What happened to the serif? Caution: large pics

[SlumLord98-migration]

Can anyone think of an explanation for how the serif 'broke' on the T? It doesn't appear to be filled. The first image is of an 1805 O.104, the first use of the die. All is normal at this point.

 

However, on the terminal state of the die a large cud has formed and the serif now appears to be 'broken'. Remember that if it is raised on the coin, it is recessed on the die and vice versa.

 

This closeup shows raised lumps around E that resulted from pieces of the die breaking away while the cud formed and left depressions in the die around E. However, the tip of the serif on T is just gone! Nice and clean. Can you figure it out?

 

[WoodenJefferson]

Speculation: As a result of the broken/cracked die, hardened fragments from the die steel clogged the letter, causing the serif to just simply disappear when struck on the coin.

[Conder101]

The late die state does show signs of extensive lapping with some loss of other details (Most noticeably one of the arrowheads has disappeared and the shallow details at the junction of the clouds between S O) Do you have a similar blow up of the area on the early die state?

[GAB]

I tend to agree with WJs debris theory. Something had to fill up that portion of the serif on the die! The cud may have resulted in less pressure during flow in that area of the

T, so the debris didn't get forced out. I don't think lapping alone could account for the

"break" , as I would expect the rest of the T to be shallower/weaker if that was the reason.

I suppose that a piece of cracked die could get lodged in a tight space like that during an

attempt to "clean" it up with lapping? It's pretty hard for me to imagine what all they might have done to try to keep the die alive back then. The new Rev die must have been delayed a bit longer than they expected! Very neat coin (thumbs u

[SlumLord98-migration]

GAB,

 

If you feel that it can't be due to lapping, consider this- 1805 O.104, the first use of this reverse die, the serif appears to be missing.

 

On the late 105, the third and obviously final use of the die, the serif is strong. This was due to lapping.

[WoodenJefferson]

How can elements of a missing portion of a letter re-appear after laping?

[GAB]

How can elements of a missing portion of a letter re-appear after laping?

 

My bet is that they hit the die with a wire brush to clean out all the cuts prior to lapping.

It looks like they did a good job on this one. I don't see any other way lapping in and of itself could cause that??

[SlumLord98-migration]

Remember that lapping scrapes off the high points of the die, and the highest points of the die are the fields. By removing very small amounts from the high points, the recesses are no longer as deep and metal can flow to these formerly inaccessible spots. Examine this image of the earliest state of O.105. Note the weakness in the clouds below F? These aren't weak on earlier uses of this die, when it was paired with different obverses. Also, the cud hasn't formed yet, which means that all the metal hadn't yet broken loose, yet the the serif of T is already gone.

 

 

Now examine an intermediate state of O.105. The cud has begun to form and the serif of F is still not apparent, but the cloud detail is now full due to lapping.

 

[WoodenJefferson]

Examine this image of the earliest state of O.105. Note the weakness in the clouds below F? These aren't weak on earlier uses of this die, when it was paired with different obverses. Also, the cud hasn't formed yet, which means that all the metal hadn't yet broken loose, yet the the serif of T is already gone.

 

 

In this image, the die has already shattered and is altering the way it is imparting the letters in STATES. It was not removed from service and soon developed a complete rim failure resulting in the observable cud.

 

I follow your line of thinking with the results of lapping, but a debris clogged die will alter those minute areas in the serifs more abruptly as seen, than a good even polishing.

 

Besides, a good die sinker should have been able to repair those serifs on the letters, if it indeed occured after a vigorous lapping, while the dies were out of the press and on the bench.

 

So much can go wrong in this era of coining, I'm still speculating.

[GAB]

I would GUESS that the improved definition of the cloud is due to lapping of the OBVERSE rather than the reverse die. Opposite the cloud is probably the bust, which

seems to have caused many a problem on the REVERSE throughout the whole Bust

series. It seems like the engravers always liked them big (imagine that!)

Reducing the high points on the Obverse would reduce the depth of the bust, therefore

allowing more metal to flow to the Reverse - in the case the cloud(s) and stars.

I still don't think lapping of the reverse ONLY could "resurrect" missing detail. All the details should get shallower with lapping. This is why "floating" leaves and berries appear on some of the later state coins, where they lapped a little too much. If they

lapped both the reverse and the obverse, the detail definition could (would) change on

both sides, for all kinds of reasons I suppose. In this case, I think we are talking about

two different things that caused a) the serif to disappear and b) weakness in the clouds.

 

It is fun to try and imagine what all went on back then. It seems like a lot of the learning

process in the Bust series was based more on trial and error than "physics".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SlumLord98-migration]

Besides, a good die sinker should have been able to repair those serifs on the letters

 

Think about what would be involved in 'repairing' this failing die. It would have to be heated to a glowing red in order to soften it, allowed to cool enough that the hands and face of worker wouldn't be burned, only one serif repaired out of three that appeared 'missing', the die would have to be rehardened again by heating, quenching, and being allowed to cool. All for one serif. I don't think all that effort would be expended on a single die that was already failing.

 

As to which die was lapped, I haven't really investigated that. I'll see which obverse images are available.

[IGWT]

I confess, Brad. I shot the serif. But I didn't shoot Ms. Liberty.