Just want to double check for my own education that this was caused by an over polished die. At first I thought a die chip on the section that gives detail to the tongue, but it seems too smooth. EDIT: This is from San Fran and the the strikes are clear and crisp so I omitted a worn die. If really need I can upload the whole image, but seems unnecessary. What it should be: No detail:
It's just the tongue. The top one has the upper part of the tongue defined from the lower part. The bottom picture it all just one smooth bump. I know it is small, but after looking at few hundred San Antonios this last week, it's the first one that exhibits this behavior and so I just want to make sure that I correctly deduced it what caused it since there is no sign of chips/breakage and no doubling anywhere that would lead me to think think machine doubling caused the gap to close.
Sometimes it does not make a difference, dies are polished, some more than others. it makes a difference perhaps when being professionally graded on some coins. or placement of mintmark, it varies, but does not matter. its not off, its just not exactly the same place as the coin someone is using for the template. depends on the coin and year. So my opinion, is its not over polished.
Ah, I guess I figured over polished included loss of details. For those that can't see, here is a more defined tongue picture I took last night way after I created this thread. You should now be able to see how the tongue kinda splits whereas the photo (or photos I suppose ) above shows just one big tongue.
Just started reading the ANA grading book and now know what caused the tongue and possibly tail. It says that once a die becomes worn, it is resurfaced and polished. It's this step that the chance of the details being removed is possible. I had no idea that worn dies were cleaned up. I thought they were used until they couldn't be used no more and that the die varieties like 3 legged buffalo were created from a fresh die. Learning is fun
Glad to hear you're learning. The dies are polished to prolong their life. Hence things like removing a leg on a Buffalo Nickel happen, not from a new Die but from an over polished Die.
I like your photos for all the wrong reasons. One, it shows the beauty and detail of the coin...its art! Second, it makes me think of beer for some reason.
a german beer. I was trying to figure it out too. im still thinking too, Parkbrau brewery uses that. but mabie others.