1942 Glass Cent Patterns

Zoins · October 17, 2016 11:53PM

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

SomeGuyFromMichigan · October 18, 2016 12:00AM

Pretty cool, but how do you grade this coin a Proof? I've always said that "Proof" is a method of manufacture for coins.

mannie gray · October 18, 2016 12:10AM

Very interesting.
Thanks for posting.

Zoins · October 18, 2016 12:30AM

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).

MedalCollector · October 18, 2016 12:50AM

This must be the one that sold on ebay some time ago? Cool piece for sure.

ricko · October 18, 2016 5:41AM

Great piece.... I like that ... what is the price on the glass '42?.... Cheers, RickO

coindeuce · October 18, 2016 6:28AM

I hope Oreville landed that one. That would be a significant addition to his '42 experimental cent collection.

oih82w8 · October 18, 2016 6:43AM

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

messydesk · October 18, 2016 6:57AM

@SomeGuyFromMichigan said:
Pretty cool, but how do you grade this coin a Proof? I've always said that "Proof" is a method of manufacture for coins.

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.

asheland · October 18, 2016 7:13AM

That's REALLY cool!

oih82w8 · October 18, 2016 7:39AM

If glass was successfully used to make cents, then the Pretenders could have altered their single "Glass in Pocket"

OldEastside · October 18, 2016 7:53AM

Super Cool

Steve

1630Boston · October 18, 2016 8:47AM

Interesting stuff

Type2 · October 18, 2016 10:05AM

Cool stuff.

ricko · October 18, 2016 10:09AM

Thanks for posting that auction.... expensive, but I actually thought it would have gone for more. Cheers, RickO

johnny9434 · October 18, 2016 12:05PM

way cool, i like

FredWeinberg · October 18, 2016 12:36PM

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.

EvilMCT · October 18, 2016 12:40PM

I've never heard of these before. Thanks for the info.

coindeuce · October 18, 2016 1:38PM

@EvilMCT said:
I've never heard of these before. Thanks for the info.

The experimental 1942 cents are listed on page 385 of the 2017 Redbook.

EvilMCT · October 19, 2016 4:01AM

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.

RogerB · October 19, 2016 9:49AM

The glass piece is the only one ever to be certified and the only intact example known.

coindeuce · October 19, 2016 10:27AM

Welcome back(?) RogerB.
I hope you will be around for a long, long time in this new format. Your knowledge is priceless.

RogerB · October 20, 2016 5:11AM

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.

SullivanNumismatics · October 20, 2016 5:48AM

Interesting, thanks for posting.

CertifiedGoldCoins · October 20, 2016 9:07AM

@EvilMCT said:
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.

It's also listed on page 1298 (!) of the new edition of Mega Red, which you might consider also.

EvilMCT · October 20, 2016 3:05PM

@CertifiedGoldCoins said:

@EvilMCT said:
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.

It's also listed on page 1298 (!) of the new edition of Mega Red, which you might consider also.

Thanks for the info. I've not seen Mega Red before. Think I will pick one up.

illini420 · October 20, 2016 3:29PM

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.

ms70 · October 20, 2016 3:39PM

The full size TrueView is amazing!!

treybenedict · October 20, 2016 3:45PM

So can glass rainbow tone?

RogerB · October 21, 2016 9:38AM

Nope.

Jackthecat1 · October 21, 2016 10:07AM

A fascinating coin.

MrEureka · October 22, 2016 7:54AM

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".)

COINS MAKE CENTS · October 24, 2016 8:09PM

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

Swampboy · October 24, 2016 9:20PM

Nice work Roger.

PaleElf · October 25, 2016 4:23AM

Thanks for sharing. First I have ever seen one of these.

RogerB · November 6, 2016 9:12AM

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.

RogerB · December 3, 2016 9:04AM

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.

CaptHenway · December 3, 2016 9:51AM

If I ever had to, for whatever reason, remove that piece from its slab, I would be extremely nervous about doing so!

messydesk · December 3, 2016 10:00AM

Looking forward to seeing it in person at FUN

lordmarcovan · December 3, 2016 10:24AM

Oh, that is AWESOME.

Guess I won't be finding any when I go out with my metal detector though, huh? LOL

keyman64 · December 3, 2016 10:30AM

Really cool!

I wonder if Windex would be the cleaning agent of choice for these.

tychojoe · December 3, 2016 10:34AM

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?

RogerB · December 3, 2016 4:17PM

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."

ChangeInHistory · December 3, 2016 7:10PM

That's too cool

RogerB · January 3, 2017 1:11PM

This 1942 glass piece is presently bid to $17,000 + buyer's fee. Amazing.

Zoins · January 3, 2017 3:37PM

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.

RogerB · January 3, 2017 3:39PM

Yikes! Don't hit it with a hammer --- maybe use a limp Twinkie.

MedalCollector · January 3, 2017 4:00PM

Not bad for a 5k ebay buy.

Not exactly listed properly: here

Zoins · January 3, 2017 4:03PM

@GoldenEgg said:
Not bad for a 5k ebay buy.

Yep, eBay rocks as a place to find undiscovered gems like the Peace dollar original bronze cast for $500.

pruebas · January 3, 2017 4:42PM

@Zoins said:

@GoldenEgg said:
Not bad for a 5k ebay buy.

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.

jonathanb · January 4, 2017 9:10AM

I heard Roger on the radio this morning. Congrats on the publicity!

1942 Glass Cent Patterns

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