Just got this 200 year old lady in the mail 3 May 08, (1808 O-102A R2). I had to walk to the end of the driveway because the snow was still too deep for the mail delivery car. Anyway, I believe this half is beyond a Late Die State (LDS) and possibly nearing Terminal Die State (TDS)... Check out the obverse crack which goes completely bisects the coin from Lady Liberties head to the date. Take Care Ben
Indeed they did, the process of using and reusing/mixing the (obverse/reverse) dies when one began to show signs of wear is one of the reasons I enjoy collecting this series so much, others do to. Part of the problem was the fact these were all hand made/carved and with the final hardening (annealing) of the die the distribution of heat apparently wasn't always even. Would you believe some of these dies were re-heated, re-softened, and re-carved only to be annealed/re-hardened yet again. This gives us the 1824/0/1, 1824/???, etc. Coining was very rudimentary yet resourceful when compared to todays technology. A very good read on the subject is "Bust Half Fever" by Ed Souders. Take Care Ben
Twin TDS 1808 Capped Bust Half Dollar Looks like we have twins...I wonder if yours was punched before, or, after mine? CG
Nice 1808's, guys! Here's mine, which you could say is on the other end of the spectrum- The dies look fairly fresh. -Brian
Thanks for the referral Ben. I will seek out "Bust Half Fever" and read it with fervor! I can't resist reading a good coin book, especially when referred by another fellow collector!
1808 cbh Thanks Treashunt...I actually prefer counterfeits of these...and Contemp. Counterfeits of Mexican Reales and Uk coinage...it's all so cool..never ends, what to learn! Cal
Wow very cool. Could somone please explain to me what Late Die and Terminal die state is? I collect F-VF CBH's with a nice natural grey look. Is this the die state you speak of sir?
No, you are talking about wear. He was referring the die state. As the die wears and cracks develop that is less & less use left. Late die state is when the die is going, going but not yet gone. As the die cracks extend eventually the die will crack and pieces may fall off (note: cuds). Terminal die state is when the die is about to fail and is no longer able to strike coins.
Contemporary fakes are very collectible, there is even a reference, by Davignone (I may have mispelled that) that lists known fakes.
oh hmm well i guess i can see that, but i would rather have the real thing and not a fake. but thats just my opinion
