I'm new to coin collecting so bear with me. This coin has two distinct lines going through it. On the obverse side it starts about ten o'clock, left side, and travels through her forehead then turns south through her ear, then a wide curve, through the "8" and ending at the edge of the coin. On the reverse side of the coin, a thick line starts at the "A" in America, goes left through the eagle's beak, then to the other side of the coin's edge. Neither line coinsides with the other. What have I got? Does it make the coin more valuable? Thanks in advance.
Morgan and Peace VAMs use die cracks to help identify die marriages, these would do the same for an 1812 half dollar, I would think. The value is relative, however, limited to how strong the die cracks and how strongly desired by a buyer.
I don’t believe you have a die crack on that coin. I think you have a die that minted this Half Dollar that was close to shattering. You have several die cracks on both sides of the coin, some of which are strong and in the same place. You have a die chip in the 8 on the date and you have the more common variety or the Large 8. You also have the more common two leaf variety. It’s in deer Cent shape so be sure to protect it. You do not have the overdate variety.
Too bad that OP coin has been cleaned and scrubbed within an inch of it's life, because it's a very interesting piece.
Yes but I doubt it’s worth the grading fees. A flip or a plastic case made for half dollars would protect it.
Unfortunately, my wife says I have more money than sense. I probably will get it graded. I'm so new at this point that I'm in a hoarder mode. Thanks for the advise though.
This is just a short version, of course there is much more to it. It's hard to explain things to people who are new to collecting, because you can study coins for 30 years and not know anything, like me, 55 years in. With copper, it will be an off pink or orange color. The cleaning will strip off a thin layer of metal, and so the metal below now looks "shiny" but it is not OML, original mint luster, as you can usually tell when the coin is in poor condition but still has this fake color. With silver you can often seen cleaning scratches as in your coin, and again, a layer of metal has been removed to try and make the coin appear "shinier" and in better condition than it really is. Your coin also has that "gray" look and not a true silver appearance. There are exceptions. You can be fooled by "die polish lines" (not the case here) or, worn die issues. That is possible with this coin, but you can see it has been "scrubbed". Some coins can be gently cleaned or "restored", but coins that are HARSHLY cleaned lose most of their value.
