What is a die crack?

Explain, Iv'e heard about die cracks alot but I dont know what they are, why there valuable, and why there rare, and how to find, or spot one?

 

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A die crack is formed when the die cracks , thus the name , it's usually a line or lines and are always raised , where scratches are cut into a coin and are incused . They don't make a coin more valuable per say , unless they are used as a marker for a LDS to ID a variety .

 

It is a crack in the die. Any added value depends on the coin, the size of the crack, the rarity and other things.
Most small die cracks do not add value.

Here are a couple examples:




See if you can spot the die cracks on this one:

 

Sometimes when a die gets old, is over-worked, our is prepared with imperfections to the steel, stress from striking pressure can cause cracks to developed.

Subsequently, when a coin is struck, the pressure from the strike causes metal to flow into the cracks recesses, showing up as a raised line on the coins surface.

And just because a coin had for cracks doesn't mean it's any more valuable than one w/out. Die cracks are used more to determine what die struck the coin.

Die cracks are prevalent on certain series of coin more than others. They are most typically seen on Morgan and Peace dollars, along with coinage of the Capped Bust era.

 

Coins are struck by dies. A planchet (a coin blank with raised rims) is placed in a coin press. A collar surrounds the planchet. The obverse and reverse dies come together with the planchet between them. This strikes the coin. The dies are under tremendous pressure when they strike a coin. Sometimes a die will crack. The coin metal will flow up into the die crack causing a raised (and usually jagged or crooked) line on the coin. Hope that helps.

 

We all posted within 30 seconds of each other............... lol

 

Is it at the E in E PLURIBUS UNUM and the U in United?

 

Yep, and more.
all along the top of STATES
Vertical one shooting up from UNUM and many small ones.

 

Good pic to illustrate a die crack Greg .

 

Thank you experts for this highl usefull information!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I have noticed you posted some early copper before, is that correct?

For early copper, the specific die cracks on a coin are unique to the die which struck the coin. So the die cracks are very useful to help identify the die variety of a large cent, or a half cent. Occasionally that variety (die pair) is rare, and as there are a lot of early copper variety collectors, the rare varieties bring a significant premium to common varieties. So, for early copper, it's not that die cracks bring a premium per se, it's that some varieties bring a premium, and die cracks are one way to ID varieties.

To further that, there are also die state collectors of large cent and half cent. So take a coin like the 1804 C-6 variety. There are over 10 different stages to the progression of the cud on the reverse, some of which are rare and some of which are common. A lot of half cent collectors try to collect as many different die states of this variety as they can.

 

It was an easy question and we are all more than happy to show off how knowledgeable we are

 

Greg, your middle photo isn't a die crack. Note that it doesn't continue through the letter "N". It looks more like a die gouge.

Chris

 

Curses!

 

Good info beef. As an example, this one is an S-266 die State B. The cud being the indicator, and the lack of a cud on the reverse.

 

I really need to quit commenting from my iPhone.

these typos bug me... :desk:

 

Just blame them on 'Auto Correct'. That's what I do.

 

But the radial crack in the first one is cool!

Chris

 

Good eye Chris . :thumb:

 

http://www.cointalk.com/t216663/

Here is what they look like on the die itself.