When the 1759 crossed my path I knew nothing about the current restrikes.
It seems to be a vintage die strike by the earlier style Mrs. Washington 1965 obverse die.
The various newer denomination 1759 design executions look off to me, fat checks, bulging eyes, look more like Chinese counterfeits.
Imaged next to the 1970D half for diameter comparision & I think, from same era die design:
1964 Kennedy & 1965 Martha. Both designed by E Grove.
Not a Carr, but like a Carr in that either a 1965 die or a 1999 die was used to create a vintage die restrike.
@Mr Lindy said:
When the 1759 crossed my path I knew nothing about the current restrikes.
It seems to be a vintage die strike by the earlier style Mrs. Washington 1965 obverse die.
The various newer denomination 1759 design executions look off to me, fat checks, bulging eyes, look more like Chinese counterfeits.
Imaged next to the 1970D half for diameter comparision & I think, from same era die design:
1964 Kennedy & 1965 Martha. Both designed by E Grove.
Not a Carr, but like a Carr in that either a 1965 die or a 1999 die was used to create a vintage die restrike.
The die is for sale:
.
Technically that is a "Carr" because I engraved the Mount Vernon die and struck them (on commission).
@TopcatCoin said:
Is the Moonlight Mint site down?
There does currently appear to be some sort of issue. Probably something with the eCommerce platform that the store is built on.
Apparently, even though I paid in advance for several years of the SSL certificate, it still expired and I had to manually submit a request to have it reissued. Now that has been done, it will sill take up to 24 hours for the update to "propagate" throughout the internet. So the site should be available again within 24 hours.
What the hell ... now one more thing I've had to deal with.
I contacted eBay's VeRO (Verified Property Rights) program and they usually take down the violating listings rather quickly.
I also documented it on my page of knock-offs of "Daniel Carr" products: moonlightmint.com/fakes.htm
Thanks for pointing it out here.
PS:
It appears that they did NOT do a transfer from one of my pieces because the serifs on the "1" in the date do not match in size or shape. Most likely, they used a photograph when replicating the design.
.
What the hell ... now one more thing I've had to deal with.
I contacted eBay's VeRO (Verified Property Rights) program and they usually take down the violating listings rather quickly.
I also documented it on my page of knock-offs of "Daniel Carr" products: moonlightmint.com/fakes.htm
Thanks for pointing it out here.
PS:
It appears that they did NOT do a transfer from one of my pieces because the serifs on the "1" in the date do not match in size or shape. Most likely, they used a photograph when replicating the design.
.
What the hell ... now one more thing I've had to deal with.
I contacted eBay's VeRO (Verified Property Rights) program and they usually take down the violating listings rather quickly.
I also documented it on my page of knock-offs of "Daniel Carr" products: moonlightmint.com/fakes.htm
Thanks for pointing it out here.
PS:
It appears that they did NOT do a transfer from one of my pieces because the serifs on the "1" in the date do not match in size or shape. Most likely, they used a photograph when replicating the design.
.
"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."
The full quote by Oscar Wilde is: "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness."
What the hell ... now one more thing I've had to deal with.
I contacted eBay's VeRO (Verified Property Rights) program and they usually take down the violating listings rather quickly.
I also documented it on my page of knock-offs of "Daniel Carr" products: moonlightmint.com/fakes.htm
Thanks for pointing it out here.
PS:
It appears that they did NOT do a transfer from one of my pieces because the serifs on the "1" in the date do not match in size or shape. Most likely, they used a photograph when replicating the design.
.
.
eBay axed the listing.
The VeRO program is far more likely to result in action than the normal "report item" channels.
But it takes some effort to set up a VeRO identity and it is more complicated to report via VeRO than it is via standard reporting.
PS:
Also, my store website was supposedly fixed, but it was not. So I had to contact the service provider again today, and they assured me that it will be fixed this time (within 24 hours from now).
@dcarr -
I was reviewing this table in your production blog:
.
I thought that perhaps you might be able to help me with a question:
Do you have an idea of what the depth of relief is for the obverse and reverse of modern US Mint Peace Dollar (2021-current)?
I have read that the relief for the modern Peace dollars is "to specifications for relief of modern commemorate dollars", but cannot find any more specific information, as you have in your table.
Steve Palladino - Ike Group member - DIVa (Designated Ike Varieties) Project co-lead and attributor
@PickinndGrinnin said:
Microsoft edge is working just fine. I am having no trouble with Chrome either. Could be your internet provider.
Accessing the Moonlight Mint homepage and production blog has not been a problem. However, we are specifically referring to the Online Store access. When you say Edge and Chrome are just fine, are you referring specifically to the Online Store access?
Steve Palladino - Ike Group member - DIVa (Designated Ike Varieties) Project co-lead and attributor
Accessing the Moonlight Mint homepage and production blog has not been a problem. However, we are specifically referring to the Online Store access. When you say Edge and Chrome are just fine, are you referring specifically to the Online Store access?
Gotcha, I didn't check the store, you are correct it isn't working. CT got hit with the same server error not to long ago.
@SPalladino said: @dcarr -
I was reviewing this table in your production blog:
.
