Mint Director explains cause of cracked planchet coins 0

[RWB]

Occasionally coins are found struck on cracked planchets. This letter from Director Roberts mentions the primary cause. [These should not be confused with cracked dies.]

May 2, 1899.

 John Machen, Esq.,

Langdon, N. Dakota.

 Sir,

In reply to your letter of the 25th ultimo, you are respectfully informed that the quarter dollar enclosed by you is genuine, and is what is known as a cracked piece, which is due to a blister formed in the rolling of the strip from which the blank was cut.

I enclose herewith a perfect coin for the one transmitted by you.

 Respectfully yours,

[Signature] George E. Roberts

Director of the Mint.

 

Edited November 18, 2023 by RWB

[Henri Charriere]

I think it very considerate of you to post, for those unacquainted with the matter at hand, a coin chosen at random that clearly illustrates the defect alluded to.  Naturally, the coin mailed in to the mint was not a Morgan (and could not have been a Peace dollar which was introduced, coincidentally, that same year.) Of the quarter-dollars, both the Washington and Standing Liberty can be ruled out, having been introduced in 1932 and 1916, respectively, leaving the Barber as the likeliest culprit, though no specific date was mentioned. Any way you, the reader, wish to describe it, mining the official Mint records constitutes research and if it were not for the OP's motivation and limits which know no bounds, this collector appreciates the time and effort which could just as easily have been expended on less interesting, more mundane pursuits.  

[ldhair]

Fun post. I have heard of these but don't think I have ever seen an image of one. 

[Henri Charriere]

Congratulations on your 20,000th post!

Tempus fugit!

[RWB]

On 11/18/2023 at 2:09 PM, Henri Charriere said:

I think it very considerate of you to post, for those unacquainted with the matter at hand, a coin chosen at random that clearly illustrates the defect alluded to.

I wanted to show a coin that was large enough, and common enough for there to be a small chance of a member having one, but not realizing what it was. Each of these is unique.

One of my upcoming CoinWeek columns will feature a deeper explanation and additional photos.

Edited November 18, 2023 by RWB

[powermad5000]

The crack only extends into the planchet by about 3mm but was enough to qualify. Believe it or not, I got this coin for very cheap as I think people thought it was "intentionally damaged".

[GoldFinger1969]

On 11/18/2023 at 5:17 PM, Henri Charriere said:

Congratulations on your 20,000th post!  Tempus fugit!

Wow, 20K posts...that's about 1,000 posts a year or 3 a day !

[GoldFinger1969]

I'm confused (I know, I know, I have to re-read FMTM )....isn't a planchet the blank of metal BEFORE it's struck ?  So how could it have a crack as it is malleable and is yet to be hit with the dies ?

Edited November 19, 2023 by GoldFinger1969

[zadok]

On 11/19/2023 at 11:08 AM, GoldFinger1969 said:

Wow, 20K posts...that's about 1,000 posts a year or 3 a day !

...if u just long in n type the word "bologna" once or twice everyday or even "salami" u too can get there by 2025....

[GoldFinger1969]

On 11/19/2023 at 11:36 AM, zadok said:

...if u just long in n type the word "bologna" once or twice everyday or even "salami" u too can get there by 2025....

It says I joined in 2014 but I think that is when they did the big makeover ?  I thought I posted here BEFORE that but don't quote me.

Anyway, I go for quality over quantity though I have a bit of both in the RWB SG Double Eagle Book thread. 

[Henri Charriere]

On 11/19/2023 at 11:36 AM, zadok said:

...if u just long in n type the word "bologna" once or twice everyday or even "salami" u too can get there by 2025....

There are always two ways of looking at things.  One is, I am a follower of yours. One of two.  Which means when I am gone, you've effectively lost half, or 50% of all your followers. Fair enuf?    

 

[RWB]

On 11/19/2023 at 11:09 AM, GoldFinger1969 said:

I'm confused (I know, I know, I have to re-read FMTM )....isn't a planchet the blank of metal BEFORE it's struck ?  So how could it have a crack as it is malleable and is yet to be hit with the dies ?

The crack existed before the coin was struck. High pressure simply made it visible or expanded it.

[zadok]

On 11/19/2023 at 3:24 PM, Henri Charriere said:

There are always two ways of looking at things.  One is, I am a follower of yours. One of two.  Which means when I am gone, you've effectively lost half, or 50% of all your followers. Fair enuf?    

 

...u have me confused with someone else, i dont follow nor lead...more of a leatherstocking type person...actually prefer  0%, no one knows from whence i came nor hence im going....

[zadok]

On 11/19/2023 at 11:54 AM, GoldFinger1969 said:

It says I joined in 2014 but I think that is when they did the big makeover ?  I thought I posted here BEFORE that but don't quote me.

