A Look At The Finish

The finish is the description of the surface texture production methods employed before minting of a coin.  Some would say it is a description of the coin, but it all comes down to how the planchet and die were prepared prior to striking.  There are business strikes, Satin, SMS, and Proof with further descriptors Cameo, Deep Cameo, and Ultra Cameo.  Some of these are commonly available, others are hard to find.  A few are downright scarce.

Business Strikes

Let's have a look at a business strike fresh out of an opened roll.

This is a 2016.  Rather common, somewhat unremarkable.  While it has a delightful luster and shine, no special attention is given to business strikes.  The planchets are cleaned up, washed and pressed into service on a massive scale.  Several hundreds of billions of these have been produced.  Unspoiled specimens will have "Cartwheel Luster".

Recent years have seen spots become a dominant feature on business strikes as new methods of preparing planchets leave behind the residue of a rinse agent.

Business Strike Up Close

Die Stage has a great deal to do with the appearance of business strikes.  After being used for thousands upon thousands of strikes the dies will encounter issues which need attention.  If not replaced, used dies are often resurfaced by grinding.  While modern resurfacing methods have improved quality, older methods and quality control was not as stringent.  Polishing marks and die scratches are replete through the mid 80s.

1960-D with polishing marks

Special Mint Set

When the US went off the silver coinage standard at the end of 1964, a coin shortage immediately ensued as people snatched up all the silver they could.  In order to produce replacement coinage as fast as possible, all 3 mints were pressed into service to meet demand.  Proof coinage took a backseat in favor of business strike production but the Mint did produce a substitute: Special Mint Sets, 1964 through 1967.  The coins in these sets were produced with a better quality of planchet and a more refined die.  While the methods were not up to Proof standards, product quality was better than business strikes.

SMS left, Business Strike right

Better attention, better quality.  Early die stage strikes exhibit cameo devices which bring a premium.

While not quite proof quality, the finish is highly reflective, clear, and with strong detail.

Satin

Starting in 2005 the Mint produced coins with a satin finish to be included in US Mint Sets.  The planchets were burnished.  The dies were etched with a process similar to sandblasting, but with a much finer grain material.  This practice continued through 2010 at the Philadelphia and Denver Mints.

The effect does not reflect the light so much as it scatters the light.

The texture of the surface reminds me of the skin of a ripe pumpkin at the peak of freshness.  These Satin Finish coins have a distinctive appearance and can be found in albums people have assembled using mint sets.  They bring a premium.  Keep an eye out for them.

2009 Satin Cents, P and D, in all reverse designs, are further distinguished by the composition when the mint reverted to the original French Bronze (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc) and weight of 3.11g.

Features of Satin coinage

• Dates will be 2005-2010 P and D ONLY
• They will be in, or will have originally come from Mint Sets
• The rims are USUALLY but NOT ALWAYS wider
• 2009 was made with 95% copper with a weight of 3.1 grams
• Finish disperses light differently than business strikes, scattering it rather than reflecting
• Planchet has been burnished, giving it a high degree of uniformity
• Finish is similar to, but much finer than the modern ultra proof cents.

Proof

Cameo Proof

Deep Cameo Proof

Ultra Cameo Proof

Reverse Proof

Matte Proof

Special Frosted Matte Uncirculated

Special Frosted Matte Proof

Burnished




I'll be back to work on this more...

Attribution Nomenclature

Call me impatient but the fact is I hate waiting.  I find stuff all the time that has no attribution listed by any of the Big 3 or is something that would be attributed as a lesser die variety.  Rather than sit on my hands waiting for someone to attribute my finds, it would be easier for me to assign attribution nomenclature.  I've already started with that Effigy Mound clash die.  Prudence and uniformity demands I come up with more formal nomenclature parameters.

Start with a general description, move towards a precise description:

Denomination - Date and Mintmark - Variety Type - Listing

Axiom #1 tells us there are exceptions to every rule so there will need to be some flexibility in how this is done.  Denomination is all well and good but there is a 1909 cent with an Indian on the front, another with Abe Lincoln.  There's 5 different quarter designs for the State or ATB Quarters in any given year.  I will need more information to disambiguate some coins.

Denomination - Date and Mintmark - Disambiguation - Variety Type - Listing

That should work.  I mostly deal with US coins.  I suppose I'll need to add Country of Origin as needed.


