Secret Marks on Coins

Apparently I mentally autocorrected the original post while I was reading it.

 

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Shhhhhh, don't tell anyone okay. It's in the alloy, Mrs. Zinc buried Mr. Zinc in them.

 

What about the missing denticle on the current Silver Eagle?

 

Don't leave us all hanging. What was it?

 

I'll bet that is one. An I think it moved to a new location in 2022. Am I correct?

 

200 or so years ago there were privy marks on countermarked dollars. Countermarked dollars were used in trade to overcome the lack of silver coins, specifically between about 1780 and 1830. By definition privy marks are secret and therefore not intended to be obvious to the outside world. Unlike modern interpretation of "privy marks" which are highly visible. I believe it was because the values marked on these coins had to be above their intrinsic silver worth to preclude melting for the silver content. To try to prevent forgery, this mark-up was kept as small in value as possible and an addition of a mark. Issuers were more concerned with the continuation of trade rather than in making profit from marking foreign coins.
Unfortunately I have not been able to find any images to corroborate this.

 

Prior to him be banned at Collectors Universe.....

 

It is all the Illuminati’s fault. Secret marks on coins.

 

Thanks for the images and the correction of my saying it's a dollar rather than a half.

In the forum I originally posted it in someone spotted the initials in the bushes, they had the coin in-hand though.

Anyone here have a '92 Washington Half Commem?!

 

I have a couple, maybe I'll dig them out this weekend and put them under a magnifying glass.

 

Interesting!

 

I'm not familiar with coins having secret marks on them, however, all American currency(I'm not sure about foreign currency) does have somewhat secret marks and/or micro printing on it as a detection for, and a deterrence to, counterfeiting of currency.
I say "somewhat secret" because our government itself advertises this micro-printing as a way to help retailers prevent themselves from receiving phony money.

As a sidenote, but still in the subject matter of 'secret marks', especially if on government issued documents, back in 1972 and 1973, I was a draftsperson (do you see what I did there to stay PC?) with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. I drew up examples of Jetty Condition Surveys. On many of those drawings I added marks that changed the letter O and the number 0 into Peace Signs. Because the drawings started as 24" by 36" mylar sheets, which were greatly reduced in size before copying and printing, my 'artwork' was able to go unnoticed, except by those "in the know".

 

Wouldn't all these "secret marks" disappear by the time the coin was a VF?

Z

 

I would say secret marks, design tricks, microchips, nearly invisible color variations, threads....name it are there and not so secret either. Aren't the newer paper notes just filled with things to curb counterfeiting. Some we hear about and some maybe not?

 

https://coins.ha.com/itm/patterns/1...BrowseTabs-Auction-Archive-ThisAuction-120115

 

Aren't they doing something in this realm with the reeds of recent ASE and/or the Morgan/Peace silver dollar issues...?

 

You forgot the other places I've been banned from. Anyway, there is a discussion on line about the caliber of the posters PCGS has eliminated and I'll gladly proclaim my membership in that club. Perhaps one day your absence from a coin form will make a difference to somebody.

I had to look it up. These dollars had raised letters on their edge to discourage counterfeiting.

 

That was the intent but I guess it didn't pan out at a full production mode.

 

If a coin circulates long enough to reach VF, it's a successful counterfeit. Although I supposed there are plenty of fakes struck in what appears to be VF or lower condition.

I don't suppose the marks would necessarily be fragile, though -- look at the clash-in-drapery PUP for 1918/7-S quarters, or the subtle design differences that let us distinguish a slick 1916 SLQ from a slick 1917 Type 1.

 

What about..... a secret mark from a secret designer on a St. Gaudens?