1831 Half cent - Pattern or regular issue? 1 1

[disme]

        In 1830 Mint Director Dr. Samuel Moore changed the way coinage was reported on a calendar-year basis. The annual report for 1830 to 1835 listed the coins struck during the year even if not formally delivered by the chief coiner. This did not affect the gold and silver coinage, which was promptly delivered but copper was another matter. The 1831 half cents were a test run of 2200 pieces using the new style of dies. Proofs were also struck. A large quantity of half cents were melted in 1833 and likely included most or all of the 1831 business strikes. This topic was discussed in the August 2014 issue of Coins Magazine.

Edited September 19, 2022 by disme
Correction

[disme]

     It may also be of interest to note that the half cents of 1825–1835 were all made from Boulton planchets. The 1831 half cents were from a shipment received in 1825. 

[CaptHenway]

What was the reason for the 1833 melting?

[disme]

      For use as alloy in the gold and silver coinage.

 

 

[Henri Charriere]

[Gentlemen, I accept at face value everything that's been said, but I'd like to throw this out for what it's worth...

I have heard of "bag" marks; we all have. But I do not believe I have ever encountered the term "keg" marks.  

All in favor of officially acknowledging and adopting this hitherto unknown attribution, say Aye!]

Great stuff!  👍 

[RWB]

Most coppers were shipped in kegs containing $125 to $175 in cents or half cents. Very small quantities, such as $1 or $5 were put in canvas bags for delivery.

[CaptHenway]

On 9/19/2022 at 3:46 PM, disme said:

      For use as alloy in the gold and silver coinage.

 

 

I guess that would make sense if they had an immediate need for copper alloy for the precious metal coinages and could not get any through normal channels, though it seems awful wasteful to do so.

[RWB]

On 9/22/2022 at 5:39 PM, CaptHenway said:

I guess that would make sense if they had an immediate need for copper alloy for the precious metal coinages and could not get any through normal channels, though it seems awful wasteful to do so.

Use for alloy is documented for scrap, cuttings, defective pieces and unwanted copper coin. But it also created problems. The copper was never pure, but contained several percent of other metals. At times, these impurities caused silver or gold coins to be too brittle, or the split and flake during rolling.

[Henri Charriere]

Seems like my comment on "keg marks" was glossed over or given short shrift.  If coins, not detritus, were shipped in kegs, would it not be reasonable to assume in filling them or experiencing slippage or shifting in transit, marks would result? 

Newbie:  How come these old half-cents are covered in sawdust?

W.C. Fields:  Go away kid, you bother me. [My Little Chickadee, 1940.]

[Bignubnumismatics]

On 9/23/2022 at 1:51 PM, Quintus Arrius said:

Seems like my comment on "keg marks" was glossed over or given short shrift.  If coins, not detritus, were shipped in kegs, would it not be reasonable to assume in filling them or experiencing slippage or shifting in transit, marks would result? 

Newbie:  How come these old half-cents are covered in sawdust?

W.C. Fields:  Go away kid, you bother me. [My Little Chickadee, 1940.]

Marks would definitely result in any shipment method of coins not properly protected. It would make little difference, however, if the original production was proof or business as if a proof coin was put into circulation it would garner the same marks.

[Bignubnumismatics]

On 9/19/2022 at 5:06 PM, disme said:

        In 1830 Mint Director Dr. Samuel Moore changed the way coinage was reported on a calendar-year basis. The annual report for 1830 to 1835 listed the coins struck during the year even if not formally delivered by the chief coiner. This did not affect the gold and silver coinage, which was promptly delivered but copper was another matter. The 1831 half cents were a test run of 2200 pieces using the new style of dies. Proofs were also struck. A large quantity of half cents were melted in 1833 and likely included most or all of the 1831 business strikes. This topic was discussed in the August 2014 issue of Coins Magazine.

Most of that article, and the December 1985 The Numismatist use the primary sources and then take a leap of conjecture.

[disme]

Most of that article, and the December 1985 The Numismatist use the primary sources and then take a leap of conjecture.

Please explain “leap of conjecture.”