I bought these two coins about 10 years ago for an exhibit of twenty cent pieces. I wanted to get two coins in about the same grade to illustrate the problem the double dime posed and why it disappeared so quickly. Here are the two coins side by side. Do you think they would have caused problems while in circulation?
Absolutely. Unless the two coins are side by side, most people cannot detect that small size differential. At least I couldn't and maybe I'm just guilty of projecting my own ineptitude on everyone else. And most people don't look at the denomination on the coin. The proper way to have released this coin was to adopt a dramatically different design for both obverse and reverse. Things like incuse versus raised LIBERTY would not get the normal person's notice. Even then, the double-dime was probably doomed to failure since, like the modern dollar coin, it wasn't needed by anyone in commerce/banking/finance.
Yes, back in the 50's I received a Twenty Cent piece when I was due 25 cents in change. My mother got shorted because she let me keep it for my collection. I recently gave it to my youngest son who was born in 1975.
I haven't looked it up, but I'm sure the prevailing coinage act prevented anything but the current Seated Liberty design on the obverse. I agree that, of course, the denomination wasn't needed, and something that close to a quarter in size is doomed to failure. The Nevada silver lobbyists strike again.
The illiteracy rate around that time was about 20%, I read. So 1 in 5 adults I guess couldn't read the difference between "Twenty Cents" and "Quar. Dol.". I suspect in the Old West, where these circulated, the illiteracy rate was slightly higher. I wonder if that had anything to do with it.
I'm not going to pretend to any special knowledge but I think the general law that prohibited a design change in less than 25 years was in existence at that time. And that law may not have even applied since the denomination had to be created by an Act of Congress so the legislature could have permitted a design change in the enabling legislation had they wanted to.
My thought exactly. "How long did it take the country to forget the debacle of the twenty-cent piece? About a hundred years, apparently."
Well, a lot less than that. The 1883 V nickel reverse had to immediately be redesigned to alleviate plating it and passing it off as a $5. Many smaller debacles of course - the 1892 quarter was quickly redone because they didn't stack properly, etc.
Size was the factor that really killed the Twenty Cent Piece. Like the quarter and the Susan B. Anthony Dollar, when you reach into your pocket, the two coins feel much the same. Therefore it's easy to confuse them. Some Twenty Cent Pieces were counterstamped to try to avoid the problem. I had a shot to get one of these coins back in the 1970s for $20. Unfortunately I didn't take advantage of that opportunity. Now the guys who have them, won't sell them. It would have been a neat addition to my "Twenty Cent Piece mania."
About six months ago Heritage had 2 coins up for auction. One was a 20 cent piece that was in an NGC holder but labeled as a Quarter. The next coin up was an actual quarter. I wonder how many people noticed the difference. It is worth mentioning that at least somebody at NGC must have had trouble telling the two coins apart. so that mistake is still being made.
I've actually got one I'm not too attached to -- but it looks like someone pounded on it with a rock, to the point where its diameter is really close to a quarter. At least in some directions; it's not particularly round any more. If I come across it, I'll post a photo.
I like my lowball! Recently got it for 100. I still need to free mine from this 2x2 and photograph it. But I don't have a holder for it. Going to send it to PCGS sometime this season.
