JJK Lists Inventory; In Related News, Longacre's Thumb Upgraded From Critical to Serious
Coinosaurus
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At long last, Longacre can stop refreshing JJK Americana's inventory page.
And speaking of refreshing, do I detect a little bit more 'tude in the cataloguing than the previous employer might have allowed
Read it all here.
And speaking of refreshing, do I detect a little bit more 'tude in the cataloguing than the previous employer might have allowed
Read it all here.
0
Comments
Thanks for noticing. I'll try hard to get a few more things up every day.
Betts medals, colonial coins, US Mint medals, foreign coins found in early America, and other numismatic Americana
Rare 1852 Wass Molitor Small Head $10
(A Late Die State Dubosq $10!)
1852 Wass, Molitor & Co, $10. Small Head. Kagin-3. F-12 (NGC). One of the most fascinating varieties in the entire realm of pioneer gold. In January 1849, well-known Philadelphia silversmith Theodore Dubosq left the East Coast bound for San Francisco. It seems he was carrying dies with him, which he subsequently used to produce a small run of 1850-dated $5s and $10s. Those Dubosq pieces are famous rarities today - heck, a spoon by Dubosq in the Ford Collection just brought a couple grand more than I'm asking for this coin - and either a $5 or $10 would cross six figures in any grade today.
But this coin is struck by the same dies. If territorial gold was classified like Massachusetts silver, the Dubosq could be Kagin-3 and this could be Kagin 3.2.
Confused yet? Numismatists were for generations, until the similarity between this variety of Wass, Molitor $10 to the Dubosq $10 was finally puzzled out in recent years. The Dubosq dies were apparently sold to the more successful Wass, Molitor outfit, who continued to use the reverse die as-is. The obverse was drilled-out, and a plug replaced the 0 of the date with a 2. Dubosq & Co. on the coronet was replaced; it now reads W. M. & Co.
On this specimen, the designs are well-worn but the circular die-plug at the 2 is readily seen. Various tiny marks on both sides belie a long stay in commerce, and the reverse is a bit softer than the first. The advanced die state weakened the detail of both devices, though most known specimens show significant wear as well. This one shows some hairlines but retains a nice medium yellow color.
NGC has certified 6 of these - that's one less than the number of Baldwin Horseman $10's they've graded and one more than the census of Clark Gruber Mountain $20s and Mormon $20s, both classic Territorial rarities. This can be fairly called an underrated rarity, with most grades bringing only about twice what the far more common Large Head Wass, Molitor 1852 $10 brings. And that variety uses only one old Dubosq die, making this Small Head type, in a way, twice as cool. So if it's twice as cool and twice as rare, shouldn't it be worth four times as much?
This one is priced just a little over Guide Book. I think it's worth it, unless you already have a Dubosq.
It is very interesting how the die was reworked.
It is interesting. I had the opportunity to do some research on Wass Molitors a few months ago. As far as I can tell, the only two coins (Federal or private American issues) that use the plug method of date alteration is the 1852 K-3 and the 1855 K-6 Wass Molitor tens. Maybe JK can correct me if I am wrong.
<< <i>At long last, Longacre can stop refreshing JJK Americana's inventory page.
And speaking of refreshing, do I detect a little bit more 'tude in the cataloguing than the previous employer might have allowed
Read it all here. >>
As expected, some really cool stuff. Good luck with the new venture!
RYK
(PS: One cannot "grind off" the date or mintmark on a working die, then repunch a digit or letter. Grinding off an incuse digit would produce a raised lump on the coin, and repunching that spot just adds a digit on top of the lump.)
(PS: One cannot "grind off" the date or mintmark on a working die, then repunch a digit or letter. Grinding off an incuse digit would produce a raised lump on the coin, and repunching that spot just adds a digit on top of the lump.) --
Interesting. The repunched dates in many series show an underdate that was incorrectly placed and then partially effaced. What remains of the first punch often matches what would be the deepest recesses of the digits on the die, leading to the conclusion that digits were removed by lapping the fields around the date. The effect is often seen on the reduced elevation of devices adjacent to the date. One can't "grind off" an incuse digit on a die, but one can remove metal from around the digit (much like sanding a scratch out of wood), and that appears to account for what we see on many coins. Do you think that drilling, filling, and rebasining accounts for what we see on this coin, for example? (The heavy polish lines around the date aren't as visible in the photo as they appear on the coin.)
True, but – a scratch is a very slight depression in a piece of wood. The resulting depression caused by sanding it out may be nearly invisible, but it still exists. A date properly impressed in a shield nickel die is a significant percentage of the full depth of the design – at least 50% if one compares the height of a digit with the height of the shield or rim. There are certainly many dies in which the original digit was only lightly struck into the steel. In those instances, simple basining might efface all or most traces of the original. Obviously, this would be preferred to filling and repairing a die. Local polishing/ engraving can easily remove burrs and smooth the surface, but if done more than very lightly, it will alter the surface of the die field. This could be finessed by “blending” the touchup into the unaltered field – and this would be less time consuming than filling. Considering only the photo (and other shield nickels I’ve seen), my thought is that the first digits (logotype) were lightly impressed and the engraving dept. acted as outlined above.
If a significant quantity of metal is removed from around an incuse digit, there is no longer a flat field across the face of the die – the engraver has created a depression that must be filled, or the field lowered. If it is not filled in some way, then the depression in the die will produce a raised lump on the coin wherever metal was removed from the die.
There are a few bust dollars and halves that actually show such a raised mound with a repunched digit sitting on top. However, most early overdates simply have the new digit punched over the old. Normal displacement of metal, with some resurfacing of the die, obscures parts of the under type.
I mention the Morgans in connection with JJK’s description, because many of the overdates and O/CC show similar outlining to digits and letters as do the Wass, Molitor & Co pieces. The outline occurs at the junction of the untouched field and the repair, due to metal stress, differences in hardness, minute bubbles in the repair – much as if one were welding two metal bars together, then smoothing the join. (This is also much like what your dentist does when he/she fills a cavity – drill out, undercut, fill, pack, smooth, polish. Your tongue knows if the work is good.)
If we had the engraving dept records for Charles Barber’s term of office, I wager we would see a great many repaired dies – and with many types of repair. (Other world mints did the same thing…with varying degrees of success.)
(A disclaimer – every time I have mentioned this theory to avid variety and overdate /over mintmark collectors and specialists, I have gotten a look that the “men in white coats” must give to someone before they slap on the straight jacket.)
Sorry – I did not intend to divert the thread or get so verbose.
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)
I've spoken with those folks, RWB, and they assure me that the "look" is unrelated to your theory.
<< <i>I have viewed an MRI of the Longacre thumb, and I think it will survive. My prescription for him will be to order the double struck half cent, take two aspirins, and PM me in the morning.
Thanks, Doc. I need to check out that half cent.
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)