Strike-through? or post-mint damage (PMD)? 1795 half-dime

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TallahasseeCoinClub
TallahasseeCoinClub Posts: 479 ✭✭✭✭
edited August 4, 2026 4:58AM in U.S. Coin Forum

Opinions please, on the nature of that rather broad, depressed area over a fair portion of Liberty's face.

I am interested in this coin for research purposes only if it is a strike-through anomaly and not PMD. In case it matters, there are no evident adjustment marks.


Official PCGS account of:

www.TallahasseeCoinClub.com

Comments

  • MFeld
    MFeld Posts: 17,154 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    I don’t see obvious post-strike damage.

    Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.

  • jmlanzaf
    jmlanzaf Posts: 43,072 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    I vote slight damage. Appears to be some flattening in the reverse opposite.

    All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.

  • messydesk
    messydesk Posts: 20,829 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    The Y and stars 9 and 10 look a little fuzzy, as if something interfered with the strike there, but that could just be a combination of weakness and noise in the image. Nothing looks like damage.

  • Typekat
    Typekat Posts: 732 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    It looks natural ‘as made’.
    Maybe the planchet was a bit thin at the face area….?

    30+ years coin shop experience (ret.) Coins, bullion, currency, scrap & interesting folks. Loved every minute!

  • johnny9434
    johnny9434 Posts: 34,116 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @Typekat said:
    It looks natural ‘as made’.
    Maybe the planchet was a bit thin at the face area….?

    Thats what it looks like to me as well

  • jesbroken
    jesbroken Posts: 11,253 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    I do not see PMD. As stated perhaps a thin spot in planchet. It appears to be an LM-5 to me, as the 5 enters the bust and the M in AMERICA, but just my opinion.
    Jim


    When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln

    Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
  • messydesk
    messydesk Posts: 20,829 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @jesbroken said:
    I do not see PMD. As stated perhaps a thin spot in planchet. It appears to be an LM-5 to me, as the 5 enters the bust and the M in AMERICA, but just my opinion.
    Jim

    LM-3. Date spacing, 5 into bust, radial crack through R in LIBERTY.

  • yosclimber
    yosclimber Posts: 5,322 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited August 4, 2026 11:52AM
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    LM-3, straight from the Quick Finding Chart in the LM book.
    Rev D : 2 inner 1 outer berries under left wing - narrows to LM-3, 4, 5
    Obv 3 : 7 curls - narrows to LM-3

  • TallahasseeCoinClub
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    @yosclimber said:
    LM-3, straight from the Quick Finding Chart in the LM book.
    Rev D : 2 inner 1 outer berries under left wing - narrows to LM-3, 4, 5
    Obv 3 : 7 curls - narrows to LM-3

    Correct attribution. What is fascinating is that there are multiple existing examples that appear to show the exact same depression over Liberty's face. I propose that it was caused by something adhering to the die.

    Official PCGS account of:

    www.TallahasseeCoinClub.com

  • MFeld
    MFeld Posts: 17,154 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited August 4, 2026 1:05PM
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    @TallahasseeCoinClub said:

    @yosclimber said:
    LM-3, straight from the Quick Finding Chart in the LM book.
    Rev D : 2 inner 1 outer berries under left wing - narrows to LM-3, 4, 5
    Obv 3 : 7 curls - narrows to LM-3

    Correct attribution. What is fascinating is that there are multiple existing examples that appear to show the exact same depression over Liberty's face. I propose that it was caused by something adhering to the die.

    I thought I’d remembered seeing others with the same feature. I did a quick search, looking for one to post, but didn’t have any luck within the time I allotted myself.

    Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.

  • jesbroken
    jesbroken Posts: 11,253 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    LM-3. Date spacing, 5 into bust, radial crack through R in LIBERTY.

    Thanks for info and correction @messydesk and @yosclimber. No excuse, just didn't have book and coinfacts didn't list the LM-3. Shouldn't have attempted w/o documentation but did anyway.
    Jim


    When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln

    Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
  • TallahasseeCoinClub
    TallahasseeCoinClub Posts: 479 ✭✭✭✭
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    Based on the discussion above, I decided to purchase this coin - an expensive proposition but hopefully it will produce a little bit of interesting research material. Thanks for all the comments.

    Official PCGS account of:

    www.TallahasseeCoinClub.com

  • jacrispies
    jacrispies Posts: 1,638 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited August 5, 2026 1:44PM
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    @TallahasseeCoinClub said:
    Based on the discussion above, I decided to purchase this coin - an expensive proposition but hopefully it will produce a little bit of interesting research material. Thanks for all the comments.

    Congrats on the big purchase! The surfaces and preservation are easily appreciated despite the planchet/strike defect. It has the appearance of a strikethrough. The odd texture continues from Liberty's face and out into the field and stars. I would like to hear your thoughts of that in-hand.

    Curious on your last post, on what other 1795 half dimes did you see this same depression?

    "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.
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    JRCS #1606

  • messydesk
    messydesk Posts: 20,829 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @TallahasseeCoinClub said:
    Based on the discussion above, I decided to purchase this coin - an expensive proposition but hopefully it will produce a little bit of interesting research material. Thanks for all the comments.

    Not to give you buyer's remorse, but did you see this coin in hand or just from the picture? It looks very dark from the picture, such that I'm wondering if it has environmental damage.

  • IkesT
    IkesT Posts: 4,611 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @TallahasseeCoinClub said:
    Based on the discussion above, I decided to purchase this coin - an expensive proposition but hopefully it will produce a little bit of interesting research material.

    Research material for whom?

  • TallahasseeCoinClub
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    @messydesk said:

    @TallahasseeCoinClub said:
    Based on the discussion above, I decided to purchase this coin - an expensive proposition but hopefully it will produce a little bit of interesting research material. Thanks for all the comments.