I thought that perhaps you might be able to help me with a question:
Do you have an idea of what the depth of relief is for the obverse and reverse of modern US Mint Peace Dollar (2021-current)?
I have read that the relief for the modern Peace dollars is "to specifications for relief of modern commemorate dollars", but cannot find any more specific information, as you have in your table.
.
I do not have any measurements for the modern US Mint Morgan & Peace dollars.
The measuring process that I undertook for earlier coins required significant effort.
If I ever have in my possession a modern Morgan/Peace Dollar, I might try a simpler measurement.
@PickinndGrinnin said:
Microsoft edge is working just fine. I am having no trouble with Chrome either. Could be your internet provider.
Accessing the Moonlight Mint homepage and production blog has not been a problem. However, we are specifically referring to the Online Store access. When you say Edge and Chrome are just fine, are you referring specifically to the Online Store access?
.
For the third time I had to have a live "chat" with the service provider. They said the problem would be fixed within 20 minutes. That was 20 minutes ago. It might actually be fixed now, but I'll need some other confirmation of that.
In the latest chat, I asked what they did to fix it. The chat person said that they uninstalled and then re-installed the SSL Certificate. I told them that last week, during two different chats (Tuesday and Thursday), they told me they did exactly that same thing and that didn't fix it. Today's chat person told me that they checked the SSL records and the uninstall/re-install had NOT actually been done. I told today's person that the previous chat assistant had lied to me about actually doing that, so please review the old chat records and report them !
The reply I received was a very enthusiastic "Certainly !" .
I’m able to access the site, though I have to push through an alert that the website is may be trying to impersonate another site.
I got a great deal on a DC 1987 ASE over strike on GC that ANACS graded, so I doubt it’s going to come with the add COA. Anyone know where I might be able to get one, I think it’s neat to keep with the coin.
It still is not working. I've successfully "escalated" the service request past the "level-1" agent tier. So far, they can't explain why it doesn't work right, even with a new certificate.
So my coin press had been acting up sporadically over the last several months. Usually, the symptom was that it wouldn't complete the ejection cycle. After a coin is stamped, the coin will be lodged tightly in the collar. The ejection is performed when the press pushes up on the lower die to force the struck piece out of the collar. And the last action in a striking cycle is for the lower die to drop back down into the original (lower) position. When it does that, a new planchet can be inserted into the collar for the next striking.
The problem was that, more and more often, the lower die would not drop back down at the end. My quick work-around for that was to remove the lower die and repeatedly strike "air" until the lower die dropped back down, But, eventually, I could not get that to work at all. I suspected that it might be related to the "Clutch Valve Failure" fault that I worked on a few weeks ago.
It was time to fix the problem once and for all. My biggest challenge was not knowing entirely how some of this worked, or what would be necessary to fix it.
After taking off a couple cover plates and looking into some narrow spaces using a bright flashlight, I began to theorize that something was not right in the large shaft that contacts the bottom of the lower die anvil (to push it up).
There was only one way to determine for sure what was going on here. I had to remove the large orange-painted metal block (red arrow) and examine the cylinder and bore surface inside it and under it.
It took every trick I had to get the large bolts loose, and use wood planks to slide the block out onto a tall cart. The piece weighs over 120 pounds.
When I finally got it out, this is what I saw under it (the screws, not the coin shown for scale):
One screw was bent a little, but relatively undamaged. The other screw had obviously been caught in the mechanism and destroyed. Since I got the press, I have never been into this area before. The screws were undoubtedly left there by a careless US Mint employee. I would never do that. It wasn't until recently that it managed to cause a noticeable problem. But I believe that the one screw had actually been causing damage for quite a long time.
The large steel cylinder that pushes on the bottom of the anvil slides up and down in a heavy brass-lined sleeve. This cylinder also has a flange on the bottom of it that acts as a stop to the sliding. The screw fragment had apparently been smashed between the flange and the bottom end of the brass sleeve. This caused a deformity in the brass sleeve which impinged upon the sliding motion. The impingement was severe enough that I could not push the cylinder through the sleeve.
I had to use a sledge hammer to pound the cylinder out of the sleeve. Then I used various sandpaper and stripping tools mounted on my hand drill to "hone" the bore (sort of like what you would do to a cylinder in an engine block. Eventually I got the cylinder to slide freely in the bore.
I put things back in place (also very difficult due to the weight). Then I tried striking. I was expecting it to work perfectly. The ejection system never worked as smoothly, quietly, or effortlessly as it did now. However, there remained one big problem. The lower die still would not drop down. And at the point in the striking cycle were it was supposed to do that, there was a loud hissing sound coming from the left side of the press. Full pressure air was being vented, without restriction, into the room.
Here is the left side of the press (behind the cover panels):
The air control valve that I worked on a few weeks is here (orange arrow, in image below).
The main lever that actuates the lower die up or down is the large red-painted metal piece (green arrow, in image below).
