Hi, I was roll searching halves and found 2 Kennedys that are intriguing. The first one, I noticed it but the it in the reject bag. After finding the more severely pronounced one I went back through the rejects to compare. One appears to be an earlier state of the same dies, exhibiting similar anomalies. All the way around, just inside the rim, there is a die crack. Between the crack and rim ask the details are distorted as if struck through something. I'll get photos up after a bit. I'm not home now but its been bothering me all day. What is it?
I don't understand why people don't just wait to start a thread when they have the photos to go with it. Chris
Here they are. The first three images are of the same coin; that with the lesser effect. The bottom three are of the second coin, with very dramatic effects.
Die deterioration, very similar to the same type of deterioration that causes the "ridge" often seen through the IGWT on Zincoln cents.
I would buy that coin simply because I've never seen this, before now, on a Kennedy Half Dollar. And I've seen quite a few.
If you want to here from Mike, you need to go to coneca forums, for that ... Heres the link http://board.conecaonline.org/index.php
The ring located just inside the design rim appears sunken. In some areas the internal margin is sharply defined, with a sightly irregular appearance. This is compatible with a "struck-through" error (struck through "grease", specifically). Ring-shaped, struck-through errors are uncommon, but not unknown. Slightly sunken rings are also sometimes a symptom of a slightly weak strike. But the internal margin would be soft, and ring development would be equal on both faces.
Thanks for your input. I have a question though: How does such a strongly defined crack form on the inner edge like that? It's really intriguing to me that it is a strike through rather than deteriorated dies. The contrast between the fields within the ring, with heavy die polish marks (or striations?), and the fields within the ring itself is striking. The ringed area is indeed recessed as you see it. While the design is blurred in some areas, in others like the date the details are visible despite the heavily recessed ring in the field area. If I'm interpreting your assessment correctly, grease was pretty much in a complete ring around both dies, mostly limited to the fields. The design details on the dies were effected by grease filling some more than others, unevenly. As if it was the first coin struck after a fresh lube job? Am I even close?
I see no evidence of a crack, either in the die or the planchet. Grease can settle around the outside in the form of a ring because there is a nearly imperceptible convexity to the die face that is most pronounced at the periphery. Die fill of the right viscosity will gradually migrate to areas of relatively low effective striking pressure, which would include the perimeter of the die face.