Strange Bust half dime dug today

[Ed (Upstate NY)]

Dug this Capped bust half dime this morning at a local park that was a parade ground back in civil war era. The condition of the reverse in excellent but the obverse of the coin has me stumped. At first I thought the coin was well worn or filed smooth but a close look reveal some doubling of the bust and strange streaks coming from the stars on the left. Perhaps some kind of mint error??? Too bad I can't get a date off of it. Still only the second capped bust I've found in 23 years of detecting so I was happy..

 

[captn_se]

Wow, that is one strange bust half-dime.

My first thought was that it was in the process of being made into a love token. Typically one side of a silver coin would be smoothed down, then engraved, while the other side would remain as is.

Still, it's bust silver coin, and that's a great find no matter what condition its in.

Awesome,
CAPTN SE
Dan

 

[onemore]

See if they can figure out whether it's a known error type.

My guess: either a bungled counterfeit or that is some type of mint error, as you can see doubling.

 

[stubbs1]

WTG ED Nice find,looks like they wanted to smooth the front off for some reason. I only have 1 bust coin, its a really worn 1835 half dime. Any bust coin is a prize Congrats

 

[Erik in NJ]

Does not look like it was being made into a love token. At first I thought planchet error, but the lines leading off the stars are enigmatic to say the least. Almost looks like it got caught in the die, doubled, and then pulled out though I'm having a hard time convincing myself of that .....I'm not an expert on how these coins were struck. Man, the back is super crisp! Notice how dark the back is compared to the front. Could the damage have occurred by being struck with a plow blade or something while it was in the ground for a while? Only thing I can think of. I hope it's a valuable one......great find either way!!!

 

[etracjoe]

I am no expert by no means but my common sense tells me that it was done at time of mint....or a counterfeit. Just the way the streaks come from the stars. That could not possibly be done after mint. That is one sweet find and I hope it turns out to be worth some dough to ya. Please keep us posted.

 

[NebTrac]

What's weird is why didn't the obverse age like the reverse? You'd think the lower parts of the streaks would've darkened.

NebTrac

 

[Bell]

probably the reverse was facing up in the hole. My gut says the same thing, either mint error or counterfeit, but who knows? Id definately take that one to an expert.

 

[Erik in NJ]

n/t

 

[Brian(upstateNY)]

n/t

 

[jimhank]

Kinda looks like someone made a tool of some kind out of it. Filed down the edge to a certain thickness, left the stars for effect.
Then smoothed the filed parts a bit (burnished) which could explain the doubled look. Maybe a little tool for old gun?
Great find !!...It is weird though that the obverse is not aged like the reverse?

 

[Ed (Upstate NY)]

n/t

 

[dgc]

Maybe it is this type of mint error.

A die adjustment strike is a type of mint error coin where the devices on the coin are struck improperly because the strike was made while a die setter was adjusting the coin press machine. When the coin press is being set up to strike coins, some test coins are struck to determine the optimum striking pressure before the coin press is turned over to the press operator for regular coining. These test strikes are supposed to be carefully collected and destroyed, but on rare occasions they escape the mint.

Die adjustment strike specimens usually appear as weakly struck to very weakly struck specimens, although sometimes a die adjustment strike can be too hard. Both types of die adjustment coins are sought after by error coins collectors.

 

[Elton]

left just a partial strike and then it left marks as it slid or broke away.. But that's only a guess....... and most likely not even close to the real story..

 

[capri_auto]

Looks like a error to me, but what do I know... I'd send it in for grading, could pay off big.

 

[TokenDigger]

Really neat find. Before sending it in, you may want to send the photos to a coin error specialist. I checked the Internet and one of the premiere error coin people is at this site: www.fredweinberg.com. Maybe he can give you an idea about the coin to say you from spending money to send it in. Good luck!

 

[Jim C (Mich)]

n/t

 

[greasecarguy]

Ed, I showed this link to a friend of mine that spends a lot of time looking, buying and selling error coins; old ones. He liked the 1st response about the love token but said that if the edge was consistant in size it may be an error coin. Obviously there's nothing like holding the actual coin, just an educated guess.....Hope it works out well for you.

 

[Markdb61]

An intriguing find that would put a smile on anyones face. curious as to what you learned about it.