Let's hear it for die breaks!

[DaveG]

I read a lot of folks who enthuse over toned coins, but I've never really gotten excited by toning - unless it's an indication of a fully natural surface, of course.

 

On the other hand, I really like a coin with die breaks (or evidence of clashed dies). To me, a Bust half or a no-motto eagle with a die break connecting all the letters on the reverse is an individual and a real memento of a time when coin production was a little more hit-or-miss, a little more primitive, a little more personal.

 

Now, to be fair, I've never paid a premium for a coin with die breaks, but when faced with two otherwise identical coins, I've chosen to purchase the coin with die breaks rather than the one without.

 

Any one else interested die breaks?

[EVillageProwler]

Me too. I like die cracks and other esoteric minutiae of numismatics...

 

EVP

 

[RotatedRainbows]

Did someone say die cracks??

 

[BodyBag]

That's one of the nicest picrures of a coin I have ever seen, ae you listening Anaconda?

[TomB]

RotatedRainbows, that looks like it could have been a shattered die shortly after that coin!

 

I've never paid extra for clashed dies or die cracks, however, I think they are extremely cool and have even aligned the obverse and reverse of a coin, using Photo Shop, to better portray the clashing on a coin.

[truthteller]

Interesting. For most foreign coin collectors, die breaks are bad news and substantially lower the value of the coin. For US collectors, they are intriguing. I guess it's from seeing all those die breaks on our faces while looking in the mirror early in the morning.

 

TRUTH

[true_grade]

Did someone say die cracks??

 

 

Not belittling your coin:

 

Not a counterfeit? The pic almost looks like a hand-cut counterfeit from that era.

 

If not, man that is some unique coin!

[TomB]

It doesn't look much like any hand-cut counterfeit of the era, pick up a copy of Keith Davignon's book "Contemporary Counterfeit Capped Bust Half Dollars" to see what they really look like.

[true_grade]

Just from the pic..........the field and the date are greatly different than my '31.

 

Not throwing stones..........first rule is never grade a coin over the phone....second is never from a picture.

 

And yes from my books, the bust would be of excellent quality if it is from a hand-cut die.

[RotatedRainbows]

Zero chance it is a counterfeit, this is a well known die variety O-120a and it is the later state of this sub variety (not to mention it is anacs slabbed). Actually the picture is a scan and not from my camera since I have not had it home to photograph since I bought my camera. TomB is correct about the 1930's counterfeits having a look to them that is not even close to this piece. It is nice to pick up unusual pieces like this for no premium.

[true_grade]

Great!! As I stated early, a beautiful coin.

 

Now, would you like to part with it?

[MacCoin-migration]

I love to see nice rim toning but budget wise die cracks have a big bang for the buck.

[Coinosaurus]

Die cracks are nice, but if you can find a well struck 1875-S quarter WITHOUT die cracks, you have something very special! I've been looking for this coin for quite awhile with no luck. Bowers had two nice Uncs at CSNS but neither had perfect reverses.

[Peace_Fan]

How about this 1923 D Peace $....

 

1923 D MS65 NGC