Risks of Improper Annealing Coins
There are several risks associated with improper annealing of coins. Coins that are annealed will show a distinct layer of material on the surface of the blank, typically copper. Because copper is brittle, it will break off in pieces. As a result, the original blank surface will have an oxidized appearance, and the underlying alloy color will appear closer to a darker shade. While annealing may produce coins that are brittle and have a darker color, it doesn’t necessarily lead to a change in value.
Many people make the mistake of assuming that the doubling of a die is the norm. However, this is actually a very common mistake. It is known by many names and is a common reason for coin deterioration. Fortunately, it is not difficult to avoid it. Here are some tips to avoid this common error. And if you’re not sure about it, here’s a video to help you figure out whether or not you’re suffering from it.
– Coins are subject to copper wash and sintered plating errors. This happens when the die’s pressure is not enough to leave a full impression on the planchet. It can be caused by a number of things, but most often occurs when the power to the press is switched off, which causes the dies to strike coins with a reduced pressure. When this happens, the resulting coins will show extreme weakness in details and edges.
– The letters on a coin are repositioned on the edge. The process of relocating standard U.S. coinage legends to the edge has several disadvantages. For one, some coins slip through the edge lettering machine or die. This process results in partial edge lettering, which can deceive collectors. Therefore, it’s important to be aware of such alterations in your coins. A coin that is refinished without being re-annealed is worth much more than it’s face value.
