1811 O-113 bust half...do you see anything unusual about it?
coin22lover
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Fellow Bust Half people, do you see anything unusual about this 113?
1
coin22lover
Posts: 3,542 ✭✭✭
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The bottom loop of the "8" in the date is too small? And the base of the first "1" in "11" is too square, i.e. it's not tapered like the last "1" in the date? Just guessing. I'm not to good at this but it's fun trying.
Something unusual about this specific coin or the O.113 die marriage?
I have a couple of these. One well worn and, like yours, central obverse detail is absent, left wing is very weak, all stars are flat, etc. The other is an undergraded AU50 without these issues but is a little off-center like yours. It has reverse clashing which yours does not.
There's a lot of quirkiness to this die marriage...tops of letters, lack of milling, drawn stars, reverse die cracks and clashing, off-center strike, weak rim under 50c, blunt central obverse.
I'm not sure I see anything unusual about yours. How about a hint?
Lance.
The dentils up on the outside rim of the coin - almost like reeding, which of course didn't occur until '36....
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This feature below BUS in the scroll is on every example I've seen in hand or in pictures. Not on mine. That's what I was getting at...maybe it's nothing, but I'm slightly curious.
Date too far apart?
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This is a friend's, not mine. It too doesn't have the drapery clashing under BUS.
Lance.
Here are the two I spoke of.
Tough R5!
Lance.
This mock-up shows clashing possibilities. There could be some variance depending on whether the dies were rotated.
Lance.
i love the looks of the top one lance. thats a good example
The base of bust clash you are noting as missing on your coin could either be from your coin being an early die state before the clash or the clash was lapped off and later reappeared from a subsequent clash.
The misaligned obverse die, wide rim on one side and dentil marks appearing outside the border is a "normal" feature of this rare die marriage.
A: The year they spend more on their library than their coin collection.
A numismatist is judged more on the content of their library than the content of their cabinet.
I agree with @BustDMs. The base of bust clash you are noting as missing on your coin could either be from your coin being an early die state before the clash or the clash was lapped off and later reappeared from a subsequent clash.
I have an example listed on my website in PCGS VF20 with the die clashing under the ribbon on the reverse at:
http://www.davidperkinsrarecoins.com/1811-50c-small-8-overton-113-r-5-capped-bust-half-dollar-pcgs-vf20.html
I agree also with @lkeigwin that this is tough R-5 die marriage.
W. David Perkins Numismatics - http://www.davidperkinsrarecoins.com/ - 25+ Years ANA, ANS, NLG, NBS, LM JRCS, LSCC, EAC, TAMS, LM CWTS, CSNS, FUN
Based on the eroded dies used for OP's coin it was probably struck after the clashing was lapped away. The True View above is of an earlier die state and may have been struck before the dies clashed.
These dies were already marginal before they were reused for the O.113. The obverse denticles were well worn in the late state O.110a, and the reverse die had a significant crack from its last marriage (O.112). Early retirement probably explains the R5 rarity.
Lance.
Very informative thread.... learned something new today..... Actually, here on these forums, I learn something new almost every day.... Cheers, RickO