I noticed that 1986 silver Eagles are made from Polished dies while later Eagles are made from unpolished dies. Does anyone know what year the change occured? I see a noticable design difference from the 1986 ASE and the later ASE in the field behind the stars on the flag, what would be the blue part of the flag is flat on the 1986 ASE and it is checkered on the later date ASE. If anyone has a set of american Silver Eagles can you check them and report back as to what year the design changed over from flat to checkered "blue part" of the flag and what year the coins were changed over from polished dies to unpolished dies. <---2000 Silver Eagle <--- 1986 Silver Eagle
What you are questioning has nothing to do with the dies being polished or unpolished. All of the dies are polished. The checkering effect on the flag being there or not being there is determined by die wear, nothing else. The checkering on the flag was there for all dates. But on the examples struck with worn dies, that checkering is only partially visible. On example struck with newer dies, it is plainly visible, even on 1986 examples.
I always thought that, with advancements in die-making and planchet-striking processes, the final coin was able to retain more of its intended detailing... But that was just my hypothesis (without evidence). A lot can happen in 15 years, right? -Brian
I get the checkering idea but the 1986 ASEhas the look of a polished die and the later dare ASE had the look of a matte finish. Are there any 1986 matte ASEs?
They all had the same finish. You're calling it matte, but it's usually referred to as a satin finish. That satin finish was imparted to the dies by sandblasting the dies with glass beads as the final step before they were used for striking coins. I think what you are seeing is nothing more than a reflection of the light in the pic. But it is possible that somebody polished the coin. Hard to say based on that pic.
I only have these two ASEs to compare so maybe one is polished. I need a large sample. Thanks for the info
there is a difference in the look/finish to the ASEs from the first several years from the ones in the 2000s. I have quite a few from '86 to '97or98 and they have a more gloss or polished look then the ones from around '99 to '09. now the '10 and '11 ASEs i have look more like the older ones. it's not a die wear issue.
Specifically what is not a die wear issue ? And yes, every Silver Eagle ever minted has a satin finish.
Specifically what is not a die wear issue ? And yes, every Silver Eagle ever minted has a satin finish.
I will stick by my statement. the early years have a different finish than the later ones. i wouldn't call the early ones a satin finish but that's just a name. the finish/look is different.
No, it isn't different, it's exactly the same. The only ones that are different are the ones from special sets that do have different finishes. But all of the regular business strikes have exactly the same finish, a satin finish. Here's 3 1986 ASE's - http://coins.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=241211&lotNo=16549 http://coins.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=241205&lotNo=15705 http://coins.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=131151&lotNo=26201 Here's one from 2009 - http://coins.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=241214&lotNo=19665 Same finish.
There its a clear difference in finish as well as in relief. The 86 has a more rounded field that slopes up toward the rim and the later years have a flat field (behind Lady Liberty) that squares off at the rim. As well the early years are more polished looking then the late years. Look at your ASEs in person, the camera often can not reflect these differences with justice. The mint did not publish or promote any variations in the ASE series to avoid unrealistic rarity. The ASE was/is intended for inverters in Silver to hold in bulk so the mint has made a valiant effort to create the illusion that all Silver Eagles are alike. But we as numismatists can distinguish the differences.
I've noticed the differences in finish as well. The Early years had more of a "glossy" look to them. Later years took on more of a satin finish.
Now you all have got me wondering...so I cracked open my ASE dansco. At least for the bullion ASEs that I have in my collection all appear to be the same finish. Except the 1990...it does appear to be more of a cameo (polished look) than the rest. -LTB
And that finish would be "refreshed" occasionally by striking a coin through a layer of emery cloth (The struck though coin being discarded). Another reason you may be seeing a difference in finish is they may have used the dies longer on the earlier coins (Since they were refreshing the finish back then that is a definite posibility.) and so there is a greater proportion of later die states with "strike polished" fields than is seen with todays coins. Inother words any recent piece you grab is likely to be an early die stage, while any 1986 you grab is more likely to be a late die stage.
I have ordered two rolls of 2013 ASE and noticed one roll has the satin finish and one roll the glossy finish just like the pics above. Is this normal for 2013 mints?
I have all years and the 86 is the only one you can not see the pattern behind the stars on. It is real. This design was changed one year later in 1987 as I have one of those also.
You are correct. I have all years and the first year 86 has no texture behind the stars and mine is in very very good condition with NO wear. The moderator does not know what he is talking about. Maybe we have proofs? I do not know but you are correct. Again this changed one year later in 1987 where you can clearly see the texture behind the stars..
