacks Bowers - https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-518ZO
BST transactions: dbldie55, jayPem, 78saen, UltraHighRelief, nibanny, liefgold, FallGuy, lkeigwin, mbogoman, Sandman70gt, keets, joeykoins, ianrussell (@GC), EagleEye, ThePennyLady, GRANDAM, Ilikecolor, Gluggo, okiedude, Voyageur, LJenkins11, fastfreddie, ms70, pursuitofliberty, ZoidMeister,Coin Finder, GotTheBug, edwardjulio, Coinnmore...
Well, it's certainly not a business strike, as method of manufacture for this one is clearly outside the norms for a business strike. A specimen striking is typically specially treated business strike done on the same presses. Patterns are typically graded as proofs, so calling this a proof makes sense in that respect.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars
That's REALLY cool!
My YouTube Channel
If glass was successfully used to make cents, then the Pretenders could have altered their single "Glass in Pocket"
BST transactions: dbldie55, jayPem, 78saen, UltraHighRelief, nibanny, liefgold, FallGuy, lkeigwin, mbogoman, Sandman70gt, keets, joeykoins, ianrussell (@GC), EagleEye, ThePennyLady, GRANDAM, Ilikecolor, Gluggo, okiedude, Voyageur, LJenkins11, fastfreddie, ms70, pursuitofliberty, ZoidMeister,Coin Finder, GotTheBug, edwardjulio, Coinnmore...
Super Cool
Steve
Interesting stuff
Successful transactions with : MICHAELDIXON, Manorcourtman, Bochiman, bolivarshagnasty, AUandAG, onlyroosies, chumley, Weiss, jdimmick, BAJJERFAN, gene1978, TJM965, Smittys, GRANDAM, JTHawaii, mainejoe, softparade, derryb
Bad transactions with : nobody to date
Cool stuff.
Hoard the keys.
Thanks for posting that auction.... expensive, but I actually thought it would have gone for more. Cheers, RickO
way cool, i like
You might not believe this, but back in the '70's,
I bought and sold these Plastic Cents often; it was
because no one knew (exactly)what they were,
and so since I dealt in those strange error coins,
I was offered them whenever they popped up.
Those '42 Plastics, and the '69 Coin Roller Press
Pieces were kinda thrown into the 'error' category,
as far as many dealers were concerned.
Seeing what they've brought over the past 5-10 years,
I guess I should have put some of them away for myself.
I always liked the different color/material of the 1942
Issues, and since no one else was interested in them
at all, I would buy 'em and sell 'em, mostly to error
collectors back then- and as I remember, they went
for about $75-$100, or thereabouts, back then.
for PCGS. A 49+-Year PNG Member...A full numismatist since 1972, retired in 2022
I've never heard of these before. Thanks for the info.
The experimental 1942 cents are listed on page 385 of the 2017 Redbook.
"Everything is on its way to somewhere. Everything." - George Malley, Phenomenon
http://www.americanlegacycoins.com
Thanks Coindeuce. I haven't picked up a Redbook in about 10 years. I don't pay much attention to modern commems and state quarters which used to be the only significant difference year to year. It may be time to pick one up again.
The glass piece is the only one ever to be certified and the only intact example known.
Welcome back(?) RogerB.
I hope you will be around for a long, long time in this new format. Your knowledge is priceless.
"Everything is on its way to somewhere. Everything." - George Malley, Phenomenon
http://www.americanlegacycoins.com
RE; Fred W.'s comments. It's only within the past 20 years that collectors have come to recognize the importance of the 1942 experimental and pattern pieces, and their5 unique role in American history.
Interesting, thanks for posting.
It's also listed on page 1298 (!) of the new edition of Mega Red, which you might consider also.
my early American coins & currency: -- http://yankeedoodlecoins.com/
Thanks for the info. I've not seen Mega Red before. Think I will pick one up.
Very cool glass cent!
Ever since I got my first steel cent as a kid, I've been interested in WWII coinage. The glass patterns were ones I've always read about but it's really cool to see one with a TrueView photo.
Michael Kittle Rare Coins --- 1908-S Indian Head Cent Grading Set --- No. 1 1909 Mint Set --- Kittlecoins on Facebook --- Long Beach Table 448
The full size TrueView is amazing!!
Great transactions with oih82w8, JasonGaming, Moose1913.
So can glass rainbow tone?
Nope.
A fascinating coin.
Pretty cool. Never saw one of those in glass.
And not that it really matters, but I would opt for the "MS" designation on this piece, because I imagine that this is what these pieces would have looked like if mass produced. (I suppose you could talk me into "SP", but certainly not "PR".)
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
I have always liked pattern coins. I had never heard of one on glass before. But this one just took the cake for the coolest in my book
HAPPY COLLECTING
Nice work Roger.
Thanks for sharing. First I have ever seen one of these.
Special thanks go to PCGS for doing the extra work to examine the documentation, and add this previously uncertified 1942 glass piece to their database. It was not a routine submission by any means.
This glass 1942 piece is in the January FUN auction by Heritage. January 4-9, 2017. FUN US Coins Signature Auction - #1251. There are a couple of really good photos on the Heritage site - imagine if glass had been used for cents in 1943.
If I ever had to, for whatever reason, remove that piece from its slab, I would be extremely nervous about doing so!
Looking forward to seeing it in person at FUN
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars
Oh, that is AWESOME.
Guess I won't be finding any when I go out with my metal detector though, huh? LOL
Really cool!
I wonder if Windex would be the cleaning agent of choice for these.
Looking for Top Pop Mercury Dime Varieties & High Grade Mercury Dime Toners.
Wow - the TruView in the OP above does a good job of compensating for the transparency of the glass so that you see mainly only one side of the Pattern at a time.
On the other hand, the Heritage 1942 1c Experimental Glass Cent close-ups let you see both sides at once, and the slab photos give a sense of the glass color at a distance. Way cool.
It's a trip to imagine carrying around pretty glass buttons for pocket change.
The RB in RB 42-70 refers to RogerB? Yep, it's gotta B!
The TruView also provides beautiful detail of the reported "irregular glass flow patterns as well as micro cracks and crazing of the surfaces". crazing ...gonna have to look that one up...something to do with glazing or ceramics?
So, rainbow toning? Nope. Something different, very different. Glacier or lava-like ribbon crazing, maybe?
Some of the surface defects resulted from having a red hot glass "blank" pressed by room temperature steel dies. (They weren't really struck in the sense a metal coin is struck.) In production, Blue Ridge Glass Co. proposed to heat the dies nearly to the same temperature as the red-hot glass.
The reference book on all of the World War II patterns is "Pattern and Experimental Pieces of WW-II."
That's too cool
This 1942 glass piece is presently bid to $17,000 + buyer's fee. Amazing.
Here's the HA auction link for those tracking at home.
Up to $22,325.00 with BP since BP shouldn't matter for bidding
Hammer is at $19k.
It will be interesting to see which goes for more, glass or cardboard.
Yikes! Don't hit it with a hammer --- maybe use a limp Twinkie.
Not bad for a 5k ebay buy.
Not exactly listed properly: here
Yep, eBay rocks as a place to find undiscovered gems like the Peace dollar original bronze cast for $500.
I purchased a Mexican pattern coin die engraved by famous American engraver Charles Cushing Wright that the seller bought as a paperweight on eBay for less than $200. It's famous because of the "hookneck eagle" design.
I heard Roger on the radio this morning. Congrats on the publicity!