RWB

RE: Moore wanted Kneass to revamp the half cent design for both aesthetics & for the new equipment the mint was due to receive after the visit from France. Many design elements were altered, most notably the bust itself and the denticles. Why would Kneass work on a die so much on a denomination that was unwanted and unneeded if it were to only be a circulating coin? Thus, they were struck with the intent to test out both equipment & new design elements. "Only a circulating coins" seems to imply that at that time master coins were somehow really special. This is not the case. They were made to show a proposed design in its full detail, as a guide top further adjustment, for the nacent Mint Cabinet, or for a special person. Working dies were all made by the Chief Coiner's Dept., not the Engraver. RE: Master coins were produced with specially burnished planchets struck slowly on polished dies. Dies were polished with jeweler's rouge or lime. Polishing (not burnishing, which is using a polished tool to smooth the surface) of planchets was done only when several master coin pieces were required such as the original proof half cents of the 1840s. The speed of strike was as close to identical as the workmen could make - however, master coins were struck on a larger press than normal. Half cents and cents were made on a smaller press as were quarters. The coiner could have used either a half dollar press or the larger medal press (as used for 1836 dollars). RE: proofs prior to 1840s used the same dies for proof & circulating examples. With a mintage of only 2,200 coins (of which none were known to be delivered unless they came with the 154,000 in 1833 with the 1832 & 1833 half cents) even if there were two types, proof vs business , the two would be identical other than the burnished planchets. This is not consistently true but it is the most common case. The director's annual report made in January 1832 clearly shows 2,200 half cents delivered to the Treasurer in 1831. RE: the mint did not receive any new kegs of new copper planchets until 1833 (discussions and ~26 (I forget the actual number, I have it written down somrwhere with the rest of my notes) kegs were delivered to Moore from the Crocker bros in 1832 but they weren’t used until the following years. They must have used leftover planchets from 1829, so even when burnished, I doubt the quality was high. These blanks were sitting in wooden kegs for two years in Philly. Crocker sent the mint "a small parcel of copper planchets for your inspection" on October 30, 1832. These were the first. Dir Moore replied Nov 10 that the weight was good, "the diameter of the planchets are found a little too large for the collars." In April 26, 1833 Crocker sent 99 lbs of planchets which could be tested, and also said they were ready to accept bulk orders. Suggest you look at The Boulton & Watt Archive and the Matthew Boulton Papers from Birmingham Central Library incl correspondence and business records, NARA RG104 E-96 & 97 for starters and Account journals (referenced in E-96-97, and E-19, E-42, E-45, also E-1 general correspondence for 1829-1834, etc. Richard Doty's book on Matthew Boulton.

This is still open for response. Here is Ron Guth's comment (spelling corrected): "Ron Guth: The 1831 Half Cent is the source of great debate in the numismatic community. One camp calls this a Proof-only [sic. "master coin"] date; the other says that some 1831 Half Cents were released into circulation. Mint Reports show a mintage of 2,200 1831 Half Cents. However, records from this period are known to be incorrect, with mintages often reported in the wrong year. Those who claim that some were made for circulation point to this mintage figure and the fact that a high percentage of the known population exists in circulated condition. To date, no one has come up with a convincing, high-grade circulation strike, but there are several pieces that are clearly circulated Proofs (sic]. Those who support the Proof-only theory dismiss the official mintage figure and they claim that all of the circulated examples started out as Proofs. However, they are unable to explain why so many of the coins exist today and why so many of them are in circulated condition. No other Proof [sic] Half Cents of this era follow this pattern, but the 1831 shares a close kinship with the 1841 Quarter Eagle (another source of considerable debate over its true status as a Proof [sic] or a circulation strike)."

Damage. Hope you did not think it was special or a "mint error."

It is an altered and plated piece of junk. If the "dealer" can't recognize common plating of 1943 cents, he/she has no business selling coins to anyone.

While working on the SG DE book, I got some old population reports from PCGS and NGC. They were for the period surrounding the 1908 DE appearance. I'll check to be sure that's not a faulty memory. Found 'em but they cover only SG DE from PCGS and NGC and are from Nov 2014. That's all I have.

Yep. The photos show the mark is on the coin, not the plastic.

Hold the slab at an oblique angle. That will let you see the coin surface without looking directly through the front of the holder. Use a good 5x or 10x magnifier to slowly examine the coin surface and the under-side of the slab window. It should not take much to decide if the mark is on the plastic (inside or out) or the coin. Another way is to use a stereo dissecting scope (slab slat this time) and at about 40x slowly shift focus from the coin to the slab window. At some point the line will be sharp and the coin fuzzy if the mark is on the plastic. (This is all very very basic stuff and it's disappointing to see your ambiguous response from a major authentication company....just an opinion.)

Look on NNP. Someone might have donated a batch.

No original "First Stricken" issue in the NGC building cornerstone?

What suggests a "pattern piece?" What's different from former designs and why do you think that was done? How many 1831 half cents are known? Pattern pieces prior to 1836 are extremely unusual. Can you describe how a proof (aka "master coin") were made in the 1820s-30s ? Your can't really prepare an article without knowing how processes operated and what differed between "master coin" and production coin. Will help in any way I can.

Search "Long s" for info.

From the Philadelphia Inquirer May 2, 1792. Page 2.

There are some historical medals that might be worth the "grading" and package protection, but none of the modern qualify in my mind.

Read the Peace dollar book chapter. 1964 Peace dollar info is the best available. Thought you were referring to the SD&TD Encyc he wrote. The Morgan design copies were known years before Bowers visited in 2015, but photos were not available. Bill Fivaz reported them long ago but had only photos of the Peace dollar casts. I proofed the Morgan Dollar material for Whitman and made corrections. The information was generally correct on those models. There are many more things that the Mint folks have not permitted access to. They will eventually reach the public. Now, kindly go back to your counterfeits. I do not care to assist anyone who supports counterfeit coins or counterfeiters in ANY way!

The Bowers info is very old and based on no facts. That Treasury has not put a counterfeiter in jail does not mean the crime does not exist, or than anyone holding these is not culpable. It merely means that on the priority list of danger to Americans and free commerce it is very far below fake airplane parts, medicine, clothing and the whole range of garbage other crooks turn out.

Tourist trash.

Where's the "Modest" ribbon ?

I guess these kids weren't very good apprentices. Maybe that became coin dealers....?

The reinforcement of certain anecdotal trends, and the relative absence of really "big ticket" coins. Nice slice of reality.

Unexpectedly interesting information! Thanks.

You don't get a lot of "melt value" for your money with these....

Why was this guy at ANA if almost all he had were knock-off watches and pocket change?

I'm anxious for the "Satanic Verses" commemorative half dollar.....

Are the slabbed coins in a "register set" or something similar? If yes, then check the site for how-to information.

Mr. Bill -- Did not know your real name was "Valued Customer." nice to see the personal touch returning.