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Question about the 1797 Half Cent-- what is a "gripped edge" variety?

LongacreLongacre Posts: 16,717 ✭✭✭
in U.S. Coin Forum
Does anyone have a picture of the "gripped edge" variety of the 1797 half cent? Does anyone know what the purpose of this variety was? Any other information would be appreciated.
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)

Comments

  • LanLordLanLord Posts: 11,723 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Where you and a friend are fighting over ownership and you got a strong hold on...

    Okay, I don't know either.
  • LakesammmanLakesammman Posts: 17,460 ✭✭✭✭✭
    This from Google sources....

    One interesting 1797 is called the “gripped edge.” It has raised and indented lines which have caused some to speculate that it was possibly gripped by pliers at the time. The “gripped edge” is rarely found in any grade, but literally never in upper circulated grades. (Littleton)

    GRIP EDGE. Gripped edge. Incuse segments on edge of 1797 half cent and large cent. (PCGS)
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  • HootHoot Posts: 867 ✭
    The PCGS description is more accurate. The gripped edge looks like it has small, incuse indentations. I have a 1797 gripped edge cent, which has identical indentations. I'll see if I can get a shot of the edge, although I do not have great equipment for it. There's a photo in the Red Book of a gripped edge.

    Hoot
    From this hour I ordain myself loos'd of limits and imaginary lines. - Whitman
  • gripgrip Posts: 9,962 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Someone calling meimage
  • JadeRareCoinJadeRareCoin Posts: 2,768 ✭

    Does anyone know what the purpose of this variety was?

    No. To this day, any explanation is simply theory. It may have been done intentionally with the edge dies, or it may have been the result of a really crappy planchet cutter. My personal opinion is that the edge dies had the "gripping", and not the planchet cutter. I support my arguement by the fact that some large cents of 1797 also have gripped edges. A faulty planchet cutter would likely only be on one denomination or another. I would guess that it was some sort of experiment at the mint.
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  • Conder101Conder101 Posts: 10,536 ✭
    At least on the cent the gripped edge are the result of edge dies. The "grip" marks are actually the result of an edge design that was a little too large for the planchet thickness. The design is a rectangular box with a elongated pellet within the box kind of like this [0] but with the 0 being longer sideways. (I have seen this on a better grade 1797 gripped edge cent that clearly showed the square corners of the box and the definite rounded shape of the pellet.) But since the planchet isn't an thick as the edge design is tall, on the coins it appears more like [( )]. The "grip" marks all have a straight edge and a curved edge. When you examine them as they go around the coin you can see the pattern [( )] [( )] [( )] [( )].

    Also it is known that Boulton sent planchets with several different edge treatments to the US mint in 1797.

    I haven't hadn't had the chance to examine any 1797 gripped edge half cents so I can't say what their cause was, but it is very likely it can be different from that of the cents because I'm not sure if Boulton was supplying half cent planchets at that time, or if all of the half cent planchets were being produced in house from cut down large cents, TAL tokens, and rolled scrap.
  • JadeRareCoinJadeRareCoin Posts: 2,768 ✭

    Conder, great stuff!

    You have made me rethink my position. The half cent planchets of 1797 were made by cutting down spoiled large cents and other scrap. Therefore they did not come as finished planchets from Boulton. Looking at the so-called gripped edge of 1797 half cents, as compared with gripped edge 1797 large cents, I would say that it is likely that the half cent edge marks ARE from a crude planchet cutter and not an edge die.

    Until this thread, I never gave much thought to this important issue.
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  • LongacreLongacre Posts: 16,717 ✭✭✭
    This is great info, guys. I feel like such a slug that I can't answer these sorts of things off the top of my head.
    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)

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