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 Replies: 21 / Views: 2,817 |
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New Member
United States
1 Posts |
So I got this e-mail about US coins: quote:
I received an email today protesting the absence of the words:"In God We Trust" on the new $1.00 coin, bearing the face of George Washington. I checked to see if those words were on other US coins and money: from the penny to the silver dollar, the words were on the coins. We are a theistic nation and if this is a step towards our abandoning that national character and tradition, it should not have been done without the public's consent.
If you agree, then pass this on to your friends.
So I responded: quote:
Okay, I don't actually have the coin in front of me, but according to the US Mint's web site, "In God We Trust" IS on the new coin!
quote:
Several inscriptions traditionally found of the face of circulating coins have been moved to the edge, making these coins unique among U.S. Circulating coins. They are "E Pluribus Unum," "In God We Trust," the year of the minting, and the mint mark
http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs...=$1coinFlash
Furthermore, I really don't think that having some slogan on our coins is going to save us from cultural dissolution! Culturally, we have more to fear from the unrestricted flood of non-Western immigrants to this country, the anti-Western bias of our media, the gratuitous availability of inter-net pornography, and the concentration of our media in the hands of a few multi-national corporations. Christians have long stood by while politicians sold them out on the big issues like war, immigration, and the economy, by getting them all in a wad over trivia like slogans on the coins, teaching evolution in the schools, Christmas trees, and flag burning. Time to get our priorities straight!
Well, needless to say, since I sent it back to EVERYONE on the mass e-mail list, I got back an answer: quote:
Alright, I've been to the U.S. Mint website, and "In God We Trust" is on the coin..... That is, on the edge of the coin, along with the mint date. By the way, who looks at the edges of coins? It's not exactly a step in the right direction to put "In God We Trust" on the edge of the coin, where inevitably it can wear off. I am not impressed so far....
So, here's my numismatic question:[size=18]
Do things engraved into the edges of coins wear off faster or slower than things raised up on their surface?[/size] |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7123 Posts |
Hi R.M. Schultz
Welcome to the forum !
I will begin with a warning !! if this thread degenerates into a squabble about having in God we Trust on our coins or not having it on our coins ,I will immediately remove it .
Please lets keep this on the topic of wear and in line with the question.
Thanks
Metalman
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Rest in Peace
United States
3730 Posts |
Welcome to the forum.
I have never heard of a study which showed which rubbed off the most quickly. My guess is that they would be equal.
Interesting post!!
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Forum Mom
 United States
5877 Posts |
I would say that, for collectors, the edge would wear more quickly than the surfaces since we all handle our coins by the edges.  Given the fact that I have seen some of these coins that the edge inscription is light at best, I don't think that the date or mint mark should have been put on the edge either. We will always be able to tell the year from the president on the obverse, but how will we tell the mint?  Overall, I don't think this idea was fully thought out before implementation. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
764 Posts |
the edge of a coin gets the most contact. I dont think the wear is as bad as contact marks on the edges. the mint marks are tiny. all it needs is one scratch and the letter is unreadable. the edge lettering is a good idea to help differentiate the dollar from the quarter, and to promote public interest in the coin, but especially the mintmark should be somewhere on the obv/rev of the coin. its only one letter! it will fit.
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
Show me a 150-year-old coin that's missing all its' reeds. If you can, I guarantee the faces are worn enough so the legend would be gone from there as well. The answer to your question is so obvious on its' face, to a real collector, as to be not worth arguing.
