1846 Gold $5 Half Eagle - reverse die issue?
historybuff
Posts: 70 ✭✭✭
This reverse has a weird defect along the top of "AMERICA". Can anyone explain what causes this? This is an NGC certified and it is not damage like from being on jewelry or anything like that. Thanks for any help. Could this be some sort of attributable variety?
1
Comments
Looks like a die crack to me. I like it a lot.
it's crackers to slip a rozzer the dropsy in snide
double post
Die crack that has progressed to a die break. In a later die stage, it is possible that a piece of the die fell off, which would leave a cud in over AME. Actually, the dentils over AME show some separation and are breaking away from the other dentils, which is the early stage of a retained cud.
Looks like a possible/potential retained cud,
or darn close, that's for sure.
I've seen this die crack before on that date.
Thanks for the info!
Is that a large date or small date 1846 $5?
Latin American Collection
This is the small date variety
I was reading more about die cracks and cuds online - this is all new to me. Does anyone have a reference book that mentions about die errors in this series? Thanks again. I will look at the obverse to see if there is anything noticeable in that spot.
As has been mentioned, a die crack... and close to being terminal .... Very interesting gold coin... probably nothing apparent on the obverse....Cheers, RickO
AFAIK, NO.
A quick search of the Newman Portal (they list 47 coins for 1846 sm dates)
I found about 5 with that die break after seeing about 20 coins.
Heritage Auctions lists quite a few sm date listings.
R.I.P. Bear
Interesting guys, thanks. Here is the obverse - may be a ghost of a line near the stars opposite the nose and forehead, and affected "teeth" (what are they called?) near the star opposite the nose, or maybe it is just my imagination. If it is, it is very subtle. Hard to tell as the coin is so small - not sure if this crack would even extend to the obverse?
Die cracks typically don't go from one side of the coin to the other as each side of the coin is formed by a separate die.
It's your imagination.
Neat coin, by the way, and thanks for sharing....Mike