In either 2004 or 2005, an error was found on the reverse of a 2001-P Kennedy half dollar. It was a clash or die break through the rays between the eagle's head and left wing (viewer's right). It was reported in Coin World about that time, but I can't remember exactly when. Can anyone help? Chris
I know of 2 errors found in 2001 P Kennedy - The Reverse Die Crack but that caused the Convex Reverse, and I was looking through my files and remember saving this picture from 2001P -
The photo you posted is the one for which I need info. I have 27 of those coins, but they are actually a progression and on some, the mark is longer (and doubled). FYI - That small round mark on the upper right of the shield is actually a die break. It's on all 27 of mine. I was just going through some of my old albums when I came across this batch, and I'm wondering if this coin is listed somewhere with more info. I wish that I could post photos, but I no longer have my stereomicroscope. Thanks, paddy! Chris
I do not recall any publication reporting on these "clashes" but I do recall them being discussed on coin forums. And BTW, IIRC, these all came from the $100 mint bags. Kinda like your missing clad layer coin.
Yes, the 27 coins I have also came from the $100 Mixed P&D bag that produced the one missing the clad layer. The problem I have is that I never could accept the "clash theory" because the mark eventually becomes longer and doubled. I have 4 different stages in which it gets longer. This couldn't happen with a clash. Maybe I should send them to someone for examination, but I would really like to have the Coin World article to go with it. Chris
Sorry Chris.. I searched and could not find it. I kind of remember reading it once. Interesting find. I collect the 2002 P Small Collar Cud. I have 34 of them. 4 Raw and 30 certified by NGC.
I believe it was 2005 that the mint did release the $100.00 bags of mixed 2001 P & D half's . I recall as I discovered the convex reverse . Not even bag had these in them I had purchased about 8 bags. Some had as many as 8 though. I first noticed as I was trying to stack them . The convex coins would cause the stack to fall over. There's a lot more to this story but I will not go into all the details . I still have a couple of these left. I gave one to Alan at coinzip.com about 6 months ago. And he sent it into ANACS for grading. I also recall a post here on coin talk and images I posted .
Well, as I stated, I do not remember any article regarding these coinswith the mysterious "dot" on the shield and the Red Baron Sash flying from the eagles neck area. If it helps, the above image was taken in November, 2008 which was just prior to when the US Mint stopped selling the 2001 Kennedy Bags along with a whole bunch of other US Mint items which were just eating up storage space.
Yes it could Chris. Specifically, if the clash occurred multiple times through various stages of coin production. We DO KNOW that the 2001 P Kennedy Dies were trashed as evidenced by the famous Convex coin of 2001 and its catastrophic die crack so it only stands to reason that a clash of this nature may very well have occurred in stages. I believe I concluded that the "dot" was Kennedy's Ear Canal and the scarf on the eagle was part of Kennedy's ear. Maybe someone will be kind enough to present an overlay of how the obv and rev dies could come together?
Over on the CU Forums, in the following thread: http://forums.collectors.com/messageview.cfm?catid=26&threadid=687136 you stated: "I bought those $100 Mixed P&D bags back in 2004 when they were first introduced, and that is where I found my specimen missing the reverse clad layer. I also found several of the specimens with what appears to be the reverse clash. Coin World ran an article about it in late 2004. I never examined the obverse of mine for any clashes, but it appears the reverse has more than just a clash. The lateral mark to the right of the eagle's head which crosses the rays looks like it was initially from the bottom line of Kennedy's ear, and as you surmised, I agree that the raised dot on the shield is from the deepest recess of the inner ear. But, I think there is more to it than just a clash. Note that the lateral mark appears to be doubled. In some of my specimens, the mark is shorter but it grows progressively longer in three distinct stages. Also, the "swollen" area on the right side of the eagle's head and neck doesn't appear to coincide with any part of Kennedy's jaw or neck which you would think it would. I think the clash may have caused a die break where a lateral part of the surface of the die broke away. I sent an e-mail to Coin World as a follow-up to their article and they ran it in a later issue, but were not able to formulate a definite cause. Good luck in your quest to find one missing the clad layer. To the best of my knowledge, only two exist. What makes it so interesting now is the fact that you received bags from the Mint with the same clash as mine 4 years after I bought the bags. Like I said, it was in those bags with the clash that I found the one missing the clad layer. It would be cool if you came up with one missing the obverse layer. Chris " To me, it says a Coin World Article was written aabout the missing clad layer, not the clash. BUT, December 2004 is your target date. Unfortunately, the current Coin World Online only goes back to January 2015.
Here are some of my images of the convex 2001 P Kennedy as well as the other scarf die clash. These $100.00 bags yielded some nice errors to cherry pick. The die crack just about hit all 50 stars around the shield.