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
3831 Posts |
On most world coins especially with "dollar" coins that have inscriptions, it's usually reeded and with inscriptions. Furthermore, the metal composition are usually aluninum bronze which is a relatively hard metal to wear off. Some examples that I can think of off my head are, 2 and 1 Euro: That's a beauty Singapore 1 dollar, Russia bimetal 10 rubles (external ring) Mexico did some but I am not too sure what they are etc Can't think of too many off my head. There are PLENTY of world coins that have inscriptions and I believe that it's time that US coins should have some. This will in turn force people and slabbers to pay MORE attention of the importance of edges - coins are 3D objects, NOT 2 images of 2D!!! My partial coin collection http://www.omnicoin.com/collection/gxseriesMy numismatics articles and collection: http://www.gxseries.com/numis/numis_index.htmRegularly updated at least once a month. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2254 Posts |
quote:
Show me a 150-year-old coin that's missing all its' reeds
That's exactly what I was thinking. I have older coins that are almost unrecognizable, but there' still reeding on the edge. If the depth of the lettering is equal to the height of the reeds, I would say that it will take much longer for the lettering to wear off than the face of the coin. As collectors we may touch the edge more, but I think in normal circulation the faces get touched 100 times as much as the edge. Just think about paying for something with a quarter in a store. You don't hand it to someone by the edge, they don't grab it by the edge when they drop it into the register, and they don't pick it back out of the register by the edges. It also doesn't rub the edges when they "slide" it back out of the drawer with their index finger!! |
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Pillar Of The Community
3147 Posts |
I am with SuperDave and gxseries on this one. First, and foremost on my mind, is MOST collectors only touch a coin, even if it is on the edge, ONE TIME before placing it in a protective holder. Minimal damage, if any, will occur from that. A coin that does have edge lettering, regardless of its country or origin, with heavy damage or a smooth edge, will be avoided by most collectors so wherein lies the problem? I always try to purchase the best possible coin with the highest grade I can afford, unless it is a key date. Many keys involve just FINDING one, purchasing it, regardless of condition as I can always hope for an update later in my life if the opportunity should come to me. The last of my worries on this bland, lack of artistic beauty, Presidential dollar series would be the edge as years from now they will be worth exactly what they are worth right now! NOTHING in value to the world collectors but a MINT TO THE MINT! The only positives I see is the mere fact it is a new series to collect, which is in its self fun, and an opportunity for NEW collectors to climb on board the numismatics hobby. I think we all need to quit worrying about these new coins as any kind of investment and look at them as another opportunity to collect and MOST importantly ENJOY what you are doing as they don't offer the stress involved with SERIOUS collections but do offer some CHEAP fun! I met a new collector just yesterday at my local coin shop. He was entering his THIRD week of his collecting career. We talked and a few customers offered advice to this young man (probably mid-20s) and every bit of the advice was different? Imagine that? I told him to stick with it and to collect what ever his heart desires. Its his collection and if he finds happiness in what he is collecting it can get NO better than that! |
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Valued Member
Ireland
498 Posts |
RECALL,RECALL,RECALL the new dollar with no inscription,or order the bank and other financial institution to surrender the one dollar with no edge lettering to the public also surrender and melted but to the collector I dont know,
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Valued Member
United States
70 Posts |
I would think the face would wear before the edge. The edges will probably get pretty nicked up and it might be difficult to read the date and mint mark. I agree with littleboy and Susanlynn9 that the mint mark should have been somewhere other than the edge. Once they're in a album you can't tell what it is. I have some rolls of P and D and I had to write the mint mark on the outside of the roll so I don't get them mixed up.
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Valued Member
Ireland
498 Posts |
Can do it on obverse and on the edge but the mint mark is on the obverse for now their is things to see especially for variety and others like if the mintmark will worn fast or not, if the grade obverse also may determined the state of mint mark.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2270 Posts |
There's no simple answer because it depends on the design of the coin and the the individual strike and usage of the coin. Some designs wear very quickly like the dates on buffalos and Standing Liberty quarters. Wear starts at the high points and wears down. Since coins normally fall obliquely to the counter surfaces or other coins they will tend to accumulate their wear on the rims more than the central design and the coin becomes increasingly convex through use. Edges are usually protected in some small degree since so much wear is from sliding on their faces. They are subjected to more abrasive wear from higher speed collisions but have far fewer collisions. As a rule the edges will wear far more slowly than rims or interior design. It's truly remarkable that anyone should be concerned about such things. At least with the motto on the edge it can't as easily be rendered into more offensive statements like "In God We Rust" by clips and other mint errors. Time don't fly, it bounds and leaps.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2269 Posts |
Lets face it, the edge won't wear off. They will need to be heavily circulated for the edge to wear. I have yet to see one in circulation.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1582 Posts |
I checked mine for the mint mark, and put them in a marked flips where they'll stay until I have enough in the series to warrant buying an album for them.
As for knowing what they are in the album, I would assume Dansco will mark the slots just the same as all their other albums, so, when the coin is in place, there should be no difficulty in determining what mint it came from.
I'm sure many others are the same as me in that once I place a coin in an album, it stays there, so wear on the edge or face is not an issue.
Ralph
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7123 Posts |
I think the question is more directed toward the masses,, In my opinion the edge lettering will not be a problem on a great percentage of the coins, sure some will be damaged and the MM or Motto may lose some of its legibility,, but for the vast majority of the coins this will not be the problem.
If a test was really wanted Vegas would be the place to test the edges of the coin, I live in an area with a small tribal casino ,, many of the coins in circualtion here have spent some time in the machines, the reeding is worn smooth while the larger surfaces are marked and at times heavily marked and dinged the details are often well above the EF and even into the AU range overall.
I think that in general everyday use the edge lettering will remain intact and readable for many years to come ,,Just as many edge lettered coins which have come before them.
As a personal preference I would have liked the date and Mint mark to be on the obverse of the coin and maybe something a bit more meaningful to the design on the edge of the coin.
Metalman
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Replies: 21 / Views: 2,817 |
Posted 03/04/2007 12:07 am
