@oih82w8 said:
I am pretty sure that the REV Die is the anvil position and the OBV is the hammer. I have been wrong before. Perhaps @dcarr could enlighten us?
Traditionally, the reverse die is the anvil die. However, there are exceptions. The question is whether this is one of the exceptions.
Trivia question: How can you tell after the fact which die was the anvil die?
That's a great question @jonathanb! How can you tell which die was the anvil die after the fact?
A coin press could operate with the dies either way.
Typically, as the last step in the stamping cycle, the lower (anvil) die pushes the struck coin out of the collar.
A careful examination of a coin's edge can reveal which direction the ejection "slide marks" go, and that can infer the orientation of the dies.
Please elaborate. I've noticed some of my nickels and CN cents have drag lines on one half of the edge. I've tried to figure out the orientation if the drag lines are on the bottom half or upper side of the edge. I keep forgetting to ask an expert after making a drawing of what I see. Sorry, no pictures but this characteristic is very common. I've even seen it inside the edge reeds of coins but I don't know what die is on top for each coin series.
Question: If i lay a coin face up that was struck in a press with the obverse die on top, then the drag lines on the edge should be...
mostly near the upper edge.
mostly near the lower edge.
Some coins have drag lined from the top to the bottom edge.
@RLSnapper said:
If I saw it out in the wild I would for sure have thought it was a fake and not bought it. Unbelievable error.
It IS a fake, isn't it? It certainly wasn't made at the US Mint.
What are you talking about? The half dollar/ half dime pair was obviously made at the New Orleans Mint..
Professional Numismatist, Retired. 55 year member ANA. Former ANA Senior Authenticator. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and ANA Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner of the PNG's 2026 Robert Friedberg Award for "The Enigmatic Lincoln Cents of 1922," Available now from Whitman or Amazon.
Professional Numismatist, Retired. 55 year member ANA. Former ANA Senior Authenticator. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and ANA Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner of the PNG's 2026 Robert Friedberg Award for "The Enigmatic Lincoln Cents of 1922," Available now from Whitman or Amazon.
Professional Numismatist, Retired. 55 year member ANA. Former ANA Senior Authenticator. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and ANA Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner of the PNG's 2026 Robert Friedberg Award for "The Enigmatic Lincoln Cents of 1922," Available now from Whitman or Amazon.
Between the previous comments and the most recent sale, it failed to reach the $175,000 reserve at Heritage on April 29, 2026. A sale price in September of $219,600 is healthy! More than I believe it is worth, but the set has been pushed hard for a while.
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you" Matthew 6:33. Young fellow suffering from Bust Half fever.
BHNC #AN-10
JRCS #1606
@Mr Lindy said:
Well, maybe it sold this time to someone else & not bought back by consigner keeping it by bidding on it themselves.
Consigners are allowed to bid up their consignments. Are there two real bidders or just one & the owner ?
This coin pair is beyond way cool but is it another zombie auction goodie, held hostage till someone falls into desired price trap ?
In the instances in which there are reserves on lots offered by Heritage, the reserve amounts are posted, not hidden. And the consignors aren’t allowed to bid.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Strong price for a fantastic mated pair wrong planchet set. The eye-appeal of the set, rarity, and the originality of the coins makes it a superb major mint error.
One of the most spectacular, rare, dramatic and expensive mint errors of all time. Certainly in the top ten.
mikebyers.com Dealer in Major Mint Errors, Die Trials & Patterns - Author of NLG Best World Coin Book World's Greatest Mint Errors - Publisher & Editor of minterrornews.com.
Comments
Please elaborate. I've noticed some of my nickels and CN cents have drag lines on one half of the edge. I've tried to figure out the orientation if the drag lines are on the bottom half or upper side of the edge. I keep forgetting to ask an expert after making a drawing of what I see. Sorry, no pictures but this characteristic is very common. I've even seen it inside the edge reeds of coins but I don't know what die is on top for each coin series.
Question: If i lay a coin face up that was struck in a press with the obverse die on top, then the drag lines on the edge should be...
Some coins have drag lined from the top to the bottom edge.
It IS a fake, isn't it? It certainly wasn't made at the US Mint.
What are you talking about? The half dollar/ half dime pair was obviously made at the New Orleans Mint..
Available now from Heritage Coins Collectibles.
That's a Fantastic......starting bid.
The piece just sold. $180,000 hammer,
Well, maybe it sold this time to someone else & not bought back by consigner keeping it by bidding on it themselves.
Consigners are allowed to bid up their consignments. Are there two real bidders or just one & the owner ?
This coin pair is beyond way cool but is it another zombie auction goodie, held hostage till someone falls into desired price trap ?
Between the previous comments and the most recent sale, it failed to reach the $175,000 reserve at Heritage on April 29, 2026. A sale price in September of $219,600 is healthy! More than I believe it is worth, but the set has been pushed hard for a while.
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you" Matthew 6:33. Young fellow suffering from Bust Half fever.
BHNC #AN-10
JRCS #1606
In the instances in which there are reserves on lots offered by Heritage, the reserve amounts are posted, not hidden. And the consignors aren’t allowed to bid.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
It’s super cool and I did bid on it but I did not win it
More than I wanted to spend on a novelty item
Strong price for a fantastic mated pair wrong planchet set. The eye-appeal of the set, rarity, and the originality of the coins makes it a superb major mint error.
One of the most spectacular, rare, dramatic and expensive mint errors of all time. Certainly in the top ten.