Question about when lettering and dates are added on Flying Eagle and Indian Cents
DMWJR
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Below is a diagram I borrowed from an article by J.T. Stanton online. I understand from reading that the dates and Legend were added at the same time after 1909. At what point in the minting process were they actually added?
Doug
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The process has evolved many times over the years. In 1856 the Engraver would use his model of just a design element (such as a head, an eagle or a wreath) to make a raised steel punch that just showed the design element. He would sink this into a piece of blank die steel to start a Master Die. He could then add the legends one letter at a time or, eventually, all at once using a ring punch. See the appendices of Judd for some examples of ring punch test pieces.
The denticled rim could also be added via a ring punch. Once everything was there but the date, the Master Die would be hardened and used to raise up multiple working hubs. It has been suggested that the first one was typically put aside as an insurance policy in case the Master Die broke while it was raising up additional working hubs. In this way a new Master Die could be sunk from the reserve Working Hub and hardened and used to make more Working Hubs.
As transfer lathe technology improved more and more elements could be included on the model, so that by the end of the 19th century they could create a Master Hub like that shown in the chart. Starting in 1908 they included a date on all of the Master Hubs, making a new one each year.
BTW, I used to own Longacre's original wax models for the $3 gold piece. The reverse model was used again for the Flying Eagle cent.
Thank you for explaining it that way. Makes a lot of sense. I'll bet that was neat owning the original wax models!
In the 1850s the division of die work was different than later.
A model was prepared by the engraver or another artist. This was used to make a mold and a copper or iron cast was made. The cast was put on a reducing lathe and the reduction made by the Coining Dept. The final steel reduction was retouched by the Engraver. Master dies or working dies, depending on anticipated production, were made by the Coining Dept and passed to the Engraver who did final retouching and added the date, mintmark, etc.
The Coining Dept hardened dies and produced coins.
The Philadelphia Mint did not regularly use electrotypes ('galvanos') until the 1920s except for some 1:1 medal reproductions made by Franklin Peale in the 1840s and occasionally later.
Thanks for the process flow chart... and the historical annotations.... This should help many collectors better understand the process... Cheers, RickO
I owned it as well. Now it is sitting where it belongs - in the finest $3 gold collection, Tom Bender.
On Flying Eagle and Indian cents until 1908, the denticles, main device and legend were all on the master hub, master die and working hub. No date. The dates were punched in on individual dies.
In 1856 the mint made obverse 12 dies using the first working hub. Only 5 were dated 1856. The rest were dated 1857.
In 1857 the design was modified slightly and all subsequent dies in 1857 were made from this hub. A large number of dies were held over and dated 1858 (some overdated).
In 1858 the obverse was totally redesigned (along with Small Letters) and this hub made all remaining dies used for the Flying Eagle series.
The new Indian head hub had a sharp bust point and the dies produced were dated 1859 and 1860.
in 1860 a new hub was made (or resurrected from the 1858 pattern Indian cents) This was used until 1864.
in 1864 the "With L" design was made and this master hub was in use until 1886. There were a few different working hubs made over that period and they can be traced by missing design elements, like the broken D in UNITED in the 1873-1877 era.
in 1886 a new master hub was made with the portrait made slightly narrower. This continued until 1908.
the 1909 master die was punched with the date instead of the individual dies and the working hub and all working dies have the same date position.
Thanks so much Rick. That completes the picture for the series production. Did you find documentation that there were only 12 FE obverse dies made or is that just all that are known?
To me, these should be the Major Variety set for FE's and Indians. The current ones omit several including the shallow N's and of course the 1859 business strike with shield which is only listed as pattern J-228. The 1856 is listed in both the regular set and as J-180 (primary composition).