Un-canceled dime die

Not a US mint die-for certain.

But is it for counterfeiting? What else could it be for.

Very, very interesting piece. If I owned it, I would keep in in my desk drawer and only show it to numismatists that I trusted and that would have an appreciation for something so exotic.

I wouldn't try publically selling it. if it comes to the attention of the secret Service, it is sure to be confiscated with no restitution to the owner.

 

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US coins have been struck in a collar for almost 200 years.

 

Enlightening and troubling.
As much of a curiosity as a potential liability.
As some have said a definate curio piece.
Finding it in a pile of junk, and refinding it in my own junk. Seems it may safer to return it to the junk pile.
Plenty to think about, i work nights, so ill check back later tonite.
Thanks everyone.

 

What ever production process this is used in one thing is for sure, it is part of a master insert die where many configurations are easily swapped in and out of the mold to produce likely many different configurations, ie date/ denominations.

 

This information, begs, more questions. To make a decision, was there a market or suspected amount of fake coins of this year.
This curio may be useless to me, im sure there is a side market of curio collectors, but i have no friends in numismatics. Could this curio be used to identify fake coins?

 

Interesting question. If there are die cracks, breaks, or other imperfections on the die then it might be possible to match coin with die, but I'm honestly not really sure how that all works.

 

Looking closely at the die face and edge im sure identifiers could be picked out. Like the mark by the bridge of the nose and the ridge pattern on the edge of the coin. I used to work with tool and die makers. I had found this in a old tool box that was left after a retirement. If it was possibly a curio made by a numismatic collector and tool and die maker as a hobby . That would be one thing but if it was used to make fakes. As others have said this is a rare or unique tool. But a unpopular item. If it had been used to make fakes i would probably turn it over so they could be identified.

 

I'm not sure if this is legal, but could you use the die to cast a pot metal coin just to see how it would have turned out? Would only be one sided, but would be neat to see how detailed the possible fakes could have been.

 

From how the die feels and the shape. Others have noted it fits to a pressure die with a reverse mate. Its a transfer die made from copying a coin. Not by cutting a die. The face looks like it would make a hi grade circulated coin copy. Not a mint or other very hi quality.
As the picture shows it has some surface oxidation. Cleaning it up to try a test would be problimatic. At least the condition shows i have never used it to try to make a coin.

 

Really interesting piece. But, I wonder why they would take all the trouble to make this for a dime? Was there a rare dime that year that matches this die? Got me thinking, maybe they used it to create fake mint error dimes, using real dimes? Such as double strikes or struck through?

 

A dime was quite a bit of money in 1956.

Additionally, who would expect to see counterfeit dimes?

There was a rash of nickel counterfeiting around the same time.

 

Donate it to the ANA Museum and take a $100 tax write off.