1826 Capped bust half dollar with a error on the "S" in "PLURIBU(S). Has anyone encountered such an error before? What should I know about it?
I'm not really an error guy, but since that's a detail missing from an incuse feature, I'm guessing it's a small die chip. The parts of the die that strike "PLURIBUS" into the planchet stand out from the die's surface (they're in relief). If that very thin part of the S broke off, it would strike coins that look like this. I don't think errors like this are very valuable in general, but die varieties on Bust Halves are a whole major area of collecting. There are quite a few knowledgeable collectors here who may be able to chime in. If you can edit your post's title to mention Bust halves, it might get their attention. Welcome to CoinTalk!
You can spend 55 years and not know anything like me. It's an entire field of study. The error is minor prob a die chip as stated above. As for the coin, if it hasn't been cleaned it is priced at $240 in EF40 and $460 in AU50.
Thank you for the reply. My interests lie in collecting, not selling. But it's nice to know the value of the coin and if the error creates value.
With errors the larger and more dramatic the better. Many coins which are listed as errors are usually damage. With die chips, usually the chip creates a raised area on the coin, because the metal flows into the hole created by the die chip, while being minted because of the pressure of the strike. I am not sure this is a die chip. Part of the element in the S is missing, which normally would be struck through grease. But that's not what this is.
Not an error. Looks like the metal was moved from wear and/or from a weak strike. The motto is known for lacking detail in the event of a weak strike. Like the coin below. Is the $695 written on the flip what you paid for it?
I don't think that looks like metal moved on the coin. Remember, that legend is incuse. Weak strike, maybe - @franklinresearch, can you post a photo of the coin's full reverse?
That is a O-114 and an R4. The latest auction that I can find is 1/25 an AU55 for 660. I believe that is called a broken letter. https://coins.ha.com/itm/bust-half-...-91347.s?ic4=ListView-ShortDescription-071515
Now waiting on the Bust collectors to see if I got it right. I believe that O-114, 116,116a ,118, 119, and 120a all have a form of the broken S.
Hello @franklinresearch and welcome to CT. That’s a high price to pay for that coin but with error it’s top dollar. The error is called a broken letter error and it will raise the price of the coin. Looks to me like that coin has been cleaned but it’s from an old cleaning and is recovering. Nice looking either way good detail.
Yes, you are correct in this assessment. So it isn't a rare feature by any means. I'm too busy to check your attribution, but, the broken S is a feature on multiple 1826 varieties.
Listing prices is fine, as long as they're not an advertisement of an item you're selling. Is this broken "S" only seen on one reverse die, but has different die marriages with other obverse dies?
