Were planchet adjustment marks used by other countries or was this more of a United States practice?
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Were planchet adjustment marks used by other countries or was this more of a United States practice?
Though I may have missed or forgotten it, I don't recall seeing this visible as much on world coins in the late 18th and early 19th century as is seen on US coins from the same time.
Was it a common practice around the world or were they better at getting more accurate weight planchets to start with? Or did they not care as much as the early United States mint which may have had to prove itself being the new kid on the block?
"To Be Esteemed Be Useful" - 1792 Birch Cent --- "I personally think we developed language because of our deep need to complain." - Lily Tomlin
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Adjustment marks are common with World coins as well; however, since many other countries had their mints in place long before the United States, they had already improved their die presses such that the adjustment marks were pressed out.
Here's an example from Spain that still shows some adjustment marks:
The ecu (silver dollar sized coins) of France frequently have long or deep adjustment marks during the reigns of Louis XV and Louis XVI (1715 through 1793). The marks often mar the King's portrait if the marks are on the obverse, so the trick is to find specimens with the adjustment marks on the reverse (over the coat of arms).
When the five francs became the large silver coin of the realm (after 1793), these adjustment marks are seemingly rarely encountered. I don't know what the French did exactly to improve the accuracy of the planchet weight.
These photos are rips, sorry. Also, the adjustments marks are actually lighter than some of the heavy marks often encountered:
Remember, coins were just a convenient way to convey a known quantity of bullion in the day. So, keeping the weight within tolerances was imperative. The more experienced mints were just better at planchet preparation.
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.
Adjustment marks were used to bring the precious metal planchet to an accurate weight... this was back when money was 'real' and not representative of an intangible promise. Cheers, RickO
French Ecus and Bavarian Talers of the 1700s seem to come with adjustment marks more often than not.
I guess that it's easier to adjust the weight downwards but impossible to increase it without remelting.
Not impossible. See the silver plug dollars of 1795.
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.
The Bavaria Madonna Thalers are especially notorious for adjustment marks
Justin Meunier
Boardwalk Numismatics
Forgot that I even have one of those. It's a 1776-A with traces of luster. The strike is weak. There are some faint adjustment marks that blend into the center on the Madonna side. I had guessed they might have been planchet flaws, as there are a couple other planchet flaws. Looking at it now, adjustment marks make more sense.
"To Be Esteemed Be Useful" - 1792 Birch Cent --- "I personally think we developed language because of our deep need to complain." - Lily Tomlin