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Message:: [QUOTE="900fine, post: 1055515, member: 6036"]There are many theories as to exactly what the heck was going on at the Mint. How do we resolve it ? How do we figure out what was happening ? Broadly speaking we have two types of clues. One is Mint records, the other is the coins themselves (which serve as "the fossil record"). The latter is much more helpful. On these early coins, Mint records are of marginal value. They kept zero written record of die varieties and anomalies, which were considered nuisances and obstacles to the manufacturing process. The main help we get from Mint records is memos 'twixt individuals and audit reports of precious metal coming in and coins delivered (date of delivery and quantity of coins). Here's the huge factor on that - the Mint records indicate that a certain number of coins were delivered on a certain date, but they do not mention the date on the coins themselves. As a famous example, records indicate 19,570 silver dollars were minted in 1804, but nowhere suggests they were dated 1804. They kept dies in service as long as possible (as this half eagle so eloquently illustrates). Given the extreme rarity of 1804 dollars, it seems reasonable to conclude the 1804 delivery were coins dated 1803 (or before). The dollars dated 1804 were restrikes made in 1834 and later. All of this gives the feel of a Sherlock Holmes adventure, which is one reason I'm so fascinated with early US coinage.[/QUOTE]