BC1969
Banned
This is something I read about on other forums quite often.
The topic of Employees at the Mints doing shenanigans with the stamping equipment.
I have a theory about this as I make my journey into understanding the various marks that are present on any given coin.
Some things I have noticed especially when it comes to clashed working dies.
I've noticed a strange pattern.
Almost like an artist leaving his mark.
The die clash for me is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle, a scratch here, a gouge there, a bump of various proportions there.
Even indents are part of the puzzle because not all die clashes are raised on the coin.
Sometimes they are incuse.
I barely know anything compared to some people.
I'm only focused on finding clashes, no matter how minor.
In the course of researching the various classes of doubled dies, I started noticing the what I believe is the artists signature.
I've worked in metal stamping.
I have a pretty good understanding of the process of squishing metal between two pieces of even harder metal.
Knowing roughly how the mint, mints coins, helps to understand how only certain devices have noticable differences.
Why just some of the devices ?
Why sometimes just three devices outside of whatever bigger error is present.
( For this comment only, I'm using the term error for both die varieties and actual errors )
By this I mean, why are some letters in say liberty distended or distorted ?
Why not all of them.
I'm not sure and there seems to be uncertainty of when exactly the ultra secretive Mint stopped using multiple squeezes for hubbing vs single squeeze.
I'm under the impression, on the LMC's anyway that 1992 was the first year that the Mint used single squeeze.
Also the year of the Close AM that's supposed to be a Wide AMerica.
Where they drunk ?
Why is that important ?
Well, because single squeeze dies are conical in shape versus flat for the old style.
Its harder to manipulate the process, especially when a supervisor has to ensure proper alignment of the dies if the process stops.
The old style, sometimes it took upwards of a dozen squeezes to impart the design properly.
More opportunities!
I'm easily distracted by myself so please excuse my scattered brain typing.
My thoughts are that the Mint overseers should look at those doubled dies and other major events and look for the few outside devices that are altered.
LiBErty.. what does that say to you ?
I say just take a look at the full names of whomever was polishing or in control of die setting or both.
Nowadays for preventative measures, unless that supervisor is able to see and understand, he won't see the collaboration between employees in the creation of a Mint assisted error.
The die polisher very well alone or with help, leave certain clash elements or altered devices on the Die/s intentionally.
This I've noticed.
I can't help noticing.
The designs are burned into my brain!
That's why I find clashes so intriguing.
I think those somehow missed by the polisher marks are the initials of the person responsible.
Far fetched, maybe.
But when you spend multiple hours drawing mental lines in your head of the marks on a coin, the puzzle gets completed.
Thank you if you read all that!
Mike.
The topic of Employees at the Mints doing shenanigans with the stamping equipment.
I have a theory about this as I make my journey into understanding the various marks that are present on any given coin.
Some things I have noticed especially when it comes to clashed working dies.
I've noticed a strange pattern.
Almost like an artist leaving his mark.
The die clash for me is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle, a scratch here, a gouge there, a bump of various proportions there.
Even indents are part of the puzzle because not all die clashes are raised on the coin.
Sometimes they are incuse.
I barely know anything compared to some people.
I'm only focused on finding clashes, no matter how minor.
In the course of researching the various classes of doubled dies, I started noticing the what I believe is the artists signature.
I've worked in metal stamping.
I have a pretty good understanding of the process of squishing metal between two pieces of even harder metal.
Knowing roughly how the mint, mints coins, helps to understand how only certain devices have noticable differences.
Why just some of the devices ?
Why sometimes just three devices outside of whatever bigger error is present.
( For this comment only, I'm using the term error for both die varieties and actual errors )
By this I mean, why are some letters in say liberty distended or distorted ?
Why not all of them.
I'm not sure and there seems to be uncertainty of when exactly the ultra secretive Mint stopped using multiple squeezes for hubbing vs single squeeze.
I'm under the impression, on the LMC's anyway that 1992 was the first year that the Mint used single squeeze.
Also the year of the Close AM that's supposed to be a Wide AMerica.
Where they drunk ?
Why is that important ?
Well, because single squeeze dies are conical in shape versus flat for the old style.
Its harder to manipulate the process, especially when a supervisor has to ensure proper alignment of the dies if the process stops.
The old style, sometimes it took upwards of a dozen squeezes to impart the design properly.
More opportunities!
I'm easily distracted by myself so please excuse my scattered brain typing.
My thoughts are that the Mint overseers should look at those doubled dies and other major events and look for the few outside devices that are altered.
LiBErty.. what does that say to you ?
I say just take a look at the full names of whomever was polishing or in control of die setting or both.
Nowadays for preventative measures, unless that supervisor is able to see and understand, he won't see the collaboration between employees in the creation of a Mint assisted error.
The die polisher very well alone or with help, leave certain clash elements or altered devices on the Die/s intentionally.
This I've noticed.
I can't help noticing.
The designs are burned into my brain!
That's why I find clashes so intriguing.
I think those somehow missed by the polisher marks are the initials of the person responsible.
Far fetched, maybe.
But when you spend multiple hours drawing mental lines in your head of the marks on a coin, the puzzle gets completed.
Thank you if you read all that!
Mike.
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