    Not to give you buyer's remorse, but did you see this coin in hand or just from the picture? It looks very dark from the picture, such that I'm wondering if it has environmental damage.

    For a research project I am not concerned about "grade" or so-called damage, provided the die-struck anomaly (which I believe it to be) is clear. It won't be a coin for resale... well, not from a profit standpoint anyhow.

    @IkesT said:

    @TallahasseeCoinClub said:
    Based on the discussion above, I decided to purchase this coin - an expensive proposition but hopefully it will produce a little bit of interesting research material.

    Research material for whom?

    Myself.

    Official PCGS account of:

    www.TallahasseeCoinClub.com

  • BillJones
    BillJones Posts: 35,938 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Is the coin flat, or is it concave/convex? If the latter, it’s PMD. If not, it was probably struck that way.

    Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
  • TallahasseeCoinClub
    TallahasseeCoinClub Posts: 479 ✭✭✭✭
    edited August 6, 2026 5:20AM
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    Bill, I do not have it in-hand yet - going to be a couple of weeks before I pick it up at our Tallahassee Coin Show. However, I am told that the reverse shows no convexity at all, and the photos seem to support that as well.

    Official PCGS account of:

    www.TallahasseeCoinClub.com

  • lilolme
    lilolme Posts: 2,993 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    This reminded me of the Morgan belly button thread.
    I am not saying that is what the OP is but just that it reminded me of it. I don't know what to think of the OP coin.

    https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1113179/1885-o-morgan-vam-question-belly-button

    https://youtube.com/watch?v=OwZlYz2V4AM Sophie Lloyd, guitar shred cover Paranoid (Black Sabbath)

    https://youtube.com/watch?v=fbEW8BrNctI Haley Reinhart, Don't Know How To Love You Live (direct to record)

    RLJ 1958 - 2023

  • TallahasseeCoinClub
    TallahasseeCoinClub Posts: 479 ✭✭✭✭
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    @lilolme said:
    This reminded me of the Morgan belly button thread.
    I am not saying that is what the OP is but just that it reminded me of it. I don't know what to think of the OP coin.

    https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1113179/1885-o-morgan-vam-question-belly-button

    You are onto something! I do believe the half-dime was struck off of a partially filled obverse die, caused by a strikethrough, and believe those "belly button" 1885-O dollars were similarly produced. I have run across them from time to time myself.

    Official PCGS account of:

    www.TallahasseeCoinClub.com

  • lilolme
    lilolme Posts: 2,993 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @TallahasseeCoinClub said:

    @lilolme said:
    This reminded me of the Morgan belly button thread.
    I am not saying that is what the OP is but just that it reminded me of it. I don't know what to think of the OP coin.

    https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1113179/1885-o-morgan-vam-question-belly-button

    You are onto something! I do believe the half-dime was struck off of a partially filled obverse die, caused by a strikethrough, and believe those "belly button" 1885-O dollars were similarly produced. I have run across them from time to time myself.

    .
    On the Morgan belly buttons the information in the link indicates that they were not a filled die or struck through but something weird happened with this die or die pair. Here is the one image with some information from the previous thread. The previous thread has some links for it. While I would not say this is the same as the OP, I did think it might have some implications of what can/could occur.

    https://youtube.com/watch?v=OwZlYz2V4AM Sophie Lloyd, guitar shred cover Paranoid (Black Sabbath)

    https://youtube.com/watch?v=fbEW8BrNctI Haley Reinhart, Don't Know How To Love You Live (direct to record)

    RLJ 1958 - 2023

  • Coinscratch
    Coinscratch Posts: 11,086 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @MFeld said:

    @TallahasseeCoinClub said:

    @yosclimber said:
    LM-3, straight from the Quick Finding Chart in the LM book.
    Rev D : 2 inner 1 outer berries under left wing - narrows to LM-3, 4, 5
    Obv 3 : 7 curls - narrows to LM-3

    Correct attribution. What is fascinating is that there are multiple existing examples that appear to show the exact same depression over Liberty's face. I propose that it was caused by something adhering to the die.

    I thought I’d remembered seeing others with the same feature. I did a quick search, looking for one to post, but didn’t have any luck within the time I allotted myself.

    Here is one similar from PhotoGrade MS61.

  • yosclimber
    yosclimber Posts: 5,322 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @Coinscratch said:

    @MFeld said:

    @TallahasseeCoinClub said:

    @yosclimber said:
    LM-3, straight from the Quick Finding Chart in the LM book.
    Rev D : 2 inner 1 outer berries under left wing - narrows to LM-3, 4, 5
    Obv 3 : 7 curls - narrows to LM-3

    Correct attribution. What is fascinating is that there are multiple existing examples that appear to show the exact same depression over Liberty's face. I propose that it was caused by something adhering to the die.

    I thought I’d remembered seeing others with the same feature. I did a quick search, looking for one to post, but didn’t have any luck within the time I allotted myself.

    Here is one similar from PhotoGrade MS61.

    This is Obverse 7, though. (LM-8 or 9).
    So it would not likely have the same die adhesions theorized for the original coin in this thread.

  • kaz
    kaz Posts: 9,378 ✭✭✭✭✭
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  • WinLoseWin
    WinLoseWin Posts: 1,912 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @TallahasseeCoinClub said:
    Based on the discussion above, I decided to purchase this coin - an expensive proposition but hopefully it will produce a little bit of interesting research material. Thanks for all the comments.

    Hope it is certified by a service that guarantees authenticity.

    I have no reason to suspect it, but see the thread on the 1797 Dime for how accepted and sometimes certified coins can be discovered not to be authentic. At least with the right slab you are guaranteed if things change.

    https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/comment/14131776/#Comment_14131776

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