Why is the writing on the edge of the new US Washington dollars sometimes heads-oriented and sometimes tails-oriented?
On some of my Washington dollar coins, the edge writing is "up" when the reverse of the coin is up, and on others, the edge writing is "up" when the obverse is "up". Is this intentional? This inconsistency makes the coins seem junky.
2007-03-12 12:22:22 · 6 answers · asked by Mention the flag of St David 3 in Games & Recreation ➔ Hobbies & Crafts
I read this a few days ago: "The edge lettering is being applied randomly with regard to whether it faces up or down on the business strike coins, after the coins are struck. The business strike coins are fed through a vaccuum-like device that sucks them up into the edge lettering prep machine, which lines them up in whichever way the coins happen to enter the process (heads up or down.) Then the coins roll through a device that inscribes the edge lettering. It is expected that in the end, heads-up edge lettering should be about equal in number to coins which receive "tails-up" edge lettering."
The source below, from which the above paragraph is extracted, also describes the modified process that is being used for edge lettering on proof coins. It's a bit different, in an attempt to have most, if not all, of the proof coins with lettering that faces upward.
2007-03-13 07:46:56 · answer #1 · answered by Sam S 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
In order to add the edge lettering to coins struck on high speed coining presses, the mint had to come up with a system that would do so. It had to be, some what of a sloppy system, any system to do it perfect would have slowed down things to much. The proof coins should have very few errors for it uses a more rigid system. Remember the coins from the mint used in everyday commerce, are not made with collectors in mind. They are to be spent, and as long as you can tell what denomination it is, that is all that counts. As higher speed press are used look for more error and damaged coins to get out.
2007-03-12 13:41:10 · answer #2 · answered by Taiping 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
After the coins are pressed to make the top and bottom they are feed into a machine that put the inscription on the edge. the mint make no attempt to orient the coin any particular way. The inscription doesn't have a right way or wrong way to be applied. orientation is random.
2007-03-15 13:36:53 · answer #3 · answered by palacespy 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The answers on here already seem pretty accurate. If you visit the mint website you'll see that they even tell the public that the rim inscription will vary from coin to coin.
I have more information about the Washington Dollar Coin Errors on my website. www.washingtondollarerrors.com.
2007-03-13 09:30:00 · answer #4 · answered by ? 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It may have been intentional or an accident. Its probably just the act of minting, the heads and tails of coins dont line up either. Several thousand got released accidentally without the writing at all! http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070308/pl_afp/usdollarcoinsoffbeat_070308152307
2007-03-12 12:28:04 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not sure but, if you ever come across one that has no inscription at all, hold on to it, they're worth around 50 dollars or more.
2007-03-12 12:29:53 · answer #6 · answered by ?Dodger1125 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