After trying to figure this out for a day or two, I determined that the pneumatic actuator (purple arrow) is what causes the lower die to move UP to eject the struck piece. Now the question: what gizmo causes the lower die to drop back down, and why is so much air escaping ? Eventually I took both air lines off of the air control valve (orange arrow). I finally determined that, at the time when the lower die was supposed to drop down, the valve was sending air pressure OUT to the upper air line. But the same air pressure was being sent back through the lower air line, and the control valve was simply venting this out to the room. It was as if the two air lines were connected with no hindrance in the flow at all. That shouldn't be. Also, the two air lines wrapped around the red lever and disappeared behind it. What did they do behind there ?
The red lever is actually constructed out of two identical and parallel steel plates with about three inches of space between them. After using a mirror and a flashlight, I found that there was another pneumatic cylinder (just like the one indicated with purple arrow) INSIDE the large red lever. The blue arrow points to it. It is mounted diagonally, parallel to the two air lines that are in front of the red lever.
Now, how in the hell do I get that damn thing out of there ? The lower end has a cotter-pin type of attachment. So that was not a big problem. The upper end was a mystery - it was very difficult to see in there. Finally I noticed a 1/2-inch diameter pin in the red lever (just out of the picture but located about where the white arrow is pointing to). If I could get that pin out, the pneumatic cylinder would come right out.
First I tried pounding the pin through. No matter how hard I pounded with a hammer, it wouldn't budge. But even if it had moved, I realized that there is not enough clearance behind the red lever and the bulkhead for the pin to be removed anyway. And what if the pin had a step-down diameter ? That would prevent the pin from moving forward at all. The pin did have a small threaded hole. So I concluded that, with the right screw inserted, I might be able to use that to PULL the pin out.
I went to the local hardware store and "MacGyvere'd" this pun puller tool (sort of like a miniature steering wheel puller, if you know what those are). The small screw goes into the pin. The large bolts are screwed inwards to push against the surface and pull the pin. I deployed my new tool and turned the bolts as hard as I could. I only managed to bend the metal plates in my tool. The pin still did not move, not even a thousandth of an inch.
So I began to think that the pin was not designed to be removed. I investigated removing the entire red lever arm, but that appeared to be basically impossible. I had no hope of fixing it unless maybe I could take the pneumatic cylinder apart while it was still in-place, and replace the guts inside it. The only chance of doing that was to remove other items that were in the way. So I took out the blue air pipe (yellow arrow, in image above) and the flywheel brake mechanism (red arrow, in image above).
After taking those out, I had a little better view of the upper left end of the pneumatic cylinder. And then I saw it. A small set screw perpendicular to the pin shaft. It was hidden just around the corner behind the front plate of the red lever.
Once I removed that set screw, my tool pulled the pin out like butter. The pin actually had a fairly deep groove that the set screw went into.
At this point I still wasn't 100% sure, but I was pretty certain that this was the offending part:
My theory is that the ejection cylinder was severely pinched in the bore (inside the large orange block). And someone turned up the air pressure to overcome that. The high air pressure eventually blew out the pneumatic cylinder.
This is the inside of it. At first, it may look OK. But the rubber diaphragm is supposed to be securely fastened to the brass shaft were the groove is (red arrow). It was torn off of its mounting and also degraded to where it would let air pass right through it.
The crate of spare parts that came with the press still provides gifts almost 20 years later. I have two more replacement pneumatic cylinders. Now that I have a replacement installed, when I stamp things the press works perfectly. It is quieter, smoother, and seems to stamp more effortlessly than ever before. I don't feel any vibrations in the floor, even when stamping at 300+ tons. Previously, I would.
@dcarr said:
Oh the "joys" of machinery maintenance.
So my coin press had been acting up sporadically over the last several months. Usually, the symptom was that it wouldn't complete the ejection cycle. After a coin is stamped, the coin will be lodged tightly in the collar. The ejection is performed when the press pushes up on the lower die to force the struck piece out of the collar. And the last action in a striking cycle is for the lower die to drop back down into the original (lower) position. When it does that, a new planchet can be inserted into the collar for the next striking.
The problem was that, more and more often, the lower die would not drop back down at the end. My quick work-around for that was to remove the lower die and repeatedly strike "air" until the lower die dropped back down, But, eventually, I could not get that to work at all. I suspected that it might be related to the "Clutch Valve Failure" fault that I worked on a few weeks ago.
It was time to fix the problem once and for all. My biggest challenge was not knowing entirely how some of this worked, or what would be necessary to fix it.
After taking off a couple cover plates and looking into some narrow spaces using a bright flashlight, I began to theorize that something was not right in the large shaft that contacts the bottom of the lower die anvil (to push it up).
There was only one way to determine for sure what was going on here. I had to remove the large orange-painted metal block (red arrow) and examine the cylinder and bore surface inside it and under it.
It took every trick I had to get the large bolts loose, and use wood planks to slide the block out onto a tall cart. The piece weighs over 120 pounds.
When I finally got it out, this is what I saw under it (the screws, not the coin shown for scale):
One screw was bent a little, but relatively undamaged. The other screw had obviously been caught in the mechanism and destroyed. Since I got the press, I have never been into this area before. The screws were undoubtedly left there by a careless US Mint employee. I would never do that. It wasn't until recently that it managed to cause a noticeable problem. But I believe that the one screw had actually been causing damage for quite a long time.
