Walking Liberty Defect

[Larry Louks]

Hi Friends,

I snagged this 1943 Walker on eBay the other day, and pulled it out of my
mailbox today. It's in an ANACS holder, graded MS64. The auction photo was
such that I could see what appeared to be something on the coin, but
couldn't tell if it was a scratch, a cracked die, or what. I wrote to the
seller who wrote back and said he couldn't tell what it was even when
examining it with a loupe, but affirmed that I could send it back if I was
not delighted.

Well, the thing is -- I *am* delighted! ;) I readily admit to having a
fondness for a pretty Walker anytime I see one! Whatever this defect is, it
runs all the way from rim to rim. There is also a smaller one that looks
pretty much the same that runs through the eagle's "ankles", in that area.
After examining the coin with a 30x loupe, I'm convinced that these two
marks are not scratches such as you'd make if you raked the head of a nail
across the coin. Likewise, it is definitely not a blemish in the plastic
holder. Any insight you'd care to offer would be appreciated.

http://www.freshonmymind.com/1943/1943half.jpg

Larry
'scratching my head, not my Walker'

[Scot Kamins]

In article <7ohkc.346$0H1.53086@attbi_s54>,
"Larry Louks" <ldlouk...@comcast.net> wrote:

> Well, the thing is -- I *am* delighted! ;) I readily admit to having a
> fondness for a pretty Walker anytime I see one! Whatever this defect is, it
> runs all the way from rim to rim.

Is it incuse? Raised? Flush? If flush, is it a color streak of some
kind? Don't you wish you had a stereo microscope about now? :-D

And why am I, a newbie, asking all these questions? Is it time for
dinner yet?

Scot Kamins
--
"A democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding on what to have for
lunch.Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the results of the decision."
- Benjamin Franklin

[Bruce Hickmott]

On Fri, 30 Apr 2004 00:49:07 GMT, "Larry Louks" <ldlouk...@comcast.net> is
alleged to have written:

If that's a raised line, that's one of the cooler die cracks I've seen.

It might be. I think ANACS would have net graded for a scratch that massive.

Bruce

[Larry Louks]

Scot Kamins wrote:
> Is it incuse? Raised? Flush? If flush, is it a color streak of some
> kind? Don't you wish you had a stereo microscope about now? :-D

Thanks for replying, Scot. It's not easy to tell on the obverse, but I
*think* that it is raised. Now that I've studied it some more, the shorter
one on the reverse is definitely raised.

Larry
'pleased, no matter what'

[Larry Louks]

Bruce Hickmott wrote:
> If that's a raised line, that's one of the cooler die cracks I've
> seen.
>
> It might be. I think ANACS would have net graded for a scratch that
> massive.

Thanks for the reply, Bruce. I surely agree with your sentiments about net
grading. Last night, I turned the lights out in here and shined a flashlight
at an angle on the coin. It was then that I could determine for sure that
this strange line is raised. So, it surely appears to be a die crack.

As an added bonus, as I've been closely studying the coin, I see that there
is some doubling in the motto (you may not be able to see it in the photo)
but the word "WE" is most noticeably doubled. All in all, I'm really pleased
that I happened on to this one!

Larry
'watching for the keepers'

[Bruce Hickmott]

On Fri, 30 Apr 2004 09:14:09 GMT, "Larry Louks" <ldlouk...@comcast.net> is
alleged to have written:

>Bruce Hickmott wrote:

Hmm....after reading that, I'm sure it's junk. Most likely counterfeit and
cleaned to boot. And probably treated with mercury, so it's dangerous to handle.

But just to help out a fellow RCCer, I'll take it off your hands for what you
paid for it. hate to see you take a loss. :-)

Bruce (If you don't bet, you can't win)

[Scot Kamins]

In article <ANokc.2811$NI6.494653@attbi_s01>,
"Larry Louks" <ldlouk...@comcast.net> wrote:

> As an added bonus, as I've been closely studying the coin, I see that there
> is some doubling in the motto (you may not be able to see it in the photo)
> but the word "WE" is most noticeably doubled. All in all, I'm really pleased
> that I happened on to this one!

Congratulations on this great find!

Scot Kamins
--
"I've never owned a slave, or was a slave, I didn't wander forty years in the
desert after getting chased out of Egypt, I haven't burned any witches or been
persecuted by the Turks and neither have you, so get off it and make your damn
life work." -Anonymous

[WinWinscenario]

>Well, the thing is -- I *am* delighted! ;)

Larry-

It sounds like you found a golden needle in that haystack we call ebaY!

This sure looks like a fine example; the doubling alone is bound to increase
the value for error specialists, and give you an excuse to do some research to
find out if it is a known variety.

Good work!!

Regards,
Tom

[Larry Louks]

Bruce Hickmott wrote:
> But just to help out a fellow RCCer, I'll take it off your hands for
> what you paid for it. hate to see you take a loss. :-)

Ha! Well, I got it at what I think was a bargain price initially, and after
I've studied the coin like I have, I see now that I *really* landed a
bargain on this one. But thanks for your offer!

Larry
'not born yesterday'

[Larry Louks]

WinWinscenario wrote:
> It sounds like you found a golden needle in that haystack we call
> ebaY!

Yep! I think I did indeed "make out" with this one, Tom. I'd never before
seen a die crack on a Walker that runs all the way across from rim to rim,
but I have now! I wonder if I looked really hard if I might find another one
like it? ;)

Larry
'cracked and pumped'