One could even call that a "pie-shaped" shattered obverse/reverse--and the reverse is for a pie maker, which I find amusing.
indeed it is. I was browsing WC rolls and I was seeing what else he was selling. I noticed he didn't list it a shattered die or even an error and I was thinking of making a bid...but I know nothing about civil war tokens or the value a shattered die increases it by. so I'm just gonna watch it and see where it goes
A die marriage is a pairing of a given obv and rev die to create a die variety. For example dies are normally identified by numbers and rev by letters. If you have obv 1 paired with rev A and we will call that die variety 1 (first marriage). Then lets say they remove the rev die and replace it with rev B. This created die variety 2. While die variety 2 is being struck obv 1 cracks. This is still die variety 2 but in a later die stage. Now for some reason they remove rev B and reinsert rev A again. It would still be die variety 1 (same die pair 1A) but this is die varety 1(second marriage) The pairing 1A would be a die marriage, 1B is a die marriage, and the 1(cracked)A is a die remarriage. In the 1794 large cents there was one rev die which was paired up with or used in five different die marriages. In the capped bust half dimes there are cases of first, second and even third remarriages of dies where one die or the other would be taken away and then they would later be brought back together again. So any pairing of dies is a marriage, and any interrupted pairing with the dies brought back together again later is a remarriage.
the process sounds a little confusing but I get it to some degree. thank you for taking the time to respond. but I have to ask...wouldn't the reason they remove rev A be due to the damaged die? and if this is so...why would they reuse a damaged die? or are/were dies normally removed after being damaged and reused? and why would they leave obv 1? thanks
There can be several reasons for removing a die from the press. The dies may have clashed and one was removed to polish out the clashmarks and then returned to the press later. in the early years of the mint coins tended to be made in small batches, just what was needed to coin a depositors silver. The dies would then be removed and the press used for something else. The next time that denomination was struck they would get a pair of dies from the storeroom but they might not be the same ones as before. And sometimes a die that was retired, say for a crack, but which could still be used, might be pressed back into service if they had to strike some coins right away and they didn't have another die available.
Not to intrude into your post, but here's a CW token that I've got. Looks like for some reason the date is gouged off. You can still see 1863. but not easily. Luster on the star side, so, I'm thinking that it was intentionally done. input anyone?
Civil War Tokens were not struck to U.S. Mint standards. Merchants needed change for transactions when CW era U.S. coinage was being hoarded. Tokens consigned by merchant may have been more closely watched for quality control, but, since the 3 year period they were needed was so short, some/many CWETs were struck willy nilly. The quality was not as important, IMO, as just having some change that they could buy from a die striker for multiple pieces for 1¢. Many pieces are so Rare, Unique 1 offs to fewer than 20 known to still exist, because there were numismatists back then who bought never before die mules from the makes for their collections. Others are Very Rare due to being Over struck on to previously made CW tokens or even over U.S. coinage. Here is an example I own of a Unique 1 Known so far Overstrike. I studied this mule and with research discovered a New Previously Unknown Patriotic Die #48 had been used on a Broas Bakers Store Card. My attribution was included in the 2015 Update of the Fuld Store Cards Book. This is the regular strike of the Broas as found normally, weakly struck.
