Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.
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| U. S. Penny Showing Distortion From Die Deterioration. |
Yesterday I posted a picture of a half reale. I chose that particular half reale because it is one of the better examples I have. The cob is relatively complete and the surface in good condition. I think you can see where the die was recut and where the die bounced, along with some other nice features that occurred with the die strike. If a cob is too badly corroded you can't see all of that. You can learn about some of those things by studying modern coins. While modern coins are machine made, a planchet is still struck by a die and so there are some similarities.
Above you see distorted letters on a U. S. penny. Although it can be difficult at times to tell the difference between damage that is done to a coin after it leaves the mint and distortions that occur when the coin is made, these distorted letters were made by using a die that was worn out.
Here is a dime showing distortion due to die deterioration.
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| U. S Die Showing Die Deterioration. |
On the cob shown yesterday, I showed an area where I thought I could see where the die bounced and created a doubled image. Here is an example of the same type of thing on a 1922 silver dollar.
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| Machine Doubling on 1922 Silver Dollar. |
As I was saying yesterday, when you look at a cob or coin, you will see the features carved on the die in negative.
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| 2016 U. S. Nickel Showing Die Chips. |
The above picture shows three die chips on a 2016 nickel. Die chips are common and do not generally increase the value of a coin.
A chip is a small break. A break larger than 4 square millimeters is more significant. That would more often be referred to as a die break rather than a die chip.
My point today is that if you study modern coins, some of the things you learn will help you better study and appreciate the cobs that you find. It can also make modern coin finds more interesting and perhaps help you find a valuable coin.
I just began to studying modern coins more closely a few months ago and am finding it much more complicated than I expected but also very interesting. I'm still very much a novice on modern coin errors and varieties.
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Here is an excerpt from a pdf document entitled Origens of the North Georgia Gold Rush by H. David Williams.
That is the most widely repeated story of the discovery of gold in Georgia. As with most treasure tales, there are questions remaining. Treasure finds are often not made public, and when they are you still have to wonder how much is true. Treasure hunters don't always want the world to know the location of their discovery, and they either don't tell, or if they do tell, don't tell it all the way it was. And there is always the chance that some of the story gets lost or distorted in the retelling.
This article covers other possible earlier discoveries and more of the story. Here is another brief excerpt.
Sorry the edge curls down, but that is the way it copied. It is a interesting article that you will probably want to read.
Here is the link.
https://archives.columbusstate.edu/gah/1988/161-168.pdf
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Nothing new in the Atlantic and nothing new with beach conditions.
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net