The large steel cylinder that pushes on the bottom of the anvil slides up and down in a heavy brass-lined sleeve. This cylinder also has a flange on the bottom of it that acts as a stop to the sliding. The screw fragment had apparently been smashed between the flange and the bottom end of the brass sleeve. This caused a deformity in the brass sleeve which impinged upon the sliding motion. The impingement was severe enough that I could not push the cylinder through the sleeve.
I had to use a sledge hammer to pound the cylinder out of the sleeve. Then I used various sandpaper and stripping tools mounted on my hand drill to "hone" the bore (sort of like what you would do to a cylinder in an engine block. Eventually I got the cylinder to slide freely in the bore.
I put things back in place (also very difficult due to the weight). Then I tried striking. I was expecting it to work perfectly. The ejection system never worked as smoothly, quietly, or effortlessly as it did now. However, there remained one big problem. The lower die still would not drop down. And at the point in the striking cycle were it was supposed to do that, there was a loud hissing sound coming from the left side of the press. Full pressure air was being vented, without restriction, into the room.
Here is the left side of the press (behind the cover panels):
The air control valve that I worked on a few weeks is here (orange arrow, in image below).
The main lever that actuates the lower die up or down is the large red-painted metal piece (green arrow, in image below).
After trying to figure this out for a day or two, I determined that the pneumatic actuator (purple arrow) is what causes the lower die to move UP to eject the struck piece. Now the question: what gizmo causes the lower die to drop back down, and why is so much air escaping ? Eventually I took both air lines off of the air control valve (orange arrow). I finally determined that, at the time when the lower die was supposed to drop down, the valve was sending air pressure OUT to the upper air line. But the same air pressure was being sent back through the lower air line, and the control valve was simply venting this out to the room. It was as if the two air lines were connected with no hindrance in the flow at all. That shouldn't be. Also, the two air lines wrapped around the red lever and disappeared behind it. What did they do behind there ?
The red lever is actually constructed out of two identical and parallel steel plates with about three inches of space between them. After using a mirror and a flashlight, I found that there was another pneumatic cylinder (just like the one indicated with purple arrow) INSIDE the large red lever. The blue arrow points to it. It is mounted diagonally, parallel to the two air lines that are in front of the red lever.
Now, how in the hell do I get that damn thing out of there ? The lower end has a cotter-pin type of attachment. So that was not a big problem. The upper end was a mystery - it was very difficult to see in there. Finally I noticed a 1/2-inch diameter pin in the red lever (just out of the picture but located about where the white arrow is pointing to). If I could get that pin out, the pneumatic cylinder would come right out.
First I tried pounding the pin through. No matter how hard I pounded with a hammer, it wouldn't budge. But even if it had moved, I realized that there is not enough clearance behind the red lever and the bulkhead for the pin to be removed anyway. And what if the pin had a step-down diameter ? That would prevent the pin from moving forward at all. The pin did have a small threaded hole. So I concluded that, with the right screw inserted, I might be able to use that to PULL the pin out.
I went to the local hardware store and "MacGyvere'd" this pun puller tool (sort of like a miniature steering wheel puller, if you know what those are). The small screw goes into the pin. The large bolts are screwed inwards to push against the surface and pull the pin. I deployed my new tool and turned the bolts as hard as I could. I only managed to bend the metal plates in my tool. The pin still did not move, not even a thousandth of an inch.
So I began to think that the pin was not designed to be removed. I investigated removing the entire red lever arm, but that appeared to be basically impossible. I had no hope of fixing it unless maybe I could take the pneumatic cylinder apart while it was still in-place, and replace the guts inside it. The only chance of doing that was to remove other items that were in the way. So I took out the blue air pipe (yellow arrow, in image above) and the flywheel brake mechanism (red arrow, in image above).
After taking those out, I had a little better view of the upper left end of the pneumatic cylinder. And then I saw it. A small set screw perpendicular to the pin shaft. It was hidden just around the corner behind the front plate of the red lever.
Once I removed that set screw, my tool pulled the pin out like butter. The pin actually had a fairly deep groove that the set screw went into.
At this point I still wasn't 100% sure, but I was pretty certain that this was the offending part:
My theory is that the ejection cylinder was severely pinched in the bore (inside the large orange block). And someone turned up the air pressure to overcome that. The high air pressure eventually blew out the pneumatic cylinder.
This is the inside of it. At first, it may look OK. But the rubber diaphragm is supposed to be securely fastened to the brass shaft were the groove is (red arrow). It was torn off of its mounting and also degraded to where it would let air pass right through it.
The crate of spare parts that came with the press still provides gifts almost 20 years later. I have two more replacement pneumatic cylinders. Now that I have a replacement installed, when I stamp things the press works perfectly. It is quieter, smoother, and seems to stamp more effortlessly than ever before. I don't feel any vibrations in the floor, even when stamping at 300+ tons. Previously, I would.
Now I can get back to doing some real work.
Dan thank you so much for sharing your trials and tribulations with your operation. It must feel extremely gratifying to have been able to troubleshoot and repair something that seemed impossible. I'm very happy you were able to get the press going and running better than ever! Looking forward to something made on the new improved machinery.
