clogs, die faults, et al.

[Iannich48]

I think that Britannia might have been getting worried😁

[oldcopper]

17 hours ago, Rob said:

It's interesting because the flat areas are at the same point both sides which would tend to eliminate blocked dies from wear and tear, unless from grease. It's quite a big area with weakness showing from the trident to the rim and the front of the bust to the rim.

The 1799 and 1806 copper are known for occasional flat areas in the legends, Peck mentions it. He says the currency proofs don't suffer from it so it must be a facet of production "en masse".

[Rob]

38 minutes ago, oldcopper said:

The 1799 and 1806 copper are known for occasional flat areas in the legends, Peck mentions it. He says the currency proofs don't suffer from it so it must be a facet of production "en masse".

That bit I understand. It is seen as a ring of weakness at the same radius as the legend. I'm of the opinion that it is due to metal dust produced when the lettering is impressed on the blank as the relatively steep sides of the letter will have some cutting action even if the letter is formed by metal flow. The die will then rotate slightly as it withdraws (there must be some play in the mechanism, however small) and so cause the dust to migrate along the arc of the radius. Get enough dust built up and you will eventually block the die - which is what you see. There will always be a trace of oil/grease around to help it stick at the correct radius.

In the case of the above coin, it is an area rather than the arc I'm describing in the previous paragraph.

Edited February 2, 2021 by Rob