is this an error coin?

postalgriff · Oct 28, 2009

my brother dug this last week when we hunted an old house in Jackson, MI. I recognized it right away as a phillipino coin, but couldn't make out the last digit. after he cleaned it and looked at it under magnification, it looks like the last digit is missing, and there is a weird mark before the first number. any ideas anybody?

72cheyenne · Oct 28, 2009

The mark to the left of the date is the mintmark "S" (San Fransisco). I think the last number being gone is post mint damage.

postalgriff · Oct 29, 2009

72cheyenne said:
The mark to the left of the date is the mintmark "S" (San Fransisco). I think the last number being gone is post mint damage.

ah yes, I see the "s" now, but with that last digit being gone, seems like you should be able to see some of it. thanks for the help.

oddcoins · Oct 29, 2009

It's hard to tell for sure on such a circulated coin. Error coin on the most part don't circulate much, and are easier to tell if its a true mint-made error coin, or if it was damaged or altered outside the mint.

It very well could be a clogged die ~ debris filling in the last number of the date. Even if it is a real error or not, clogged die errors aren't worth much ~ not a lot of people collect them ~ they have very little collector interest unless it's very dramatic.

You could send pic's in an e-mail to Fred Weinberg ~ fred@fredweinberg.com ~ www.fredweinberg.com ~ he's the world's leading authority on error coins ~ he should be able to tell you for sure from the picture.

Good luck!
Neil

postalgriff · Oct 29, 2009

oddcoins said:
It's hard to tell for sure on such a circulated coin. Error coin on the most part don't circulate much, and are easier to tell if its a true mint-made error coin, or if it was damaged or altered outside the mint.

It very well could be a clogger die ~ debris filling in the last number of the date. Even if it is a real error or not, clogged die errors aren't worth much ~ not a lot of people collect them ~ they have very little collector interest unless it's very dramatic.

You could send pic's in an e-mail to Fred Weinberg ~ fred@fredweinberg.com ~ www.fredweinberg.com ~ he's the world's leading authority on error coins ~ he should be able to tell you for sure from the picture.

Good luck!
Neil

thanks a bunch Neil, very helpful

johnnyi · Oct 29, 2009

This coin dates between 1903 and 1919. I think the last digit was intentionally removed, but that doesn't make it any less interesting.
The holes are too large for rivets or nails suggesting it was probably drilled to be worn. With that in mind, here's a possible long shot scenerio:

When googling the 191rst, the only outfit that comes up is the 191rst engineers. There is almost nothing about them that I can find so far except this:

"Here's a photo from the book (pardon my scan) of Capt. Clinton S. Brown, stepson of General George C. Marshall as he sails off with the 191rst Engineers."

*Marshall's name is significant here, as he served in the Phillipines 1902-03 and 1913-16, one of who's dates is probably when the 191rst sailed.

Research gets fuzzy now, as the only stepson of General Marshall mentioned in his biographies is Tupper Brown (who was killed in WW2).
It seems that the author who described the photograph was wrong in its attribution, but may not have been wrong in describing both General Marshal and the 191rst sailing together.

Anyway, if I were to take a wild guess, I'd say that this coin was worn as a makeshift i.d. by a member of the 191rst engineers sometimes between 1903 and 1916, while serving in the Phillipines Islands.

allen · Oct 29, 2009

looks like some chiseled the last number off !!

CRUSADER · Oct 29, 2009

johnnyi said:
This coin dates between 1903 and 1919. I think the last digit was intentionally removed, but that doesn't make it any less interesting.
The holes are too large for rivets or nails suggesting it was probably drilled to be worn. With that in mind, here's a possible long shot scenerio:

When googling the 191rst, the only outfit that comes up is the 191rst engineers. There is almost nothing about them that I can find so far except this:

"Here's a photo from the book (pardon my scan) of Capt. Clinton S. Brown, stepson of General George C. Marshall as he sails off with the 191rst Engineers."

*Marshall's name is significant here, as he served in the Phillipines 1902-03 and 1913-16, one of who's dates is probably when the 191rst sailed.

Research gets fuzzy now, as the only stepson of General Marshall mentioned in his biographies is Tupper Brown (who was killed in WW2).
It seems that the author who described the photograph was wrong in its attribution, but may not have been wrong in describing both General Marshal and the 191rst sailing together.

Anyway, if I were to take a wild guess, I'd say that this coin was worn as a makeshift i.d. by a member of the 191rst engineers sometimes between 1903 and 1916, while serving in the Phillipines Islands.