I enjoyed your accomplishment and sense of satisfaction. Machinery needs TLC. I think you dodged even larger problems by stopping the press and conducting exploratory surgery. Peace Roy
And here I thought you were taking some well needed rest on some remote Pacific island.
While reading through your post not knowing where it was leading, I was thinking, no matter what the issue is, Dan's gonna figure it out. When i visited years ago I was impressed at your troubleshooting skills, that remains. Great work.
Now, when will this press be 'hammering-out' some 2025 Clark Gruber $500s?
Comments
Small coins:
Half dollars
I just received the grades and they are on the way back to me.
INYNWHWeTrust-TexasNationals,ajaan,blu62vette
coinJP, Outhaul ,illini420,MICHAELDIXON, Fade to Black,epcjimi1,19Lyds,SNMAN,JerseyJoe, bigjpst, DMWJR , lordmarcovan, Weiss,Mfriday4962,UtahCoin,Downtown1974,pitboss,RichieURich,Bullsitter,JDsCoins,toyz4geo,jshaulis, mustanggt, SNMAN, MWallace, ms71, lordmarcovan
In todays mail
INYNWHWeTrust-TexasNationals,ajaan,blu62vette
coinJP, Outhaul ,illini420,MICHAELDIXON, Fade to Black,epcjimi1,19Lyds,SNMAN,JerseyJoe, bigjpst, DMWJR , lordmarcovan, Weiss,Mfriday4962,UtahCoin,Downtown1974,pitboss,RichieURich,Bullsitter,JDsCoins,toyz4geo,jshaulis, mustanggt, SNMAN, MWallace, ms71, lordmarcovan
@Twobitcollector said:
.
"D"....you sure have been getting good grades.
They sure look good, keep 'em coming.
I must say I can't complain
INYNWHWeTrust-TexasNationals,ajaan,blu62vette
coinJP, Outhaul ,illini420,MICHAELDIXON, Fade to Black,epcjimi1,19Lyds,SNMAN,JerseyJoe, bigjpst, DMWJR , lordmarcovan, Weiss,Mfriday4962,UtahCoin,Downtown1974,pitboss,RichieURich,Bullsitter,JDsCoins,toyz4geo,jshaulis, mustanggt, SNMAN, MWallace, ms71, lordmarcovan
>
Can’t be rigged, because you’re coming up 70’s from ICG too‼️‼️🎯👍👍👍
The silver medal had edge lettering of "ONE TROY OZ .999 SILVER" and a serial number (between "01" through "40")
I chose 28, for my birthdate.
INYNWHWeTrust-TexasNationals,ajaan,blu62vette
coinJP, Outhaul ,illini420,MICHAELDIXON, Fade to Black,epcjimi1,19Lyds,SNMAN,JerseyJoe, bigjpst, DMWJR , lordmarcovan, Weiss,Mfriday4962,UtahCoin,Downtown1974,pitboss,RichieURich,Bullsitter,JDsCoins,toyz4geo,jshaulis, mustanggt, SNMAN, MWallace, ms71, lordmarcovan
Seven years ago Mom peacefully passed.
Within a few weeks Moonlight Mint issued the 1934 $20 Fantasy which was coincidentally her birthyear:
Here's a coin inflation image from 420AM this morning, just Thirteen Cents below $3,000 spot Gold.
Good to know how much gold resides in your Daniel Carr Fantasy Coin Art ?
Oh & Happy St Paddy's Day !
In todays mail
INYNWHWeTrust-TexasNationals,ajaan,blu62vette
coinJP, Outhaul ,illini420,MICHAELDIXON, Fade to Black,epcjimi1,19Lyds,SNMAN,JerseyJoe, bigjpst, DMWJR , lordmarcovan, Weiss,Mfriday4962,UtahCoin,Downtown1974,pitboss,RichieURich,Bullsitter,JDsCoins,toyz4geo,jshaulis, mustanggt, SNMAN, MWallace, ms71, lordmarcovan
When the 1759 crossed my path I knew nothing about the current restrikes.
It seems to be a vintage die strike by the earlier style Mrs. Washington 1965 obverse die.
The various newer denomination 1759 design executions look off to me, fat checks, bulging eyes, look more like Chinese counterfeits.
Imaged next to the 1970D half for diameter comparision & I think, from same era die design:
1964 Kennedy & 1965 Martha. Both designed by E Grove.
Not a Carr, but like a Carr in that either a 1965 die or a 1999 die was used to create a vintage die restrike.
The die is for sale:
.
Technically that is a "Carr" because I engraved the Mount Vernon die and struck them (on commission).
.
Is the Moonlight Mint site down?
There does currently appear to be some sort of issue. Probably something with the eCommerce platform that the store is built on.
Apparently, even though I paid in advance for several years of the SSL certificate, it still expired and I had to manually submit a request to have it reissued. Now that has been done, it will sill take up to 24 hours for the update to "propagate" throughout the internet. So the site should be available again within 24 hours.
On Ebay, from China....
.
