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British Sovereign, 1871 From Very Cracked Die

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Pillar of the Community

Portugal
655 Posts
 Posted 10/28/2024  8:00 pm Show Profile   Bookmark this topic Add jecz79 to your friends list Get a Link to this Message Number of Subscribers
Hi.

I have a few sovereigns in my collection, as they were used as legal tender here for some decades.

How would you grade this one that must have come from an obverse die about to disintegrate?

A crack before DEI. Another across the 1 in the date. Another in the C of VICTORIA. Another in the I of GRATIA. another across the face, it continues the one in the top. And a big break in the field in front of the neck.

British-Sovereign,-1871-From-Very-Cracked-Die

British-Sovereign,-1871-From-Very-Cracked-Die

British-Sovereign,-1871-From-Very-Cracked-Die

Took a photograph with light from the side to better show these cracks. If it is not clear, that larger crack in the field left the coin with excess metal there.
It must have filled into a crack or missing piece of die.The coin weights 8.01 g instead of the usual 7.99. I think it may have taken some metal that the die retained from the previous one it struck.

Looking for die matches, one of my hobbies, I found another from the same die but without the larger break
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Great-Br...225793929579

I am guessing mine must have been one of the last before complete failure of the die. That was the reason I took this one into the collection.
I wondered if other people also find these coins interesting? Of if they shun them as defective?
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Tunnioc's Avatar
United States
3170 Posts
 Posted 10/28/2024  9:25 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Tunnioc to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Very cool! You should get it listed here.
https://cuds-on-coins.com/world-coins-spike-heads/
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Errers and Varietys's Avatar
United States
73628 Posts
 Posted 10/28/2024  9:48 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Errers and Varietys to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Cool find!
Errers and Varietys.
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jbuck's Avatar
United States
187582 Posts
Pillar of the Community
Portugal
655 Posts
 Posted 10/29/2024  6:52 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add jecz79 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Thanks. I like die cracks and have a few other coins as curiosities. But never knew there was a web site dedicated to these flaws.


Quote:
Very cool! You should get it listed here.
https://cuds-on-coins.com/world-coins-spike-heads/


If the maintained of that site sees this, I ma happy to also let him use the photos I placed here.

But I wanted to ask. Outside those who like die cracks as curiosities, do they detract from the coin? Or as mint damage they are neutral?
Valued Member
United Kingdom
376 Posts
 Posted 10/30/2024  03:42 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Spyro to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Such a broad-based hobby! There are those who prefer immaculate examples and will pay through the nose for them and there are those like me who like their coins to have had a life. IMHO the die crack is part of the coin's history so it's ok and shouldn't affect it's value. This is important for sovereigns cos they're so soft their circulating life expectancy was only about 10 years. Beware Middle Eastern contemporary forgeries though. Wondering if there's a non-invasive way of checking the carat-rating. I'm no expert with gold so I'll shut up now.
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hokiefan_82's Avatar
United States
3634 Posts
 Posted 11/01/2024  8:14 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add hokiefan_82 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Very interesting die crack, jecz79.
Member of SPMC, FCCB, ANA and ANS.
My U.S. Classic Commemorative Complete Set: https://www.NGCcoin.com/registry/co...sets/278741/
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Jaobler's Avatar
United States
6381 Posts
 Posted 11/02/2024  8:12 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Jaobler to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
I like it and agree that the die cracks add to the overall appeal. The coin looks fully mint state on the reverse but there seems to be a trace of wear on the obverse portrait. If graded by US standards I'd call it AU-58.
Very nice!
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Portugal
655 Posts
 Posted 11/04/2024  5:44 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add jecz79 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Thanks. It has superficial wear aligned top to bottom in what must be the very highest points of the relief. Noticable in first photo from front of ear down the middle of the neck. A push on a table might have done it? I hope it still qualifies as mint state. But I am not good at judging sovereigns.
No matter, what drew my attention was the odd crack in the field. I am happy to find I am not alone in thinking those details attractive
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IndianGoldEagle's Avatar
United States
36491 Posts
 Posted 11/28/2024  09:31 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add IndianGoldEagle to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Nice looking MS-62 coin.
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