Denomination

Half Cent	1/2C
Cent	1C
2 Cent	2C
3 Cent	3C
5 Cent	5C
10 Cent	10C
20 Cent	20C
25 Cent	25C
50 Cent	50C
Dollar	$1
2 Dollars	$2
2.5 Dollars	$2.5
3 Dollars	$3
4 Dollars	$4
5 Dollars	$5
10 Dollars	$10
20 Dollars	$20
50 Dollars	$50
100 Dollars	$100

Date and Mintmark
This is fairly straightforward.  There may need to add disambiguation for Large Date-Small Date and other design varieties.

Disambiguation 
This deals with finish, composition, design type when more than 1 major design is used for a given date and mintmark, and other necessary discriminating information.
LD  Large Date
SD  Small Date
PR  Proof
RP  Reverse Proof
FM  Frosted Matte Finish
SF  Satin Finish
EH  Enhanced Finish
CU  Copper
SV  Silver
ZN  Zinc


Variety Type
Wexler puts a W in front of his DDO to make WDDO.  I'll use...P.

 

PDDO	Doubled Die Obverse
PDDR	Doubled Die Reverse
PRPM	RePunched Mintmark
POMM	Over MintMark
PIMM	Inverted MintMark
PMMV	MintMark Variety
PODV	Obverse Design Variety
PRDV	Reverse Design Variety
PCLO	Clashed Die Obverse
PCLR	Clashed Die Reverse
PDCH	Die CHip
PDCR	Die CRrack
PDBR	Die BReak
PCO	Cud Obverse
PCR	Cud Reverse
PLLO	Lathe Lines Obverse
PLLR	Lathe Lines Reverse
PRPD	RePunched Date
PMPD	MisPlaced Date
POVD	OVer Date

Listing
The number I assign.  I'm thinking I'll try to match it up with CONECA as much as possible.
If that's not good enough, CONECA will simply have to change their ways.
Different dies of the same variety would have a decimal added.  For example, a 1988-D 1c RDV-006, Die 3 of 3 would be 1C-1988D-RDV-006.3.

This Day In History 20 July 1969

Man takes his first steps on the moon with Neil Armstrong's historic quote "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
The landing was the culmination of decades of rocket research resulting in the Apollo Project. The landing craft Eagle was part of the Apollo 11 mission. Each mission had a unique arm patch. The patch for Apollo 11 was subsequently used on the Eisenhower and SBA dollars.

Image courtesy of NASA.

Another Checklist Added

Over on the right side of this page is a link to FILES.
I've got some collector checklists.  Feel free to copy/paste, print them off to your hearts content.
The latest addition is for V Nickels.  I've added Mintage figures.

Liberty V Nickel Checklist 1883-1913

 

 

Diagnosis: Die Deterioration

I came across this quarter today, thought it would make a great teaching tool.  This is a textbook example of Die Deterioration.  See the write up on Error-ref.com. 
Here's a closeup of Liberty.

Over the life of the die, metal flows into and out of the voids in the die.  It looks like doubling and is often misdiagnosed as a doubled die. 

Same quarter, another shot.
Here you see the metal flow lines moving into the devices.  The nape of the neck and tops of the letters are deformed by the metal wearing down the die.

Same coin, In God We Trust.
Here, the D appears doubled. All by itself it might seem like a keeper. Taken with the rest of the photos the issue becomes clear.  The metal flow lines are outward from the center in all these photos.

A holistic approach will help diagnose some of the issues you encounter. Examine the whole coin. When showing a coin to someone online, always offer full shots of the whole coin, front and back.  There is information that an experienced eye can glean that you may not know to mention.

Proof of ALIENS!

Susan B Anthony was a time traveling alien from the 8th Dimension.
What more proof do you need?

Coin Roll Hunting and Coin Collecting Axioms

I like the word axiom.  It makes me sound like I know what I'm talking about.  If you prefer "tenet" then by all means, employ it at your pleasure.  The point here is to identify fundamental principles which will further the hobby.

Axiom 1:  There are exceptions to every rule.

Except for this rule.  Wait...what?
Another way to say it is "There are NO absolutes".  This statement, of course, IS an absolute, so there goes that theory.  Think of it as Anything Can Happen Day.  When you think you've nailed down an idea, be ready to scrap it.  Be flexible in your thinking.  Keep "maybe not" in the back of your mind because it may not be what you think it is.

Axiom 2:  Inspect every coin.