Sad...there is just to many fakes from China on eBay
INYNWHWeTrust-TexasNationals,ajaan,blu62vette
coinJP, Outhaul ,illini420,MICHAELDIXON, Fade to Black,epcjimi1,19Lyds,SNMAN,JerseyJoe, bigjpst, DMWJR , lordmarcovan, Weiss,Mfriday4962,UtahCoin,Downtown1974,pitboss,RichieURich,Bullsitter,JDsCoins,toyz4geo,jshaulis, mustanggt, SNMAN, MWallace, ms71, lordmarcovan
That must be some "Grade A" chinesium.
BST transactions: dbldie55, jayPem, 78saen, UltraHighRelief, nibanny, liefgold, FallGuy, lkeigwin, mbogoman, Sandman70gt, keets, joeykoins, ianrussell (@GC), EagleEye, ThePennyLady, GRANDAM, Ilikecolor, Gluggo, okiedude, Voyageur, LJenkins11, fastfreddie, ms70, pursuitofliberty, ZoidMeister,Coin Finder, GotTheBug, edwardjulio, Coinnmore, Nickpatton, Namvet69,...
.
What the hell ... now one more thing I've had to deal with.
I contacted eBay's VeRO (Verified Property Rights) program and they usually take down the violating listings rather quickly.
I also documented it on my page of knock-offs of "Daniel Carr" products:
moonlightmint.com/fakes.htm
Thanks for pointing it out here.
PS:
It appears that they did NOT do a transfer from one of my pieces because the serifs on the "1" in the date do not match in size or shape. Most likely, they used a photograph when replicating the design.
.
"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."
fka renman95, Sep 2005, 7,000 posts
The full quote by Oscar Wilde is: "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness."
Pacific Northwest Numismatic Association
.
eBay axed the listing.
The VeRO program is far more likely to result in action than the normal "report item" channels.
But it takes some effort to set up a VeRO identity and it is more complicated to report via VeRO than it is via standard reporting.
PS:
Also, my store website was supposedly fixed, but it was not. So I had to contact the service provider again today, and they assured me that it will be fixed this time (within 24 hours from now).
@dcarr -
I was reviewing this table in your production blog:
.
I thought that perhaps you might be able to help me with a question:
Do you have an idea of what the depth of relief is for the obverse and reverse of modern US Mint Peace Dollar (2021-current)?
I have read that the relief for the modern Peace dollars is "to specifications for relief of modern commemorate dollars", but cannot find any more specific information, as you have in your table.
- Ike Group member
- DIVa (Designated Ike Varieties) Project co-lead and attributor
It's back: https://www.ebay.com/itm/388158846247
Reported.
The moonlight mint website is still down when using Firefox.
...and also when using Chrome.
- Ike Group member
- DIVa (Designated Ike Varieties) Project co-lead and attributor
Yup, I'm getting the invalid cert announcement. I'm sure Dan is working on the fix.
BST: endeavor1967, synchr, kliao, Outhaul, Donttellthewife, U1Chicago, ajaan, mCarney1173, SurfinHi, MWallace, Sandman70gt, mustanggt, Pittstate03, Lazybones, Walkerguy21D, coinandcurrency242 , thebigeng, Collectorcoins, JimTyler, USMarine6, Elkevvo, Coll3ctor, Yorkshireman, CUKevin, ranshdow, CoinHunter4, bennybravo, Centsearcher, braddick, Windycity, ZoidMeister, mirabela, JJM, RichURich, Bullsitter, jmski52, LukeMarshall, coinsarefun, MichaelDixon, NickPatton, ProfLiz, Twobitcollector,Jesbroken oih82w8, DCW
Microsoft edge is working just fine. I am having no trouble with Chrome either. Could be your internet provider.
Accessing the Moonlight Mint homepage and production blog has not been a problem. However, we are specifically referring to the Online Store access. When you say Edge and Chrome are just fine, are you referring specifically to the Online Store access?
- Ike Group member
- DIVa (Designated Ike Varieties) Project co-lead and attributor
Gotcha, I didn't check the store, you are correct it isn't working. CT got hit with the same server error not to long ago.
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I do not have any measurements for the modern US Mint Morgan & Peace dollars.
The measuring process that I undertook for earlier coins required significant effort.
If I ever have in my possession a modern Morgan/Peace Dollar, I might try a simpler measurement.
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For the third time I had to have a live "chat" with the service provider. They said the problem would be fixed within 20 minutes. That was 20 minutes ago. It might actually be fixed now, but I'll need some other confirmation of that.
In the latest chat, I asked what they did to fix it. The chat person said that they uninstalled and then re-installed the SSL Certificate. I told them that last week, during two different chats (Tuesday and Thursday), they told me they did exactly that same thing and that didn't fix it. Today's chat person told me that they checked the SSL records and the uninstall/re-install had NOT actually been done. I told today's person that the previous chat assistant had lied to me about actually doing that, so please review the old chat records and report them !
The reply I received was a very enthusiastic "Certainly !" .
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Dan: I just checked, the cert is still expired (that happened on March 23rd).
This is all I get for the last week at Dan's Site.
I’m able to access the site, though I have to push through an alert that the website is may be trying to impersonate another site.
I got a great deal on a DC 1987 ASE over strike on GC that ANACS graded, so I doubt it’s going to come with the add COA. Anyone know where I might be able to get one, I think it’s neat to keep with the coin.
