Three sides to every coin...which begs a question

NHSBaseball · July 24, 2008 11:49PM

Ahhh, my numismatic education continues apace. I am notoriously bull-headed, just ask my wife or ball players! I have read or heard many times that the first thing that graders look at is the edge of a coin, yet until yesterday I guess I did not take that to heart- until a really nice half dime was bagged as "damaged". I could not for the life of me figure out what the damage was, until I got the coin back and the bodybag said "bent".

I pulled the coin out, and sure enough, there was a very slight bend to the planchet that I had never noticed. I bought the coin at the one and only coin show I've ever attended- the Strawberry Capital Coin Show in Hammond, LA. When I bought the coin, it was in a cardboard 2x2, which I kept it in until I decided to submit it. The bend was so slight that I did not notice it as I transferred the coin into a Saf-Flip to send it in for grading.

My question is this- what is the advisability of asking to see a coin outside one of those stapled 2x2's ( I hate those things) at a show or at a coin dealers? I would think that this would be generally frowned upon, but don't want to make the same the same mistake again. Any advice or suggestions?

garsmith · July 24, 2008 11:55PM

It never hurts to ask. Maybe you should take some unused flips with you to the shows than you can give one to the dealer to reseal the coin if you dont want it.

ricko · July 24, 2008 11:55PM

Carry a some spare 2x2's... and if the dealer will not accomodate... walk on by.... Cheers, RickO

MFH · July 25, 2008 1:27AM

<< <i>Carry a some spare 2x2's... and if the dealer will not accomodate... walk on by.... Cheers, RickO >>

That's great advice, Garsmith and RickO...

Cladiator · July 25, 2008 1:32AM

From one half dime geek to another, bends are an issue you're always going to be dealing with if you stick with these diminutive coins. They are so small and thin it seems a great amount of them suffer from "the bends". They can range from plainly obvious to hardly detectible (like yours is). These coins are not terribly hard to un-bend by placing them between two pieces of wood or two pieces of leather and pounding or pressing them together. I'm not advocating that anyone should do that though, quite the opposite...I say leave it the way it is. However, this ease of unbending can lead to decieving half dimes on occasion. A half dime that spends time in circulation and is suffering from a bend will take on very unique wear characteristics. Uneven and splotchy wear on both sides. Wear that makes you say, "wha?". When you see this wear on a coin that is not bent, it's a good indicator that it was at one point and someone has flattened it to remove the bend.

To the subject of the third edge I'd HIGHLY recommend the study of the edge of any half dime you plan on purchasing, if it is possible. Understood that if it's in a slab that's not going to happen but if it's simply in a 2x2 or some other type of raw storage I'd not hesitate to ask the dealer to remove the coin for inspection. I've done this more times than I can remember and have only run into unwilling dealers once or twice. If the dealer gives you crap then walk away and don't give him your money.

Once you have the half dime in depth study of the edge can be very entertaining. You'd be amazed at the differences between the many edge collars and the variations you'll see. Counting of the edge reeds is also an essential tool for accurate attribution. Counting can be frustrating when you're just turning the coin in your hand and counting by eye. There is a solution though. Below is a link to a thread I made long ago about just this subject. A method (not invented by me, just relayed by me) to accurately and easily photograph the entire edge of the coin. I love this method and find it hugely helpful. I take the photo and print it out. Then using the printed photo I start counting and marking off the reeds with a pen as I count them. Takes all the headaches out of it.

Link to my thread on EdgeView™ photography

Sample of my EdgeView™ photography:

Example of the uneven and splotchy wear patterns on bent and formerly bent half dimes:

BillyKingsley · July 25, 2008 1:37AM

My one and only half dime is bent as well-which is probably how I was able to afford it! It only cost me $5. I didn't know that was a common problem.

Barndog · July 25, 2008 10:43PM

Cladiator pretty much said it all! I've started to really view the edge of prospective purchases after finding an expertly-repaired edge on one of my set piece coins a couple of years ago. Neither the prior owner nor I knew about it until too late.

roadrunner · July 25, 2008 11:02PM

I recall a Good 1796 or 1797 half dime that a friend cracked out an old top tiered TPG holder. The coin was bent and had that same look in the holder. Nonetheless, the coin upgraded when sent back in.

For those collecting circs of any 19th century coin it is imperative to be able to check the coin for bends. Sometimes it can be as simple as placing it on a hard surface and seeing if it spins. A simple test that won't cause any damage imo. The real damage is caused when you buy a bent coin and pay full boat for it. I've bought my share of bent seated half dimes and dimes over the years. If the seller won't allow an inspection outside of the holder, then continue on...unless the price is comparable to what a damaged specimen would fetch.

roadrunner

NHSBaseball · July 26, 2008 2:06AM

Thanks to all who responded. Cladiator, your post was extremely helpful, as was the link to the edgeview photography (who'd have thought it would be that simple- ingenious solution). The pic and description of uneven wear will definitely guide my purchases in the future.

Roadrunner, I'd have never thought of spinning the coin! It makes sense, though.

Again, thank you all for sharing your knowledge.

RWB · July 26, 2008 2:18AM

An equally disconcerting practice is that of the authentication/grading services not using a holder that permits the edge to be viewed.

Three sides to every coin...which begs a question

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