Coin roll hunting is like a box of chocolates.  You never know what you're gonna get.  That Lincoln Cent Die Variety Cheat Sheet barely scratches the surface of what can be found.  Just about every date and mintmark has die varieties.  Every coin has the potential for errors.  I see people pick out wheats.  They are nice, I keep them all, but that's not where the money is.  You can find more value in die varieties from a single box than all the wheats from scores of boxes.  For all the work that goes into getting and disposing of coins, it's a shame to let these slip through your fingers

There are coins that are screwed up, scraped, bent, holed, painted, burned, cut, and damaged beyond recognition.  For anything but the most sought after varieties so much value is lost the coins are worth face.  Experience will be your guide as to what to skip.  Until you have that experience, check every coin.

Axiom 3: When in doubt, Keep It.

If you are not sure if the coin is valuable or if it is an error or variety, set it aside for later inspection.  As you gain experience, you'll be better able to judge the nature of the coin and if it is worth keeping.  The investment is face value.  If you later decide the coin is not worthy, you get all your money back. 

Axiom 4: Start with the assumption of damage.

Most oddities and anomalies are the result of damage.  Contact damage, machine doubling, stains and discoloration, heat, and contamination can all alter the appearance of a coin.  All too often new collectors start with the assumption that the coin is a mint error.  That's the wrong way to go about it.  By assuming damage, you must then prove the coin is an error or variety.  If you can't prove it, you can always keep it for further review (Axiom #3) when you have more experience to bring to bear.  If you can prove it, the evidence will be in place to support your claim.

You will encounter post mint damage, PMD, all the time.  There are 750 Billion coins out there in the US alone. Every one of them can be damaged in a different way and still there would be countless more ways to damage a coin.  I recommend you go through another 50,000 pennies. You can probably do that in a year.  You'll have a much better idea of how they are damaged and how to identify them.

Axiom 5:  Nobody knows it all or is right 100% of the time.

Except Ken Potter.  That guy knows what he's talking about.
The quest for knowledge has it's place.  For those times when you don't know, further research is needed.  Websites abound with good information, but even the Big 3 taken together are not a complete picture of what is out there.  The old saying "buy the book before you buy the coin" is just as meaningful today as it ever was.   A coin book library is as important to a coin collection as a cook book is to a well stocked pantry.

 

Axiom 6:  Price Lists are Price Guides.

We work with a free market economy subject to fluctuations from all causes.  Spot prices of precious metals, auction records, promotions and advertising, even a small mention in the news and mass media can cause interest and subsequent demand to rise and fall with immediate and corresponding changes in prices.   On a small scale with a single coin and handful of bidders, it really is Anything Can Happen Day.

Axiom 7:  Coin Collecting is a hobby of accumulation and a journey of personal development.

As you progress you'll accumulate coins, equipment, and paraphernalia.  Personally you'll accumulate knowledge, gain experience, and develop wisdom.  Knowledge is the craft.  Experience is gained through activity.  Wisdom is what you hand out to those seeking either. 
The way we learn has not changed since we first developed tools and reason.  The young learn from the old.  The old teach the young.  This is the way of things.  We all have different levels of development.  One is never too old to learn nor too young to teach.

Axiom 8: Verify Authenticity.

There are fakes out there.  Some coins have been altered, others have been struck entirely from counterfeit dies.  Weigh it, measure it, compare it to a genuine example.  Take the process as far as you can.  If you still have doubts and have exhausted your abilities and know-how, get the coin in front of someone with more experience.  The devil is in the details.

The proof is in the pudding.

 

Axiom 8:  Assume Doubling is Not a Doubled Die

The overwhelming majority of questions regarding doubling result in machine doubling and die deterioration being the explanation.  Identifying die varieties is a process of elimination, comparison, and discovery.  A thorough understanding of md and worn dies is vital to your understanding of die varieties.  By eliminating md and worn dies, most of the anomalous coins will be out of the way, letting you focus on more difficult specimens.

Machine Doubling (md)
Israel Rodriguez
Georgia

Axiom 9: If the doubling on the date is the same as the doubling on the mintmark, it is md every time.

The exception to this rule is that it applies to coins minted before 1990.  Until then, the mintmark was applied to the die by hand.  If the die was already doubled during the hubbing process, the mintmark would be unaffected.  There are examples of machine doubling on doubled dies.  There are examples of machine doubling with RPMs. 

Axiom 10: When coin roll hunting, Persistence is better than luck.

You'll hear me say it all the time: They are out there.  Experience, information, and persistence have a cumulative property.  It's impossible to say what you'll find in your next coin roll hunting box, but it's a sure bet you'll find more keepers in your 100th box than you will in your first.