It still is not working. I've successfully "escalated" the service request past the "level-1" agent tier. So far, they can't explain why it doesn't work right, even with a new certificate.
@dcarr - They finally updated the cert. Your site works fine now.
If anyone still gets an error: close your browser and reopen it.
It's up and working on Firefox! A few coins to celebrate on April 1st!
Hooray! And on April Fools day to boot. Peace Roy
BST: endeavor1967, synchr, kliao, Outhaul, Donttellthewife, U1Chicago, ajaan, mCarney1173, SurfinHi, MWallace, Sandman70gt, mustanggt, Pittstate03, Lazybones, Walkerguy21D, coinandcurrency242 , thebigeng, Collectorcoins, JimTyler, USMarine6, Elkevvo, Coll3ctor, Yorkshireman, CUKevin, ranshdow, CoinHunter4, bennybravo, Centsearcher, braddick, Windycity, ZoidMeister, mirabela, JJM, RichURich, Bullsitter, jmski52, LukeMarshall, coinsarefun, MichaelDixon, NickPatton, ProfLiz, Twobitcollector,Jesbroken oih82w8, DCW
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It may also be of help to clear your browsers "cache" and "cookies" before proceeding to the site.
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On line store working, I just spent some money and it went through ‼️👍
Starting to be out of stock on a few of them‼️😱😱😱
Oh the "joys" of machinery maintenance.
So my coin press had been acting up sporadically over the last several months. Usually, the symptom was that it wouldn't complete the ejection cycle. After a coin is stamped, the coin will be lodged tightly in the collar. The ejection is performed when the press pushes up on the lower die to force the struck piece out of the collar. And the last action in a striking cycle is for the lower die to drop back down into the original (lower) position. When it does that, a new planchet can be inserted into the collar for the next striking.
The problem was that, more and more often, the lower die would not drop back down at the end. My quick work-around for that was to remove the lower die and repeatedly strike "air" until the lower die dropped back down, But, eventually, I could not get that to work at all. I suspected that it might be related to the "Clutch Valve Failure" fault that I worked on a few weeks ago.
It was time to fix the problem once and for all. My biggest challenge was not knowing entirely how some of this worked, or what would be necessary to fix it.
After taking off a couple cover plates and looking into some narrow spaces using a bright flashlight, I began to theorize that something was not right in the large shaft that contacts the bottom of the lower die anvil (to push it up).
There was only one way to determine for sure what was going on here. I had to remove the large orange-painted metal block (red arrow) and examine the cylinder and bore surface inside it and under it.
It took every trick I had to get the large bolts loose, and use wood planks to slide the block out onto a tall cart. The piece weighs over 120 pounds.
When I finally got it out, this is what I saw under it (the screws, not the coin shown for scale):
One screw was bent a little, but relatively undamaged. The other screw had obviously been caught in the mechanism and destroyed. Since I got the press, I have never been into this area before. The screws were undoubtedly left there by a careless US Mint employee. I would never do that. It wasn't until recently that it managed to cause a noticeable problem. But I believe that the one screw had actually been causing damage for quite a long time.
The large steel cylinder that pushes on the bottom of the anvil slides up and down in a heavy brass-lined sleeve. This cylinder also has a flange on the bottom of it that acts as a stop to the sliding. The screw fragment had apparently been smashed between the flange and the bottom end of the brass sleeve. This caused a deformity in the brass sleeve which impinged upon the sliding motion. The impingement was severe enough that I could not push the cylinder through the sleeve.
I had to use a sledge hammer to pound the cylinder out of the sleeve. Then I used various sandpaper and stripping tools mounted on my hand drill to "hone" the bore (sort of like what you would do to a cylinder in an engine block. Eventually I got the cylinder to slide freely in the bore.
I put things back in place (also very difficult due to the weight). Then I tried striking. I was expecting it to work perfectly. The ejection system never worked as smoothly, quietly, or effortlessly as it did now. However, there remained one big problem. The lower die still would not drop down. And at the point in the striking cycle were it was supposed to do that, there was a loud hissing sound coming from the left side of the press. Full pressure air was being vented, without restriction, into the room.
Here is the left side of the press (behind the cover panels):
The air control valve that I worked on a few weeks is here (orange arrow, in image below).
The main lever that actuates the lower die up or down is the large red-painted metal piece (green arrow, in image below).
After trying to figure this out for a day or two, I determined that the pneumatic actuator (purple arrow) is what causes the lower die to move UP to eject the struck piece. Now the question: what gizmo causes the lower die to drop back down, and why is so much air escaping ? Eventually I took both air lines off of the air control valve (orange arrow). I finally determined that, at the time when the lower die was supposed to drop down, the valve was sending air pressure OUT to the upper air line. But the same air pressure was being sent back through the lower air line, and the control valve was simply venting this out to the room. It was as if the two air lines were connected with no hindrance in the flow at all. That shouldn't be. Also, the two air lines wrapped around the red lever and disappeared behind it. What did they do behind there ?
The red lever is actually constructed out of two identical and parallel steel plates with about three inches of space between them. After using a mirror and a flashlight, I found that there was another pneumatic cylinder (just like the one indicated with purple arrow) INSIDE the large red lever. The blue arrow points to it. It is mounted diagonally, parallel to the two air lines that are in front of the red lever.
