Bought this SC die and quarter set yesterday. It's really cool to me. But here's my question- it says it was retired because of defective chrome. What exactly are they referring to? Thanks for looking!
By 'defective chrome', I think they mean that the die has outlived it's usefulness or ability to continue to strike quality coins. [edit to add] Cool pickup.
It appears as if the chrome on the outside of the die shank has been flaking off. If the flakes got on the surface of the die, they would damage the image on the face and transfer the effect to the coins being struck. Speculation.
Die's are "Chrome plated" to increase their hardness and useful life. Defective Chrome" simply means that the chrome plating was wearing off which made the die no longer useable for the high speed presses. The most interesting aspect of your purchase is the quarter which supposedly was produced from the die which accompanies it. Unfortunately, the dies are ground off to the point of not having ANY design and other than the cert and serial number, you have absolutely no way of validating the claim other than "because the US Mint said so". IMO, while interesting, this particular US Mint offering had as much numismatic significance as the State Quarter Spoons they had been offering. But, as long as you like it..............
Thank you for your answers to my question. I definetly see what you mean desertgem! I'll just assume they are telling the truth 19lyds but I think it's cool to see what are used inside the mint (I've never visited a mint) and own one
Yes, they are something different and make a great desk weight. I was tempted back when the mint didn't offer them to the public, but they made their way out anyway ( often as rusty salvage) , and they were defaced to be useless, but partial design remained.
