Missing star on 1921 Morgan 0

[Pauly6777]

Hi everyone, I've had this coin in my small collection since I was a kid. It's missing a star on the right side (see pictures). I can't find anything on this being an error and I don't see any signs of it being scratched off. Any ideas? Thanks in advance!

[Lem E]

I would say most likely it was from a grease filled die. Grease will collect in some recessed areas of the die and will prevent that spot from striking up properly.

[Greenstang]

That was my first thought, usually when there is a missing number or letter, 

it is caused by a Grease Filled Die

[Hoghead515]

I was waiting on someone to answer but that was my first thought also. 

[RWB]

"Pauly6777"

As a new poster you might want a little more information about "grease filled dies."

The Mints are factories. They happen to make coins, but the machinery operates much the same as any other factory stamping out small metal parts. The area near stamping machines usually has very fine particles of metal sloughed off dies, gears, and other metal parts. The equipment also requires lubrication to reduce friction of one part rubbing against another, and to help raw castings or cuttings move through stamping and other forming processes. For coins, the metal discs, called planchets, are costed with a very thin, light lubricant to help them move smoothly inside the feeding tubes and various mechanical pieces of a coinage press.

Over time, lubricants mix particles, common dust and dirt and even bits of fabric. This gradually collects in the recessed parts of dies - such as stars - and the pressure of striking coins compacts this "gunk" into very hard material. As it builds up in a die, it fills recesses until it is level with the die's surface - at that point, the star, numeral, letter or other feature vanishes, and we have  merely a normal looking field -- and a missing star or letter.

Press operators are trained in cleaning out this gunk before it becomes a problem, but they are not always successful. The clogging is sometimes not noticed until after several hundred coins have been struck. Although attempts are usually made to remove and destroy defective coins, they are not always successful.

Enjoy your "12-star" dollar. It's an interesting coin to own and to learn about!

[RWB]

PS: I suggest you take better photos of obverse and reverse, then post them on the Morgan silver dollar variety site, http://www.vamworld.com/forum/index.php. I'm sure members there will enjoy seeing your coin.

[Chris Mikesh]

Hi,

It's terrible when your cell phone shadow gets in front of the picture.  Nothing photo editors can't fix. 

But that is a cool coin!  You might think about sending it into NGC and having it preserved. Something as unique as that Morgan would be worth it in my humble opinion.  Make it kind of an Covid reverse anniversary coin.  Both were kind of defective!

Welcome to the Club!

[GoldFinger1969]

On 2/15/2022 at 11:44 PM, Chris Mikesh said:

It's terrible when your cell phone shadow gets in front of the picture. 

Just angle the coin by putting it up against something at a 30-40 degree position.

[Woods020]

I would not spend the money getting this graded myself. I assume it’s a Philly since I can’t see the reverse, but regardless it’s a common date (actually really really common) Morgan in circulated condition. There is no error per se. Getting this slabbed would cost more than the coin is worth. Now if you want to preserve it because it’s neat I don’t blame you, but there are cost effective ways to do so. Everything from spending 25 cents on a 2x2 and some staples to a few bucks for a diy slab. It will be well protected. 
 

Prior to storing I would soak it in pure acetone (not nail polish remover but from a hardware store) to remove some of the staining. That’s what I would do and I’m sure some may disagree so take it for what it’s worth. 

[Pauly6777]

Wow, thank you so much everyone for the great input, detailed explanations, and welcomes! It really helped. I'll clean it up and put it back in a 2x2, take a better pic and post as RWB suggests. I'm giving some of my collection to a friend's son who is just getting started (that's how I got my start) and he seems very serious, nice to see that!!. I think I'll keep this one though!!

Thanks again!

[Just Bob]

On 2/16/2022 at 6:25 AM, Pauly6777 said:

I'll clean it up ...

Don't use anything abrasive, caustic or in any way destructive. That will ruin the coin. Use only pure acetone or distilled water. You only want to remove contaminants, not change the appearance into something that looks unnatural.

[Pauly6777]

Thanks Just Bob!

[JKK]

On 2/16/2022 at 4:25 AM, Pauly6777 said:

Wow, thank you so much everyone for the great input, detailed explanations, and welcomes! It really helped. I'll clean it up and put it back in a 2x2, take a better pic and post as RWB suggests. I'm giving some of my collection to a friend's son who is just getting started (that's how I got my start) and he seems very serious, nice to see that!!. I think I'll keep this one though!!

Thanks again!

Echoing what Bob said, if you are cleaning your coins, you are devaluing and damaging them. If you want to do your friend's son a real service, give him some uncleaned ones and inculcate in him why he should never clean them, why "shiny" does not mean "excellent," and that a natural look is always preferred. There are exceptions, but the short version is they are unlikely to include any coins you might have or are likely to acquire.

If you want to teach him even better, find an obviously worn coin that some [term for person of minimal discernment] has cleaned abrasively, and show him the zillions of little scratches under magnification. Just in case he's thinking "yeah, but they can't tell, so why shouldn't I?" Oh, yes, we can. That would really help him think in ways that would lead to an excellent collection.

[Conder101]

On 2/16/2022 at 7:25 AM, Pauly6777 said:

put it back in a 2x2, take a better pic and post as RWB suggests.

Take the pictures BEFORE you put it in the 2X2.  The plastic of the 2X2 can cause problems with an image.

Edited February 17, 2022 by Conder101