Over polished Die on Bicen. Quarter

I have been hunting this error ever since @Shrews1994 found one and it is surprisingly easy to miss. Check out all the rough die polishing lines.

 

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Yeah, sometimes they can be so prominent they could pass for die cracks or gouges. I notice them mostly on LMC's.

 

My bicentennial quarter has many die polishing lines too

Rev Bi-Centennial Quarter by Clawcoins posted May 12, 2018 at 10:42 AM

 

"Should I replace this die?"
"No, too much downtime! Just scrub it with a brass brush!"
"Won't that make crappy coins?"
"No collector will EVER care about these; we're making about a gazillion of 'em"
"Good point."

And yet, here we are.

 

and yet still not an error...

 

EXCELLENT point. This is NOT an error even a tiny little bit. It's just a crap coin.

 

Variety then? I don't care of it is a crappy coin it made me happy to find it. Really we should call these Un-polished or brushed dies because polish media is actually much finer and would not leave these prominent lines right.

 

Technically it’s neither an error nor a variety. It’s a poorly made coin, period.

 

Got it.

 

While these gentlemen are 100% correct about it not being an error or variety, it is at least indicative of a late die stage and if you think it’s cool, keep it.

 

I believe if it is overpolished it is technically a "die stage," which is neither an "Error" (a mishap during the striking process ike an off-center, or a problem with the metal like the wrong kind or laminations), nor a "Variety" (an accidental flaw on the die itself like hub doubling, or something like an overdate, which in some cases have both been accidental and on purpose. Also things like large/small dates and repunched mintmarks). With varieties, the die itself has the flaw/modification even before one coin is struck and then transfers that modification on to coins.

A die stage is when the die started out in good physical condition, then developed a flaw like a die crack, overpolishing (like the 1937-D 3 Legged nickel), etc. Thus, yours is a "die stage." Not to be confused with "die state" which reflects the level of wear on a die (early, mid, or late); and don't confuse this with its level of wear from circulation. If a coin has a very full and pronounced rim but the details are soft, it could be a late die state.

 

Awesome you found one just like mine! It is easy too miss

 

You know what the ultimate outcome of considering die stages to all be collectable, right? Every coin is completely unique once you get to slicing the bologna so thin you can see through it. It’s not error collecting, and it’s not variety collecting. It’s “I learned something, ANYTHING, about this coin” collecting. There is only infinity in that. And if “everything” is collectable, then truly nothing is. So “Zen”, right?

It is truly all about demand. And the OP coin is in demand by essentially no one in the field of numismatics. “Different” is irrelevant.

 

We are not trying to slice the bologna super thin, just celebrating the miniscule examples found while evolving in our rookie stage. While I have no desire to put together a set of over polished die stage coins I will keep my eyes open for them and set them aside as anomalies/examples. Being a Veteran coin collector you may forget Kurt that us rookies are hungry for ANYTHING we can learn about such as in jcro57' s post. So while the coin itself may not even be worthy of a 2x2, the education I received from it via this thread is highly collectible. 2 years ago I could not tell you the difference between polish lines or scratches on a coin.

 

Okay, just keep the "hunger" from overwhelming your intellect, and you'll be okay. Beginner overenthusiasm tends to do two things - burn people, and wear them out. The slow and steady approach may not get your endorphins all firing, but it is your best friend in the long run.

 

By the way, now look what you've done! I have three full ROLLS of those beasties and a fairly new microscope. Guess what happens next. Maybe I can assemble a die progression sequence set.

 

I personally think the best way to describe it is "unintentionally damaged die".

 

Being seen as damage is indeed unintentional, but scrubbing the assembled grease and yuck off a die with a wire brush was as intentional as things get.

Remember the insane mintages on these quarters. Everything was about making more, more, more.

 

I totally agree with you.

 

That would be collecting die STATES, since the die is a little more worn after each coin is struck. Each coin is actually from a different die state. But the thing about die states it that it IS a continuum, You can't take a coin and put it at a precise point in that continuum. Die STAGES on the other hand are the result of distinct steps or events that occur at discrete points in the dies life. If the stages of a dies life are known you CAN take a coin and say yes this coin was struck after this happened but before that happened. Most dies don't have more than a few discrete stages so the bologna stays fairly thick. And usually it is just a matter of informational curiosity. Very few coins are actually collected by die stage, although there may be some interest in particular die stages, usually terminal stages.