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1879-O Morgan Silver Dollar - Has Anyone Ever Seen A Strike Through Like This?

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 Posted 04/24/2025  07:50 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add UnimpossibIe to your friends list
@Silverskunk a VAM is a specific die variety, distinguished from other varieties by subtle differences in the design. A strike through is considered a "Mint Error", that is a defect in the coin that occurred during the minting process. The reason I sent it to PCGS was both to verify the nature of the damage (whether it's an actual strike through or post-mint damage) as well as to have it preserved as it would be one of the more significant strike through errors I've seen on a Morgan.
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 Posted 04/29/2025  06:42 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Petespockets55 to your friends list

Quote:
... the Reverse has a Main strike through, I noticed it's raised in appearance...

A strikethrough is incuse.

My perception gets "inverted" sometimes where an incuse area on a coin will look raised, but I'm confident these areas are incuse.

In general, a strikethrough is foreign matter that has gotten between one of the dies and the planchet. That will leave an incuse (recessed) impression of the object.

There is the chance this was damage to the planchet before the strike. This is still a nice error, whatever it turns out to be.
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Edited by Petespockets55
04/29/2025 06:50 am
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 Posted 04/29/2025  5:24 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Silverskunk to your friends list

Quote:
I have to agree with Hondo. One nice strike through, and a lot of scrapes.


Even if I already didn't respect Hondo's observations already in my short time here I'd have to agree with him on this even with my untrained eye. The scrapes just seem so obvious and jagged, the last set of pictures removed any doubt.

Check me off with Hondo on this one.
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 Posted 04/29/2025  5:26 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Silverskunk to your friends list

Quote:
@Silverskunk a VAM is a specific die variety, distinguished from other varieties by subtle differences in the design. A strike through is considered a "Mint Error", that is a defect in the coin that occurred during the minting process. The reason I sent it to PCGS was both to verify the nature of the damage (whether it's an actual strike through or post-mint damage) as well as to have it preserved as it would be one of the more significant strike through errors I've seen on a Morgan.


I thank you for taking the time to explain. I had already taught myself a bit about the subject. Enough to at least make an observation.

Again many thanks. Lovely coin BTW. Enjoy.
Edited by Silverskunk
04/29/2025 5:28 pm
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 Posted 05/05/2025  10:45 pm  Show Profile   Check 52Raymo's eBay Listings Bookmark this reply Add 52Raymo to your friends list
Very interesting coin.
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 Posted 05/06/2025  1:36 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add jacrispies to your friends list
1879-O-Morgan-Silver-Dollar---Has-Anyone-Ever-Seen-A-Strike-Through-Like-This?

This is a great photo. The angle and lighting clearly show a frosted incuse texture, which is exactly what to look for in strikethroughs of softer material.

A scrape would smear and smooth the metal, reflecting light in a different way. This photo shows obvious untouched frost maintained from the striking process.
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 Posted 05/06/2025  1:59 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add HondoB to your friends list

Quote:
The angle and lighting clearly show a frosted incuse texture, which is exactly what to look for in strikethroughs of softer material.

This is also what a scrape would look like - surface metal removed revealing the underlying silver.
Also, this particular "strike through" would have to been in three separate pieces ( CA, *, A ), which is very unlikely. The top of the R is also damaged, but not from a strike through.
If a TPG judges this as strike through, I will meekly eat my words. But until then I am convinced that this part of the coin is gouged.
Inordinately fascinated by bits of metal with strange markings and figures
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 Posted 06/19/2025  2:45 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add UnimpossibIe to your friends list
Well, she's back from grading. Hondo, I hope you're hungry:

1879-O-Morgan-Silver-Dollar---Has-Anyone-Ever-Seen-A-Strike-Through-Like-This?
1879-O-Morgan-Silver-Dollar---Has-Anyone-Ever-Seen-A-Strike-Through-Like-This?
1879-O-Morgan-Silver-Dollar---Has-Anyone-Ever-Seen-A-Strike-Through-Like-This?

A few observations: I'm disappointed that they didn't note multiple strikethrough errors on the label. That said, I have to believe that if the smaller ones were scrapes/gouges that the coin would have received a Details grade. I'm even more disappointed that they didn't mount it Reverse-side up as I politely requested (and they've done for me before). All in all, still mostly pleased with the result. Thanks to everyone for your opinions and insight, as always they are truly appreciated.
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 Posted 06/19/2025  2:58 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Errers and Varietys to your friends list
Congratulations!
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 Posted 06/19/2025  3:31 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add jbuck to your friends list

Quote:
Well, she's back from grading. Hondo, I hope you're hungry:
Excellent!
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 Posted 06/19/2025  4:07 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add jacrispies to your friends list
Well done, nice result!!
Suffering from bust half fever.
Want to learn how to attribute early half dollars by die variety? Click Here: http://goccf.com/t/434955
Shoot me a PM if you are looking to sell bust halves.
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 Posted 06/20/2025  11:38 pm  Show Profile   Check 52Raymo's eBay Listings Bookmark this reply Add 52Raymo to your friends list
Awesome results !
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 Posted 06/21/2025  4:34 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Petespockets55 to your friends list
Congrats on the designation/attribution.
One other thing I didn't mention about why I saw this as a strikethrough was because I saw no pressure ridges (like when a field is plowed) that occur with scrapes and PSD.
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Edited by Petespockets55
06/21/2025 10:44 pm
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 Posted 06/21/2025  10:00 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add UnimpossibIe to your friends list
Thanks @Petespockets55, that will be very helpful next time I find a potential strikethrough.
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 Posted 06/25/2025  11:13 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add NumismaticsFTW to your friends list
Great result, curious what kind of value this would bring.
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