Planchet Flaw or PMD???
JeffMTampa
Posts: 3,282 ✭✭✭✭✭
I have a real interest in flawed coins produced by the New Orleans Mint post Civil War. I picked up an1897 O Half recently with issues; I'm trying to understand whether the coin was struck on a defective planchet or is there just post mint damage:
The obvious damage is at the 5:00 position on the reverse, but there also seems to be a lamination issue on the reverse at the 11:00 position (between the D and S). My best guess is the coin was struck through some scrap metal which fell out after striking. If this is PMD I can't figure out how it would have been done.
Can anyone give me some additional insight?
I love them Barber Halves.....
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At 11:00, those are a couple die cracks. At 5:00, that's PMD. The coin got whacked with something - no way to know what.
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I think what you have at 5:00 is a planchet flaw. You can see the shape of the L continuing into it where it is shallow. What is going on with the edge of this coin? It appears to have heavy damage all around it.
Collector, occasional seller
Delamination
Is Fred Weinberg in the house?
All I can tell for sure is that flaw wasn’t there when the coin was struck, as the design opposite it is fully realized. It could have been struck through something which fell out later, it could be a planchet lamination that separated post strike, or it could be PMD. My guess is a lamination, based on the irregular surface of the defect, but the subsequent wear on the coin leaves me less than 100% certain.
Sean Reynolds
"Keep in mind that most of what passes as numismatic information is no more than tested opinion at best, and marketing blather at worst. However, I try to choose my words carefully, since I know that you guys are always watching." - Joe O'Connor
The obverse at about 3:00 has an issue as well. Not sure as there is not enough magnification, but looks like a possible lamination or a deep gouge (PMD?)
Yep, the obverse is all PMD. At 3:00 there's a gouge/ scratch. From what I see the weird stuff is all on the reverse.
First impression was delamination, but I'm curious about that straight line gouge that goes from the rim towards the eagle's foot. I wonder if a nail or some device was at one time hammered or drilled into the rim (maybe to create a loop for a necklace) and the chunk broke off. In comparison to the coin, that gouge is thin but maybe it didn't split evenly and the wider part went with the piece that broke away.
Just a theory.
Great transactions with oih82w8, JasonGaming, Moose1913.
Lamination. Not PMD.
How about a pic of the edge?
Great transactions with oih82w8, JasonGaming, Moose1913.
There is a lamination crack on the claw grasping the bundle of arrows. This may or may not be/have a connection to the missing area of metal.
There appears to be two parts to the 'missing' area... The large part may be a detached lamination... the smaller part has part of the L continuing into the missing area, indicating something was wrong with the surface at striking in that area and further damage occurred post strike...Cheers, RickO
The exposed area of the de-lamination has all the characteristic of metal that did not bond during the rolling of the strip, there is post mint damage on the coin but the focal area in question was originally a lamination, that's my opinion.
"Keep your malarkey filter in good operating order" -Walter Breen
I would say 99% sure that is it a lamination (or de-lamination) error, reserving the 1% doubt for the possibility of a massive strike-through as Sean suggested. Definitely Mint made.
l believe it's a lamination, not a struck thru, imo
Thanks for all the great responses; it's great to learn from everyone's ideas. I've started collecting Post Civil War New Orleans Mint messed up minting process coins. They certainly seemed to have their problems.
Great find, and another one that amazes me that it circulated for so long. Although I suppose in those days 50 cents was real money.
So what are the odds our hosts would striaght grade this coin??
I would think close to 0%. The rim damage and scratches on the obverse would details it.
Collector, occasional seller