Posted 12/03/2008 2:10 pm
The edge inscription on these coins was applied by rolling the con blank between two edge dies one movable, one fixed. One die has FIFTY CENTS OR and the other one has HALF A DOLLAR. If the movable die is not in the proper position when it begins its travel part of an inscription can be missing or the two inscriptions can overlap. Other errors can occur if say the coin gets caught and pulled part way or all the way back through as the movable die returns to the original position, or the blank is run through more than once, or one of the dies is mounted upside down etc.
A missing letter or a small overlap has little value but major overlaps, complete doubling, triplings, half upside down inscription are another matter. Surprisingly one of the rarest and most valuable is the bust half with missing edge lettering.
A missing letter or a small overlap has little value but major overlaps, complete doubling, triplings, half upside down inscription are another matter. Surprisingly one of the rarest and most valuable is the bust half with missing edge lettering.