Anyway, I go for quality over quantity though I have a bit of both in the RWB SG Double Eagle Book thread. 

...not to mention 2.4k posts...

[Mike Meenderink]

On 11/18/2023 at 9:01 PM, powermad5000 said:

The crack only extends into the planchet by about 3mm but was enough to qualify. Believe it or not, I got this coin for very cheap as I think people thought it was "intentionally damaged".

Ih

[Mike Meenderink]

I found the coin above about 10 years ago. I've kept it all this time. It will be a topic coin in a forum soon. I'm thinking of giving it a plastic suit.

Edited November 22, 2023 by Mike Meenderink

[RWB]

?

Edited November 22, 2023 by RWB

[Mike Meenderink]

&

[J P M]

On 11/21/2023 at 10:51 PM, Mike Meenderink said:

I found the coin above about 10 years ago. I've kept it all this time. It will be a topic coin in a forum soon. I'm thinking of giving it a plastic suit.

I know you see a lot of coins Mike. To me it looks like a razor blade cut starting at 2 o'clock and ending at 9. I only say this because I see displaced metal in the crack line at the start and also missing metal like it was shaved off.?

[Mike Meenderink]

On 11/23/2023 at 6:25 AM, J P M said:

I know you see a lot of coins Mike. To me it looks like a razor blade cut starting at 2 o'clock and ending at 9. I only say this because I see displaced metal in the crack line at the start and also missing metal like it was shaved off.?

You may be right but how did they stop perfectly before the rims? Im probably just going to send it in as a wild card. When I first found it i kept it because it looked like a defective planchet of some type. Remember this is a dime very small.. so being able to "slice" into this so precisely is pretty difficult. Also if you look at the hairline the crack actually closes there as it passes through. Weird

Edited November 23, 2023 by Mike Meenderink
over thinking everything

[powermad5000]

The thing about the planchet crack on my Merc that I posted is that the rim itself is cracked. The crack extends inwards from the rim. If I am not mistaken, for it to be a planchet crack error, the rim must also be split as part of the crack. If I am mistaken, I would like to know just what specifics then qualify for a planchet crack mint error.

[RWB]

The line on the posted 1942 raw dime is a scratch, not a planchet crack.

[Mike Meenderink]

On 11/23/2023 at 11:02 AM, RWB said:

The line on the posted 1942 raw dime is a scratch, not a planchet crack.

Not 100% sure about that. Id like to investigate more but this does not look like a scratch to me but hey anythings possible. No argument from me...

[Mike Meenderink]

On 11/23/2023 at 11:02 AM, RWB said:

The line on the posted 1942 raw dime is a scratch, not a planchet crack.

RWB look at the way the crack closely follows the relief of the eye area as it passes through it. Also the area of the hair line there is a fold over the crack that actually makes a "cave" which then the crack continues right through. The line/ crack is also very deep and uniform. A very weird coin. It is possible this planchet was scratched prior to striking as well.

Edited November 24, 2023 by Mike Meenderink

[dcarr]

On 11/23/2023 at 9:02 PM, Mike Meenderink said:

RWB look at the way the crack closely follows the relief of the eye area as it passes through it. Also the area of the hair line there is a fold over the crack that actually makes a "cave" which then the crack continues right through. The line/ crack is also very deep and uniform. A very weird coin. It is possible this planchet was scratched prior to striking as well.

The incuse line across the coin has a thin ridge of metal along both sides. The ridges are visible at upper right (see arrows). This is indicative of metal displacement from a knife cut. So it is absolutely post-mint damage. It couldn't be a pre-strike planchet scratch because, if it was, the thin ridges would have been flattened by the strike.

 

[GoldFinger1969]

This crack type would be valuable, because it is NOT post-mint damage ?

[Mike Meenderink]

If this is some type of error it would be worth something but its probably just a scratch as others say. I've never really taken much time with this coin since I found it .. until I saw RWBs post here I pulled it out and thought Id throw it up for discussion.

[Henri Charriere]

What some enquiring.minds would like to know is what tool was used to determine the depth of that crevasse?  No measuring instrument I am familiar with is thin enough to insert into a crack at a depth of 3mm.

[zadok]

On 2/4/2024 at 1:55 PM, Henri Charriere said:

What some enquiring.minds would like to know is what tool was used to determine the depth of that crevasse?  No measuring instrument I am familiar with is thin enough to insert into a crack at a depth of 3mm.

...a very small plane with lidar....

[RWB]

The scratch overlays part of the rim at left, then continues at uniform width across but not touching the right rim. Notice the plowed up metal just above the wing. Die cracks are not this uniform and regular -- they follow invisible crystal boundaries. Might have been done with a knife -- seems too deep for a staple -- and the coin was used long after it was scratched. Compare details to the 1921 dollar.

Edited February 5 by RWB