Now, how in the hell do I get that damn thing out of there ? The lower end has a cotter-pin type of attachment. So that was not a big problem. The upper end was a mystery - it was very difficult to see in there. Finally I noticed a 1/2-inch diameter pin in the red lever (just out of the picture but located about where the white arrow is pointing to). If I could get that pin out, the pneumatic cylinder would come right out.
First I tried pounding the pin through. No matter how hard I pounded with a hammer, it wouldn't budge. But even if it had moved, I realized that there is not enough clearance behind the red lever and the bulkhead for the pin to be removed anyway. And what if the pin had a step-down diameter ? That would prevent the pin from moving forward at all. The pin did have a small threaded hole. So I concluded that, with the right screw inserted, I might be able to use that to PULL the pin out.
I went to the local hardware store and "MacGyvere'd" this pun puller tool (sort of like a miniature steering wheel puller, if you know what those are). The small screw goes into the pin. The large bolts are screwed inwards to push against the surface and pull the pin. I deployed my new tool and turned the bolts as hard as I could. I only managed to bend the metal plates in my tool. The pin still did not move, not even a thousandth of an inch.
So I began to think that the pin was not designed to be removed. I investigated removing the entire red lever arm, but that appeared to be basically impossible. I had no hope of fixing it unless maybe I could take the pneumatic cylinder apart while it was still in-place, and replace the guts inside it. The only chance of doing that was to remove other items that were in the way. So I took out the blue air pipe (yellow arrow, in image above) and the flywheel brake mechanism (red arrow, in image above).
After taking those out, I had a little better view of the upper left end of the pneumatic cylinder. And then I saw it. A small set screw perpendicular to the pin shaft. It was hidden just around the corner behind the front plate of the red lever.
Once I removed that set screw, my tool pulled the pin out like butter. The pin actually had a fairly deep groove that the set screw went into.
At this point I still wasn't 100% sure, but I was pretty certain that this was the offending part:
My theory is that the ejection cylinder was severely pinched in the bore (inside the large orange block). And someone turned up the air pressure to overcome that. The high air pressure eventually blew out the pneumatic cylinder.
This is the inside of it. At first, it may look OK. But the rubber diaphragm is supposed to be securely fastened to the brass shaft were the groove is (red arrow). It was torn off of its mounting and also degraded to where it would let air pass right through it.
The crate of spare parts that came with the press still provides gifts almost 20 years later. I have two more replacement pneumatic cylinders. Now that I have a replacement installed, when I stamp things the press works perfectly. It is quieter, smoother, and seems to stamp more effortlessly than ever before. I don't feel any vibrations in the floor, even when stamping at 300+ tons. Previously, I would.
Now I can get back to doing some real work.
Dan thank you so much for sharing your trials and tribulations with your operation. It must feel extremely gratifying to have been able to troubleshoot and repair something that seemed impossible. I'm very happy you were able to get the press going and running better than ever! Looking forward to something made on the new improved machinery.
I enjoyed your accomplishment and sense of satisfaction. Machinery needs TLC. I think you dodged even larger problems by stopping the press and conducting exploratory surgery. Peace Roy
BST: endeavor1967, synchr, kliao, Outhaul, Donttellthewife, U1Chicago, ajaan, mCarney1173, SurfinHi, MWallace, Sandman70gt, mustanggt, Pittstate03, Lazybones, Walkerguy21D, coinandcurrency242 , thebigeng, Collectorcoins, JimTyler, USMarine6, Elkevvo, Coll3ctor, Yorkshireman, CUKevin, ranshdow, CoinHunter4, bennybravo, Centsearcher, braddick, Windycity, ZoidMeister, mirabela, JJM, RichURich, Bullsitter, jmski52, LukeMarshall, coinsarefun, MichaelDixon, NickPatton, ProfLiz, Twobitcollector,Jesbroken oih82w8, DCW
Thanks for sharing
INYNWHWeTrust-TexasNationals,ajaan,blu62vette
coinJP, Outhaul ,illini420,MICHAELDIXON, Fade to Black,epcjimi1,19Lyds,SNMAN,JerseyJoe, bigjpst, DMWJR , lordmarcovan, Weiss,Mfriday4962,UtahCoin,Downtown1974,pitboss,RichieURich,Bullsitter,JDsCoins,toyz4geo,jshaulis, mustanggt, SNMAN, MWallace, ms71, lordmarcovan
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Bummer. Thank you for sharing - it was a learning experience for me.
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Yes! Now we're talking!
- Ike Group member
- DIVa (Designated Ike Varieties) Project co-lead and attributor
And here I thought you were taking some well needed rest on some remote Pacific island.
While reading through your post not knowing where it was leading, I was thinking, no matter what the issue is, Dan's gonna figure it out. When i visited years ago I was impressed at your troubleshooting skills, that remains. Great work.
Now, when will this press be 'hammering-out' some 2025 Clark Gruber $500s?
fka renman95, Sep 2005, 7,000 posts
I was hoping you found a couple hidden gold coins in there somewhere.
Ike looks good in copper: