Is this actually "damage?"

Ron a very reasonable and logical theory.

 

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Start with the Dead Sea Scrolls. His signature should be present

 

There's a few other items on this piece I question . Above United the denticals as well as the arrows . The denticals almost looks to be a pre cud or cud like formation.
The arrows one seems not to have a head yet to the left there's a head without a shaft. Perhaps maybe a tad bit to much rum during the engraver lunch break ?

 

Posted this specimen just as a comparison .

 

Are you saying a cast Fake?

 

The olive branch on the coin in question has 5 olives and 1 extra stem as well as an olive without a stem. Now on the specimen I up loaded for comparison has 4. The arrows also number different coin in question 7 arrows or arrow parts,the comparison coin 10.

 

Well I no expert but look at the stars and placement , look at the arrows, the olive branch. It maybe a fake.... IDK.

 

I think you are looking at dimes (which come in 4 and 5 berry varieties fwiw); whereas, the coin in question is a half dime.

 

I think that's a Dime....

 

You may be correct Dave I did a search for a H-10 1805 it may have given me the next best image. And there's a 4 and 5 olive variety on the 1805 dime.

 

I've now looked at every auction picture I could find of this issue on the Internet. It's interesting - they're almost all weakly struck opposite the point of the bust, but the dies must have rotated during the mintage because that weakness is not always in the same place.

Still Dividing by Zero on it.

 

This is truly a mind bender..... that had my head going last night. However after a 22 hour day isn't the best time to try and solve a mystery as such. I somewhat agree with Ron ' s theory of a file. As the size of the specimen and the teeth of a file would possibly match up. I also agree with the cloth ,not so much as the sandpaper as the grit would not match the pattern .
I still believe this is platchet or a mint issue not pmd.
As you can see this one has my head buzzing as usually after a 22 hour day I prefer sleep over anything.
That accounts for my mistake of posting a dime of the same date.
What is even cooler is the fact a coin this size,condition and 212 years old has survived for us to wonder what?

 

Why does textile toning a couple of molecules thick have any relationship with physical impressions on a coin deep enough to cast shadowing in imagery?

 

Doug I can see your comparison of the pattern, my question is the difference in the size of the pattern and weave of the textile. considering the size difference of a 16.5 mm ,and a 38.1 mm coin. As a canvas money bag that held 1000 silver dollars weight and heaviness of the weave surely would be different then the size of the pattern shown on the coin in question.

 

Ive got it!!!
It was wrapped in a piece of cloth, for 100 years in a damp dark place (or it was in the bottom of a canvas bag on a wet basement floor) which caused this weird textile environmental damage.

Sidenote: dont forget to mark as best answer ↘↘↘⛛⬇⬇⬇⛛↙↙↙

 

With all due respect to Socrates (apologies if he was a personal friend) the canvas has marked the highest contours of the Morgans where it was draped over them. On this coin the reverse was true - the fields are marked but the stars are pristine.

Let me weave a story about this being the last of its series ever struck.

Late in 1805 the run of Draped Bust half dimes was coming to an end. Not many were called for, and 15,600 had been minted using one die pair. Those dies would never be needed again.

Late in the afternoon on a hot September day, the work order came through to destroy the dies and end the series. To make sure the images were obliterated, the workers put a file on the bottom die and ran the press down. (If you account for the rotation of the reverse you can see the damage lines up on both sides, as though the file was held covering half the die at a 45 degree angle.)

Many parts of the engraving were smashed with the impression of the file, and the force used was enough to deform the metal enough to press the bust cavity onto the file as well.

To make sure the dies were indeed unusable, one last planchet was placed in the press. The dies were brought together. After inspecting the result, the dies were sent for melting. The worker picked up the scrap planchet / coin and took it home to show his family.

Remember, only one die pair is known for 1805 and there are no other coins that look like this. These dies are too damaged to be used again.

 

Just buy it already Dave. I know you cannot resist!

 

No, but only because I don't ever have that kind of scratch for a single coin purchase (and Pinnacle Rarities is currently getting all my money anyway ).