Don't know what to title this ----- bent seated Half?

FrattLaw · April 22, 2004 8:08AM

Went to a neighborhood shop today and was looking at a nice (raw) 1871-S Seated Half $. XF/AU I then noticed that coin was not quite right. Through the flip I ran my fingers across the obverse and reverse and noticed that the coin had a small area that was slight bowed out. Meaning it wasn't flat, but it wasn't obviously bent either.

There was absolutely no damage to the surfaces that would have indicated that someone use a pair of pliers or some other tool to do this. The area on the reverse where it was bowed out showed more wear/rub then the other points.

Can a planchet ever be slightly bowed out/defected and still get pressed or did this happened after striking.

If it did happened post mint, anyone know how this was accomplished since there were no signs of damage on the coin.

Thanks -- I'm just curious,
Michael

tsacch · April 22, 2004 8:12AM

5000 joules of electricity placed through a copper coil on each end of the coin........................oh wait that makes it shrink.

NoGvmnt · April 22, 2004 8:14AM

Even if it was bent prior to striking the pressure (and resulting heat) from striking would return it to perfectly flat.

I have an 1885 Nickel that was also bent without damaging the devices.

Jim

BigD5 · April 22, 2004 8:20AM

I find a lot of trimes and half dimes that are bent, but otherwise perfectly fine. These little coins get bent from being pushed into the Whitman albums.

I wouldn't think a bust half would get bent in that way though. There's a number of ways someone could have bent the coin, but we may never know exactly how it was done.

Don't know what to title this ----- bent seated Half?

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