Posted 10/20/2018 08:34 am
Quote:
the main difference is date punches, as if most of the obverses and reverses were from the same hub.
the main difference is date punches, as if most of the obverses and reverses were from the same hub.
That is because a large percentage of the 98, and all the 99's and 1800's ARE from the same reverse hub. Starting in 1798 the mint started experimenting again with hubbing an entire die. It still wasn't completely successful and things like leaf and berry stems still had to be added or touched up by hand, sometimes the wreath stems as well. There are few dies where letters had to be touched up as well.
As far as the 1799's go there are a few things to look for. One of the first things I check is the highest wave of hair below the R in LIBERTY. On the 1799's it is slightly right of the center of the R. This isn't diagnostic but there are only about 11 obv dies in the entire draped Bust series that have the wave that far right. Another thing to look for is LIBERTY should be very high above the bust. Once again not diagnostic just another clue, unfortunately several 1798's also have this feature but only S-180, 181, 186 and 187 have both the very high liberty and the highest wave slightly right of the center of the R. About the only things that realy come close to being a simple diagnostic on the 1799s are on th very late stage of S-188 there is a heavy arc crack through ERTY to the rim and a strong arc crack on the reverse from the fraction up to the rim above M. The stage is very rare though with lest than a dozen pieces known (This die was then used to strike 1798 S-186 which also develops an arc crack on the obv through TY and to the rim). The S-189 almost always has a die chip in the field between the E in ONE and the T in CENT. This chip increases in size as the die went through its life. On S-189 the dies almost always had the die faces out of parallel. Either the Date will be strong and LIBERTY weak or vice versa a S189 with equal strenth date and LIBERTY is unusual.
Late stage S-188
Die chip on S-189
Early stage
Late stage
High LIBERTY with higheest wave of hair slightly right of center of R
Edited by Conder101
10/20/2018 08:37 am
10/20/2018 08:37 am
