Written by the Treasureguide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.
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| Source: See Numismatic News link below. |
Tired of finding stinkin Lincolns? Take a closer look. There might be a zinc of a sweeter savor that slipped between your fingers unnoticed into the bottom of your goody bag.
G.J. Lawson of Hampton, Va., didn’t have to go far to end 2021 by hitting the jackpot. He pulled a small quantity of pretty major Rim-To-Rim Die Break errors out of a local store from mid- to late November. As an error-variety coin dealer whose ads you can find in Numismatic News going back as far as the early 1970s, he’s used to having to purchase his inventory from coin suppliers – but this time all he had to do was look in his pocket change...
Lawson found them in two distinct die stages without and with a die break. The earlier stage is quite obvious, but the later stands out like a sore thumb...
Here is the link for more about that error coin.
Lincoln Cent Errors Discovered in Virginia - Numismatic News
It is relatively easy to find die cracks on coins, but the best ones go from one edge to another, like the one above. The second one appears to be a later state as the crack has grown. It now has a "retained cud." The is the island or area surrounded by the crack seen under Abe's chin. It would be cool to find errors like this that show the development of the crack.
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You are known errors on 2023 coins too. This error is not as obvious. It is a die clash.
A die clash error occurs when the obverse and reverse dies come together without a planchet between them. This transfers design elements from one die to the other. These transferred designs are then visible on the coins struck by that die pair.
Below is the description of the die clash that can be found on 2023-P Kanaka'ole quarters as described in an article in Numismatic News.A Major Clashed Die variety like none I have seen in recent years has been discovered on a 2023-P Edith Kanaka‘ole American Women Program quarter.
It was first reported to me by Sonya Holt Esquibel of Alabama, who obtained one from Chad Savage on TikTok after another one of her friends, Maria Trammel, found two out of two rolls she purchased from Chad and advised him of her find. Savage reports finding 11 so far, having not checked all the rolls at the time of this writing.
In my opinion, the coin has more going for it than even many of the stronger clashes. First and foremost, the coin has pizzaz, or what I call “sizzle in the steak,” or what Bill Fivaz likes to call “character.” Not only is it very strong, but it stands out like a sore thumb right in the center of George Washington’s profile from a reverse design that will have a short run never to be seen again.
The bold, block style lettering of “EDITH” almost looks like the clash spells “EDITH.” Only the “T” appears out of place with its top horizontal bar at the lower end of the clash when the design is viewed heads-up. The rest of the letters of “EDITH” using this font of lettering looks the same inverted or not. It is reminiscent of the famous 1888-O VAM 1A Clashed E Morgan dollar where the “E” looks like an “E” on both obverse and reverse due to the same cause.
The appearance of the clash seemingly reading from left to right behind Washington’s ear, is due to the obverse and reverse being struck in “coin alignment;” the reverse points down when the obverse is up. The extreme strength of the clashing of “EDETH” is due to Kanaka‘ole’s name being raised on the die and incuse on the coin. This is just the opposite of most coin designs where the elements are incuse in the die. This is the same reason the clashed “E” on the 1888-O VAM 1A dollar is so strong having been created from the incuse word “LIBERTY” on Miss Liberty’s headband, which was raised on the die...
Here is the link for more information.
Major Error Discovered on Kanaka‘ole Quarter - Numismatic News
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Like for everybody, there was a time when most of my life stretched out ahead of me, unseen, unknown and unimagined in the distant future. Life was young then. Everything I knew was young. My grandparents were not yet fifty and my parent about one third as old as I am now, and the house they just built was new. The green rolling farm fields echoed the laughter of kids that jumped and ran more than walking. Now my only surviving parent has lived to be nearly 100, and what once was unknown and ahead of me, I can see by looking back, where for some distance it is clear as day but then fades as I look farther back.
Not too long ago I celebrated another birthday. I always try to make special days a little special for my mother. I told my wife the day was not so much about me. My mother can no longer get out and about without help, so we attempted a little party at home. I picked up her favorite take-out food, and my wife decorated the table at my mother's house and tried to make it vaguely like the old days, though it was definitely a much smaller version than what we always had. Grandma always added a lot to any celebration, but she was long gone like other family members.
Mom still thinks about making a cake for my birthdays, and always mentions thinking about doing that, but she can no longer manage it. She sorta thinks she can. but doesn't want to face that she can't. The memories of doing those kinds of things for the better part of a century linger on so strongly that they overwhelm the reality for her.
Anyhow, we set the table with birthday plates, cake and decorations and her favorite food but it fizzled. While she sat at the table, her heart rate and blood pressure dropped. I could see it coming on. I've seen it more than a few times before. She was starting to drift off at the table. Recognizing the familiar, I helped her from the table to her chair and tried to get her pepped up. I could tell my wife was worried about it might be the end.
I did what I had done before. I made her a cup of coffee. I don't know if it really had any effect, but in the past it seemed that the caffeine helped her heart rate increase. Fortunately, this time was like the other times. In a couple hours her heart rate and blood pressure were back to normal. In a couple hours, or so she was pretty much back to normal, and the planned party was over. Still a bit feeling not too well, she said she didn't expect to be at here for the next one. She was talking about my next birthday. It hit me. She had never said anything like that before. She had always talked like she had no plans of going anywhere real soon. She is a bit of a denier (Aren't we all?). And although I knew the direction things were going, we both preferred to put off any direct thought of it to the invisible future.
While I nursed her sat limply in her chair, a clear memory of the distant past came to mind. I was maybe about six years old and on top of the hill was playing in a tent with a couple very slightly older neighbor boys (both of which have been gone for quite a few years) and something was said. I have no idea what it was, but I'm sure it was harmless. Nonetheless, it frightened me, and I ran down the hillside. I was wearing blue jeans and a flannel shirt. I ran about a hundred yards down the hill to where my mother was sitting in a chair on the sunny east side of our porch. I got on her lap and comforted me in her arms. That is the memory that flashed into my mind as I bent over her trying to get her going again.
The roles had reversed. When we were both young, she took care of me and comforted me. Now, both old, I tried to take care of her.
We once looked ahead into the vast unknown future that now lies behind us. She is the only person that can remember with me those days when we were young. She, alone, could remember that time with me.
Her memory grows dimmer each day, yet she still remembers many things from the distant past that were important in her younger life. As the precious future grows short, the precious past falters at times. In between the past and future is the living Now, which is where manufacture our new past and point the direction of our future. It is in the Now that we decide who we are and who we will be.
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You might wonder what all of that has to do with metal detecting. For me, it has a lot to do with metal detecting. It is one of the biggest reasons I've detected so little this year. It isn't the only factor, but it is a big one. It is the reason I passed up some of the best metal detecting opportunities. I had things to take care of. There are times when I wish I could metal detect, but there are also times when it is not the most important thing in life. It is matter of priorities. And all things considered, for me, other things have simply become more important - at least for now. I'm sure I'll find time to get out from time to time, but other things come first.
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