Macro photograph of one of the coins from the discovery hoard
A Speared Bison?
What Is It?
2005-D Jefferson 5c Bison Reverse
by Ken Potter
Photos by Ken Potter © Ken Potter 2005
Coin Courtesy of Pamela Ryman-Moir
Macro photograph of one of the coins from the discovery hoard
Here we see a close up of the die dent (or gouge) that created the "Speared
Bison" appearance
Just what is the "spear?" The ledge-like appearance on the
left side and the shallow, more tapered ridge on the right, along with its width
-- rule it out as being a die scratch. While die scratches are related to
gouges, the die scratch is much thinner. The fact that many (if not most)
die gouges have a tendency of skipping over the low points of a die (high points
on a coin) suggests it is most probably not a die gouge.
In this extreme close up we see that the texture of the "field" on the
top of the aberration is virtually undisturbed and matches the texture of surrounding
field. A did dent may push metal down without significantly altering the
surface of the flat area on top. Most die gouges alter the field texture
in some way, since instead of being pushed down into the metal and denting it,
they are scraped across and down, virtually "cutting" their way into
the die. Most gouges, under microscopic examination, will show a surface
texture made up of a series of tightly spaced, parallel scratches from cutting
and chasing metal forward. Nonetheless, constant use of the die and normal wear
patterns on the die could mask the true nature of the defect and the die gouge
can not be eliminated from the equation completely.
For more detailed information on
Doubled Dies and other forms of doubling, we recommend that you visit our
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