Axiom 11: If all you are doing is searching for wheats and silver, you're leaving the big money behind.

There's so much stuff out there I'm surprised I don't trip over it.

Axiom 12: Suppress the desire to announce your new find.  

Announcing the find prematurely will make for an awkward situation if it turns out to be something other than what you thought it was.  When you discover something, set it aside with another coin of the same date and grade.  Look at them again tomorrow.  If you can determine which one is the discovery, you may have something.

Axiom 13:  If you're not having fun, you're not doing it right

This is a hobby after all.  

Axiom 14:  A key indicator that something is not rare is when you have lots of them.

You found a dozen 1982-D Small Date Copper cents?  Really?

Axiom 15:  Activity Builds Experience. Experience Builds Confidence.

Get out there, get your hands dirty.  The more you do, the more you learn.  I've said it before:

There is nothing you can't do.  As soon as you believe that, it becomes true.

Axiom 16:  The more assumptions needed to prove a theory, the more likely it is to be wrong.

This one showed up on a social network recently.  The post asks what caused the anomaly.  Two theories were offered.

1.  A mint error
2.  A vice job

Let's look at the Mint Error theory and see if it holds water:

First, a cent was struck. Later, the cent was struck again by what appears to be a dime die, as evidenced by the oak leaf design on the chin. The E above God is facing to the right so the idea is that it was struck by the mint, except its incuse on the coin so it would have to be struck by a hub rather than a die. Somehow, with all the pressure exerted by the press (with the hub in place of the die) it only left a partial imprint...oh...and the collar had to be between the planchet (cent) and the hub, and something musta been between the reverse of the cent and the other die that only flattened the devices and not impart a second design.

This is a rather elaborate theory.

Let's look at the Vice Job Theory:

A dime was pressed into the cent.

The mark of the rim of the dime checks out. 

The oakleaf is upside down. and incuse which supports the idea that the incuse E above god would point to the right.

The reverse has flatter areas because of the pressure exerted by the vice..

This all support the simple notion of cent and dime in vice operated by a madman bent on global destruction.

Occam's Razor: the simplest explanation is usually the right one.

Axiom 17: Anytime you have a bad feeling about a coin, Go With That Feeling

You've been handling coins ever since you first learned to put a penny in the gumball machine.  You know what they look like, how they feel and when they look out of place.  Coin Collecting has you focusing on more particular aspects and characteristics of specific coins.  Experience and knowledge are your guides.  Heed your intuition when it tells you something is amiss.

Axiom 18: Don't Clean Your Coins

The first thing you wash away is numismatic value.

Axiom 19:  If you don't know what you are buying, DON'T BUY IT.

Copper Cent No Melt Law - Full Text

Thinking about melting down those pre-82 copper cents?  You might want to check out the No-Melt Law

This comes directly from the CFR, Code of Federal Regulations, i.e. The Law of The Land:

Title 31- Money and Finance: Treasury
Subtitle B - Regulations Relating to Money and Finance
Chapter I  Part 82 - 5-CENT AND ONE-CENT COIN REGULATIONS
Sections 82.1 - 82.4

§ 82.1 Prohibitions.

Except as specifically authorized by the Secretary of the Treasury (or designee) or as otherwise provided in this part, no person shall export, melt, or treat:

(a) Any 5-cent coin of the United States; or

(b) Any one-cent coin of the United States.

§ 82.2 Exceptions.

(a) The prohibition contained in § 82.1 against the exportation of 5-cent coins and one-cent coins of the United States shall not apply to:

(1) The exportation in any one shipment of 5-cent coins and one-cent coins having an aggregate face value of not more than $100 that are to be legitimately used as money or for numismatic purposes. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to authorize export for the purpose of sale or resale of coins for melting or treatment by any person.

(2) The exportation of 5-cent coins and one-cent coins carried on an individual, or in the personal effects of an individual, departing from a place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, when the aggregate face value is not more than $5, or when the aggregate face value is not more than $25 and it is clear that the purpose for exporting such coins is for legitimate personal numismatic, amusement, or recreational use.

(b) The prohibition contained in § 82.1 against the treatment of 5-cent coins and one-cent coins shall not apply to the treatment of these coins for educational, amusement, novelty, jewelry, and similar purposes as long as the volumes treated and the nature of the treatment makes it clear that such treatment is not intended as a means by which to profit solely from the value of the metal content of the coins.

