WFN

Mint Director De Saussure in a report dated October 27, 1795: "Great delays were incurred in obtaining the heavy iron work, particularly the rollers; and these were not always fit for use, when obtained. Those which are now in use being almost worn out, I have been striving in vain to replace them with fine Andover iron." The above sentence explains the need for adjusting and plugs on dollars. The diameter of the blanks could be controlled consistently by a blanking die, but the thickness of the blanks could not be accurately controlled by the final rolling and drawing of strips. Thus every blank varied in weight, those too heavy were adjusted, and too light would need silver plugs for dollars and a few half dollars. The Mint employed five adjusters by October of 1795. Congressman Elias Boudinot reported on February 9, 1795: "The works consist of two rolling machines, one for hot and the other for cold metal, worked by four horses, and require five hands constantly to attend them, while in operation. There is a third, nearly completed, to be appropriated to the smaller coinage. A drawing machine for the purpose of equalizing the strips for cutting the planchettes, and are worked by the same hands as are last mentioned. Three cutting presses for the planchettes of larger and smaller coins, which are worked by one man each." The "fine Andover iron" probably was not obtained, unless on the secondary market, as the Andover Iron Works had shut down by 1795. I corresponded with the author of The History of the Andover Iron Works: Come Penny, Go Pound, and he found no record of any steel deliveries to the US Mint. The SP-66 is the only 1794 dollar with a plug, and the only planchet in the 1794-95 flowing hair dollar series that has adjustment marks on both the obverse and reverse along with a silver plug.

R.W. Julian 2019 article on 1794-1795 dollars https://www.numismaticnews.net/article/silver-dollars-of-1794-1795-were-illegal

I will post my 2013 analysis in a while, I saved it on word. For the early dollar die marriages, I use the reference book The Encyclopedia of United States Silver Dollars 1794-1804, by Q. David Bowers, 2013, which incorporates previous work by Borckardt, Bolender, and others. @Endgame, can you please give the reference source for the 1794 "blundered reverse" ? Thanks.

Whoa! There was one obverse die and one reverse die used to strike the silver 1794 dollars, per Haseltine-1, Bolender B-1, and Bowers Borckardt BB-1. There is a unique copper no-stars 1794 dollar pattern J-18/P-27 that had a different obverse die not used again. There is also a unique 1794 copper die trial J19/P28 struck from the BB-1 die pair. There are three 1794 BB-1 dollar die states identified by Bowers/Borckardt. edit - the 1794 BB-1 reverse working die was only used in 1794, and not used for 1795 dollars.

Here is a current "L" gold on eBay. They went a little overboard on this 1874-CC $10! https://www.ebay.com/itm/1874-CC-GOLD-Liberty-Head-Eagle-10-VERY-FINE-with-7-x-L-Counterstamps/373053921845?hash=item56dbbf1a35:g:wPoAAOSw6Qxec~jc edited link

From "Work Performed by the Subtreasuries: Letter from the Chief, Bureau of Efficiency." 1918. "At each of the Subtreasuries considerable amounts of metallic money are brought in daily for deposit...The coin room of the Subtreasury counts the money so presented and throws out coin that is mutilated or defaced...Coin that is worn thin or smooth or that is bent or twisted is redeemed in good coin...The law permits a certain amount of abrasion - equivalent to one half of one percent for a circulation lasting 20 years." The Subtreasuries had multiple functions in ~80 years of existence, which evolved through three basic phases of management. For coin redemption, all silver and gold coins were weighed or evaluated for wear, and determined to be lightweight coins, equivalent, or excess in weight. A few more images of lightweight gold coins stamped by the Subtreasuries. The size and typeface can vary considerably as the Subtreasuries were not consistent in operation. Some typeface is similar to "L" stamps on quarters. Subtreasury stamped coins were sometimes inadvertently returned to circulation.

This "L" stamped CHG is from my collection. Other "L" stamped gold coins have different typeface size, some are smaller and are not stamped across the portrait or eagle. Probably a different L punch from the various sub-treasury locations. "The redemption clerk first takes it and gives a receipt for the amount the bag is said to contain. Then it is counted. All the light pieces are thrown to one side and so stamped across their face. The counterfeits are cut in halves; and, in fact, all pieces which are not fit to again place in circulation are deducted from the original sum brought here." (1890 quote by redemption clerk).