Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.
 |
| Potosi Half Reale From Jupiter Beach. |
I enjoy studying my finds. Sometimes it is more than fun. Occasionally it can be profitable.
When you look more closely at your coins you can discover all kinds of things. For example on the Potosi half reale shown above, one thing that might jump out at you is the multiple impressions of the S at the bottom of the coin.
When you look at a cob this closely, you can see some of the workmanship of the fellow that cut the die and you might also see artifacts of the minting process. That brings you closer to the person who made the die and the person that punched the coin.
When you look at a cob this closely, you can see some of the workmanship of the fellow that cut the die and you might also see artifacts of the minting process. That brings you closer to the person who made the die and the person that punched the coin.
 |
| Closer Look at the Multiple Impression of the S on a Potosi Half Reale. |
Unfortunately most beach found cobs are worn and corroded so you can't see the details very clearly. The side of the cob shown above was complete covered by a thick crust of sand, which preserved the details.
Think for a minute about the man that created the die. He had to carve the design into the steel die. Each of those dots was hand carved into the die. Then the die was used to punch the cob.
Some of the details you see are the result of workmanship, but some are the result of accident. I don't know now if the multiple impressions of the S were made by multiple strikes, a bouncing die or recutting of the die. Perhaps someone can tell me. I was told something about that at one point but forget now.
 |
| Another View of the Same Cob. |
It looks to me like the dash in the middle of the monogram might have been recut. Again, maybe a more knowledgeable person can tell me for sure.
Modern coins also show a lot of interesting details if you look at them very closely. You might see die chips or cracks, for example.
Below are a few examples.
Below are a few examples.
 |
| Die Chips on the Face of Roosevelt. |
Modern Roosevelt dimes often show die chips. On the dime shown above you can see die chips on Roosevelt's cheek, beside the corner of his mouth and above his eye. I have found numerous examples showing die chips on Roosevelt's face, often more obvious than those shown above.
Roosevelt dimes also often show die chips on the reverse on the olive and oak branches.
 |
| Die Chip on Oak Branch on Reverse of Roosevelt Dime. |
You can see the die chip between the lower right branches of the oak branch in the picture above.
Die chips are also often found on recent Jefferson nickels. Below you can see a small die chip between the e and r.
 |
| Small Die Chip on Jefferson Nickel. |
 |
| Die Chips on the O, T, and S. |
You can also find a lot of die cracks on modern coins if you look closely. Many memorial cents show a die crack running from a corner of the memorial building to the edge of the coin.
Below is shown a die crack running down the steps and then to the edge of the coin. Those are very common and insignificant.
 |
| Lincoln Memorial Die Crack. |
Here is a larger and more significant example of a die crack that is actually cataloged. This die crack runs from the edge of the coin all the way down to Lincoln's neck.
 |
| Crack Running From Edge of Coin Down to Lincoln's Chin. |
By far my best die crack find is a die crack with retained cud. A cud is a die break that has not yet fallen out. You can find that coin cataloged online as well.
My point today is that you can get more enjoyment out of your coins and possibly find a coin worth some decent money if you look at your coin finds more closely.
---
The surf is up a bit - maybe up to six or seven feet. I hope to get out today to inspect some beaches.
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net
