Wartime
Winners!!
By Bill
Fivaz, NLG
Did you ever
stop to think how many overdates and overmintmarks, repunched dates
and repunched mintmarks and doubled dies were produced during the
years this country was at war? I mean major die varieties that are
rare and extremely collectible?
Return with
me now to those thrilling days of yesteryear, when out of the past
comes an incredible list of World War I, World War II and the Korean
War varieties that will leave your tongue hanging out and your hands
sweating like a riverboat gambler with money on the table and a
pair of deuces in his hands.
Try these on
for size:
World War I
(1917-1918)
1917-P
1¢ Doubled Die Obverse
1917-P
5¢ Doubled Die Reverse
1917-D
3 ½ Leg 5¢
1918/7
– D 5¢ Overdate
1918/7
– S 25¢ Overdate
World War II
(1941-1945)
1941-P
1¢ Doubled Die Obverse ( 3 Var.)
1941-P
25¢ Doubled Die Rev. (Several Var.)
1941-S
5¢ Inverted S
1942-P
5¢ Doubled Die Obverse (2 Var.)
1942-D/Horiz.
D 5¢
1942/41
– P 10¢ Overdate
1942/41-
D 10¢ Overdate
1942-P
25¢ Doub. Die Rev. (Several Var.)
1942-P
50¢ Double Die Reverse
1942-D
25¢ Doub. Die Obv.
1942-D25¢
Doub. Die Rev.
1943-P
5¢ Doubled Eye Var.
1943/2-P
5¢ Overdate
1943-P
25¢ Doubled Die Obv.
1943-D
1¢ Repunched Mintmark
1943-S
25¢ Doubled Die Obverse
1944-D/S
1¢ Overmintmark (2 Var.)
1945-P
5¢ Doubled Die Rev. (3 Var.)
1945-P
25¢ Doubled Die Obv.
1945-D/
Horiz. D 10¢
1945-S/
Horiz. S 10¢
Korean War (1950-1953)
1950-D
10¢ Doubled Die Reverse
1950-S/D
10¢ Overmintmark
1950-P
25¢ Doubled Die Reverse
1950-D/S
25¢ Overmintmark
1950-S/D
25¢ Overmintmark
1951-D/S
1¢ Overmintmark
1952-D/S
1¢ Overmintmark
Quite an impressive
list, isn’t it?
Why would you
imagine so many major die varieties would occur during these three
relatively short periods in this century…actually a total
of only 11 years?
Speculation
is that during these difficult war years, when the military effort
demanded so many of this country’s young men and women, good,
qualified help was in short supply in the many skilled trade areas
across the land. The U.S Mint was no exception. Undoubtedly, novice
workers were employed in all phases of coin production in Philadelphia
(where all dies are made), which meant that they were inexperienced
in the intricacies of die production, especially in the all-important
hubbing process.
A die is produced
by impressing a “hub”, a positive image on the end of
a hardened short steel rod, into another blank steel rod under great
pressure. In order to achieve the proper depth of design on the
die, it must be impressed at least twice, and often more, by the
hub, each time after having been heat treated to soften the die
metal to accept the next impression more readily. If, on the subsequent
impressions of the hub into the die, the images are not lined up
properly, a doubled die will occur. On the other hand, if an obverse
(dated) hub from one year was used for the first impression and
a different obverse hub, bearing the date of the next year was utilized
for the second or third impressions, an overdate is created. In
the die preparation, if the die sinker inadvertently picks up the
wrong mintmark letter punch (or punches one letter over another
in the effort of die economy), we would have an overmintmark (D/S,
S/D, etc.)
While these
“goofs” may produce a few shudders and red faces at
the Mint, they prove to be exciting and serendipitous for the variety
and error collector. We eagerly search tem out and delight in finding
them.
Now, with all
these major varieties out there for these 11 wartime years (as well
as many, many more less spectacular ones), who is to say that there
aren’t others just waiting to be discovered? Several on the
above lists have been found within the last few years, so it can
be done!
So, if you have
the notion, a good magnifying glass (7X-10X), and some patience,
why not start looking a little more closely at those very productive
wartime year coins? Who knows…you may be the discoverer of
the next major variety!
Bill Fivaz is
the author of Helpful
Hints for Enjoying Coin Collecting and co-author of The
Cherrypickers' Guide to Rare Die Varities.
