How do you tell a light strike versus wear?
Longacre
Posts: 16,717 ✭✭✭
I was told one "trick" to tell if something is lightly struck versus whether it has wear is to examine the part of the coin at issue that is weak, and then look at the same point on the opposite side. If the same point on the opposite side is also weak, then it is probably a weak strike versus wear. This seems to make sense. Does anyone else use this method? Do you have any other ways to determine weak strike versus wear?
Always took candy from strangers
Didn't wanna get me no trade
Never want to be like papa
Working for the boss every night and day
--"Happy", by the Rolling Stones (1972)
Didn't wanna get me no trade
Never want to be like papa
Working for the boss every night and day
--"Happy", by the Rolling Stones (1972)
0
Comments
You need to know the series and often the specific date and mint re what to check on a particular coin. Ie., re the 1887 P dime, Miss Liberty's head is not fully struck, and on many New Orleans Barber Quarters and Halves, the eagle's left claw and arrow feathers are often flat. It gets more difficult on open collared coins, like the Capped Bust Half.
"Seu cabra da peste,
"Sou Mangueira......."
Note that a toning break does not necessarily imply a luster break. A colorfully toned coin may have an untoned grey area that is referred to as a toning break. However, the grey area might still be free of wear, and exhibit original luster. The toning break may have been caused by other environmental conditions (or by contact in handling that left oils behind). Such conditions or contact may have interfered with the processes that cause toning, but may not have been sufficient to result in any discernible wear.
Best,
Sunnywood
Sunnywood's Rainbow-Toned Morgans (Retired)
Sunnywood's Barber Quarters (Retired)
Look at the fields and other low points of the coin...no sign of wear or circulation? full luster? Chances are that this is your light strike not a heavily circulated coin.
Jim
<< <i>Surface luster !!!! A uncirculated piece with a light strike should still exhibit the same surface luster in the weak area as elsewhere. This is usually visible by tilting the coin around under light, to make the "cartwheel" visible. Wear is associated with a break in the luster. The worn area will not have the same surface quality or reflectivity.
Note that a toning break does not necessarily imply a luster break. A colorfully toned coin may have an untoned grey area that is referred to as a toning break. However, the grey area might still be free of wear, and exhibit original luster. The toning break may have been caused by other environmental conditions (or by contact in handling that left oils behind). Such conditions or contact may have interfered with the processes that cause toning, but may not have been sufficient to result in any discernible wear.
Best,
Sunnywood >>
This almost invariably will work. While it could fail on any coin it is more likely not to work
for clads and other cu/ni coins. It is not extremely unusual for a strike to fail to fill the lowest
recesses of the die. When this occurs there will be very weak or no luster on some of the
high points. Even here though there are usually telltale signs that there was a weak strike.
Many of the moderns planchets are extremely scratched up and where these scratches re-
main on the high points it can be difficult to tell. Look at where a more prominent scratch
fades into the surrounding devive. On a weak strike the edges of the scratch will appear
"folded over" where the die contacted it.
Again this is a very small percentage of coins and the quoted description is excellent.
Worn die strikes should be pretty easy to see because of uneven die wear or erosion in the
fields. Missing detail will match this pretty closely. The luster on these coins is often superb
so as long as there's no luster break then the coin is still unc.