die cracks

[jerseyben]

Are these considered "die cracks" on any of these 6 1996 Half Dollars?

The "crack" in question is just above the first 9 in 1996. It seems to be extending out of JFK's neck to the bottom rim of the coin. I can actually feel it raised with my finger.

The picture is HUGE, so click this link to see it:
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=370935.0;attach=606854;image

 

[enamel7]

Yes, those are die cracks. They are very common place on that area of the half.
HH
enamel7

 

[KJW]

Yes they are cracks. Good Eye! Those are some insignifcant ones that are hard to see. They don't really bring much value but it is good to know what they are. Die Cracks turn into Die Breaks after a die is used for a long time the crack begins to open and a break occurs making a small Glob on the coin. Breaks can have value if they are big enough to be seen by the naked eye.

Die Breaks help in differenciating the Varieties in many series. For instance the Morgan & Peace Dollar VAM varieties use Die Breaks, Die Clashes, Date Position, MM position, and many other minute details of the coin help to find a specific die variety. All of the Morgan & Peace dollar die varieties were cataloged by Leroy Van Allen & George Mallis. There are still a few new varieties found every year but a big percentage have been identified.

I am not sure if there is a book on Kennedy Half Dollar Varieties but I am sure there will be someday. It is probably much harder to determine die varieties for Kennedy Halves because The Dies were not used as long as they were in older coinage so there might not be as many errors or details visible to help ID the variety on newer coins. Back in the day they would use Dies For much longer than they do today and more errors like die breaks & cracks developed because the die was worn and would crack.

There are some Really RARE die breaks I know of in the Morgan & Peace Dollar Series I will add some links below to show you some of the Coolest.

http://www.vamworld.com/1888-O+VAM-1B (Morgan: SCARFACE Die Break)

http://www.vamworld.com/1887-P+VAM-1A (Morgan: Donkey Tail break)

http://www.vamworld.com/1922-P+VAM-2A (Peace: Ear Ring Die Break)

http://www.vamworld.com/1922-P+VAM-5A (Peace: Scar Cheek Die Break)

http://www.vamworld.com/1922-P+VAM-1F (Peace: Field Break)

 

[jerseyben]

Guys:

Thanks for the very useful information. However, are these 6 halves worth anything over face to a coin dealer or collector? If not, I am just going to release them back into the wild.

 

[enamel7]

Guys:

Thanks for the very useful information. However, are these 6 halves worth anything over face to a coin dealer or collector? If not, I am just going to release them back into the wild.

I would say no.

 

[jerseyben]

What grade approximately would you say these are in? They are technically circulated but all hairlines are detailed and the "photograde" on PCGS's site doesnt even have a picture that looks as good as these do.

 

[SFBayArea]

I have a 1999-D with a giant die crack almost from one end of the coin to the other. It's really cool but unfortunately it also has machine damage from rolling into a wrapper. It's a end of roll coin so it got the circular wheel damage to it. It's a shame because how dramatic the error is. PCGS will not grade it because it's damaged. Otherwise it's in uncirculated condition.

 

[jrc79inNC]

I assume these were found by CRHing. With all of these having the die crack in the exact same spot makes me highly assume that they all came from the same die as well. I still find it fascinating.

 

[jerseyben]

Since posting this, I have found 4 more identical die cracks from CRH. I also found this die crack variety on ebay (only going for about a dollar each).

 

[jrc79inNC]

I would keep them rather than releasing back into the wild. Who knows over time you might have somebody who might want them bad enough, worst case scenario you can always use them as bargain chips when it comes to trading for something else. I heard some German collectors loved getting their hands on Kennedy halves and were willing to trade notgeld notes for them.

 

[jerseyben]

Well, I decided to try an experiment since I have 8 of these. I put one of them up on ebay. I will post the end result next week. Wish me luck.

 

[KJW]

Well, I decided to try an experiment since I have 8 of these. I put one of them up on ebay. I will post the end result next week. Wish me luck.

Good Luck!

Here is an ebay auction of a 1996 kennedy half that has the same type of die crack in the same position and also it has CLASH Marks. You might want to check and see if your coin has the same clash marks. That would help sell the coin. I think I see atleast 1 or 2 of the coins in the linked picture you posted that has the Clash marks under the earlobe.

http://cgi.ebay.com/1996-P-KENNEDY-...65?pt=Coins_US_Individual&hash=item20b64759f1

Kris