(c) The prohibition contained in § 82.1 against the exportation, melting, or treatment of 5-cent and one-cent coins of the United States shall not apply to coins exported, melted, or treated incidental to the recycling of other materials so long as -

(1) Such 5-cent and one-cent coins were not added to the other materials for their metallurgical value;

(2) The volumes of the 5-cent coins and one-cent coins, relative to the volumes of the other materials recycled, makes it clear that the presence of such coins is merely incidental; and

(3) The separation of the 5-cent and one-cent coins from the other materials would be impracticable or cost prohibitive.

(d) The prohibition contained in § 82.1 against the exportation, melting, or treatment of 5-cent coins shall not apply to 5-cent coins inscribed with the years 1942, 1943, 1944, or 1945 that are composed of an alloy comprising copper, silver and manganese.

(e) The prohibition contained in § 82.1 against the exportation of 5-cent coins and one-cent coins shall not apply to 5-cent coins and one-cent coins exported by a Federal Reserve Bank or a domestic depository institution, or to a foreign central bank, when the exportation of such 5-cent coins and one-cent coins is for use as circulating money.

(f)

(1) The prohibition contained in § 82.1 against exportation, melting, or treatment of 5-cent coins and one-cent coins of the United States shall not apply to coins exported, melted, or treated under a written license issued by the Secretary of the Treasury (or designee).

(2) Applications for licenses should be transmitted to the Director, United States Mint, 801 9th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20220.

§ 82.3 Definitions.

(a)5-cent coin of the United States means a 5-cent coin minted and issued by the Secretary of the Treasury pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 5112(a)(5).

(b)One-cent coin of the United States means a one-cent coin minted and issued by the Secretary of the Treasury pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 5112(a)(6).

(c)Export means to remove, send, ship, or carry, or to take any action with the intent to facilitate a person's removing, sending, shipping, or carrying, from the United States or any place subject to the jurisdiction thereof, to any place outside of the United States or to any place not subject to the jurisdiction thereof.

(d)Person means any individual, partnership, association, corporation, or other organization, but does not include an agency of the Government of the United States.

(e)Treat or treatment means to smelt, refine, or otherwise treat by heating, or by a chemical, electrical, or mechanical process.

§ 82.4 Penalties.

(a) Any person who exports, melts, or treats 5-cent coins or one-cent coins of the United States in violation of § 82.1 shall be subject to the penalties specified in 31 U.S.C. 5111(d), including a fine of not more than $10,000 and/or imprisonment of not more than 5 years.

(b) In addition to the penalties prescribed by 31 U.S.C. 5111(d), a person violating the prohibitions of this part may be subject to other penalties provided by law, including 18 U.S.C. 1001(a).

2017 Effigy Mound Quarter

New die varieties are found with each new series.  The ATB Quarters bring several new designs to work with each year.  I recently discovered an obverse clash die on a 2017 Effigy Mound quarter.  At first I thought I had cobwebs on the coin.  Closer inspection revealed the markings to be the grasses on the reverse design.

I found it so I suppose I get to name it.  There is a Sneezing Horse, how about a Sneezing George?  Rather than send this to Wexler, I'll assign it my own attribution nomenclature.

25C-2017P-IA-PCLO-001

Submitted by: Ken Peavey
Strong and clear clash marks are found on the obverse under the nose, behind the head, and close in to the bow.

The specimen shown here has been featured in a video on my YouTube Channel:

Development of a Die Chip

The die which produces a coin is in continuous use.  The mint produces around 10 coins per second with these things.  They get hot, wear out, develop characteristics which will change over the course of the life of the die.  A coin is a snapshot of the die at a particular instant.  Line up a series of snapshots, view them in rapid succession, it becomes animation.

Going through bunches of rolls I was able to find several examples of a 2016-P Shawnee Quarter with a die chip.  This particular die chip has been called the "Camel Toe" because the part of the rock outcrop bears a resemblance to the toe of a camel.  I took photos of several of these, in the best order I could.  The images were then used to created an animated .gif image.

The result:  You can watch the die change over time.

Here's a closeup of the chip.  I may have the order wrong.
I'm gonna roll with it.  Kinda looks like a sheep.

Aint this some cutting edge stuff!

People have been finding Fort Moultrie Quarters with die chips along the arm, on the back, and at the shoulder where the flagpole meets. 
Jeffrey Shumar of Pennsylvania built an animated GIF using several of his examples.

These animations add an interesting aspect to those die chips: The Animated GIF Challenge.
Hunt for die chips, lots of them.  If they match, put them in order and create GIF.  If its decent, I'd love to share it on this page.  Make ya famous!