Modern Coin Poor Strike Quality.

Discussion in 'Coin Chat' started by Jrlhasalways, Oct 20, 2020.

  1. Jrlhasalways

    Jrlhasalways New Member

    Is it just me or are today's coins flat looking. Very low relief. I notice it most on Jefferson Nickels, and Pennies. Quarters, also seem much less raised than in the past.

    Is there a reason? ...Really bothers me.
     
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  3. TheGame

    TheGame Well-Known Member

    Lower relief means the dies last longer. Saves the mint money in the long run.
     
  4. Jrlhasalways

    Jrlhasalways New Member

    Thanks! OK, that makes sense....Kind of sad for those of us who like mint state circulation coins. Can't be real great for the hobby. I guess they have all the special interest stuff they strike.
     
  5. cladking

    cladking Coin Collector

    The mint makes billions of pennies every year so all coins have to be made on very high speed presses. The dies move so fast they simply don't have the time to bring up higher relief.

    We can thank the penny for a great deal of waste and poor quality. The costs of making it is laid off on other coins but the biggest cost is the drag they perform on the economy and modernization of our money.
     
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  6. John Burgess

    John Burgess Well-Known Member

    Pictures or it didn't happen.
    I think it's mostly which side gets the hammer die and which side gets the anvil die, and your possible dislike of the more modern designs.

    I think I've nioticed for the past about 10 years they've been striking the reverse with the hammer die, but in the 80s and 90s they were striking the obverse with the hammer die and the reverse was the anvil die side.

    And yeah, I do think there is a difference on which side gets the hammer.
     
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  7. Conder101

    Conder101 Numismatist

    The mint makes billions of pennies every year so all coins have to be made on very high speed presses. The dies move so fast they simply don't have the time to bring up higher relief.

    This. Back when the coins had higher relief the presses ran at between 30 to 8 cycles per minute. Call it an average of one coin per second. (actual striking time about .13 seconds) Now when the planchets are struck the metal doesn't flow into the recesses of the die instantaneously, it takes a certain amount of time. But today with the horizontal striking presses they are running at 750 cycles per minute or 13 coins per second. The metal just can't flow very far in the .01 seconds of the actual striking portion of the cycle, so the relief has to be greatly lowered to allow the dies to fill in that brief flash of time.
     
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  8. Jrlhasalways

    Jrlhasalways New Member

    Makes sense, seems like they could change that at least for proof coins however. Going by the Hermitage on the reverse of a nickel, the relief on a circulation coin in the 90s, has far greater relief than a proof coin now.
     
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  9. John Burgess

    John Burgess Well-Known Member

    Nice word use "Hermitage", rare to see it used.
     
  10. wxcoin

    wxcoin Getting no respect since I was a baby

    Well that's a relief!
     
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  11. VistaCruiser69

    VistaCruiser69 Well-Known Member

    I believe a lot of it has to do with cutting down the amount of material (cost) it takes to make coins. All but the dime seems like they've cut back quite a bit over the past 20 or so years. Pennies with zinc core. I also noticed in the late 90's/early 2000's that Washington started to take on the emasiated look on the quarter. And now Jefferson on the nickel looks to be the same.
     
  12. Mr.Q

    Mr.Q Well-Known Member

    I don't care for the newbies either but do understand the minting of coins cost more than their value to produce. Oh well, it is what it is, gotta live with it. Thanks for the post.
     
  13. Maxfli

    Maxfli Well-Known Member

    That's Monticello. Hermitage was Andrew Jackson's crib.
     
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  14. Brian Calvert

    Brian Calvert Active Member

    I would think with the sickness, add in shortage of coinage, people missing work, the Mint moving things around, not able to fill orders, and much more. We may see an increase in double die, miss hits, and other anomaly's...
    That, along with the v75 have created a little BUZZ in the coin industry.
    I now understand why the TRUE coin collector dislikes the mondern's, kind of GET IT. Let's face it, in todays world if it isnt online, or on twitter, no one knows about it. To get millennials involved, they need to know, not all of them have a good grand pappy like many of the guys here...

    I for one hope the V75 makes it to big big dollars and onto the news. That is good for all GOLD< SILVER< and coin collectors. The more, the better...
     
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  15. eddiespin

    eddiespin Fast Eddie

    They don't make them like they used to. Everything, not just coins. Everything's made cheap, these days. I've a 5-year-old washing machine and the door is falling off at the lower hinge. I made the mistake of getting rid of my 20-year-old washer for a larger drum size; there's no way I'm getting rid of my 20-year-old dryer, now!
     
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  16. VistaCruiser69

    VistaCruiser69 Well-Known Member

    The manufacturers don't want their goods to last too long. If they did last too long, no one would have to buy new ones so frequently. Just like computers and software programs. Those are built to stop working properly in very little time, forcing buyers to constantly have to go out and buy them again. Keeps the companies in business, much like Apple with iphones and such. The local government does that with roads too. There's a 10 mile stretch of freeway where I live and 20 years ago they built sound walls on both sides that ran along the freeway. They're tearing it all down now....and building it back up the every same way it aready was before. Why? To give city workers more work and to justify increase in auto registration and local tax.
     
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  17. John Burgess

    John Burgess Well-Known Member

    a manual can opener might last you your entire life, a electric one, nahhhh. I have a manual one that's from 1910 in the drawer. I keep buying an electric one. (left handed and can openers are the devil!)

    So goes life. Convince has a cost.

    Contractors motto "cheap, good, or fast. I can give you two of these, but not all 3, take your picks".
     
    Last edited: Oct 22, 2020
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  18. cladking

    cladking Coin Collector

    A new dryer will break the first time shorty after the warranty expires and will last only about five years. Washers might make 7 or 8. Never throw away something old or you'll have to replace it again and again. I almost threw away a 30 year old freezer to get a larger one that would require less wattage (and run almost continuously). That was 14 years ago and it's still running. I'd be just about ready to buy the third replacement for it. The CEO's and stockholders make lots of money making this garbage though. So it must be good for the planet, right?

    Coins actually are better now days. Sure they look cheap and have low relief but they stand up to the rigors of circulation pretty well. Silver would wear out and get banged up pretty quickly going through counters all the time.

    Other than pennies that evaporate in air, nickels that cost 8c to make, and the largest denomination not able to purchase anything it's a great coinage system with lots of variety and history. [sigh]
     
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  19. Jrlhasalways

    Jrlhasalways New Member

    I know what you mean. I have a 1958 GE Fridge in the garage that as far as I know has never been touched....My 2007 GE, I've replaced numerous parts over the years!
     
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  20. Jrlhasalways

    Jrlhasalways New Member

    lol...House On The Back...I do mix those two up quite a bit!
     
  21. eddiespin

    eddiespin Fast Eddie

    That's really cool! :cool:
     
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