What is die polish

[markn]

PPH was looking at a picture I took of a shilling today and pointed out that it was a good example of die polish and asked me to take a closer up image and post something here.  So, here it is.  

Die polish or die lines (or die scratches) are incuse lines formed on the dies due to die maintenance, damage, or polishing.  Because they are incuse on the die on the coin they form lines that are in relief (that is, sticking OUT of the surface of a coin).  

It can be tricky to tell if a teeny tiny line on a coin is an innie (a scratch) or an outie (die polish or line) so another way to  help determine if a line is die polish is to see if it stops at the edge of the coin design features.  Such as the portrait or lettering.  This is because on the die the fields are actually the HIGHEST point (the reverse is true on the coin).  When brushing or scratching up the die the marks are usually confined to the fields because the brush or tool or whatever they are hacking the die up with doesn't get into the little recessed bits that form the lettering or the coin design.

Anyway, enough talk.  Here's an image of a 1943S shilling with die polish/lines shown with red arrows.  Notice how it stops at the lettering.  
Note also that there's a bit of die damage on the bottom of the left leg of the A.



DISCLAIMER some dies are polished all over with die polish lines on the devices and letters and everything.  I can think of some Perth proof copper and 1950 pennies as examples of this.  So while the "die polish ends at devices" tip is a good one it's not ALWAYS true.

[JeffH]

Nice explanation and the picture shows it well. Another tidbit of information for my overcrowded brain.
Thanks Mark

[Robster]

:agreed: Pics shows it perfectly.!! :ok:

[keldaw]

AJ here, are they worth keeping?? as I find quite a few on decimal coins

[markn]

AJ here, are they worth keeping?? as I find quite a few on decimal coins

Anything is worth keeping if it interests you.  I don't keep them myself but others do.

[keldaw]

AJ. thanks Mark, I keep the big deep one's but yeah find too many small one's to worry about other wise I end up with way too many coins  but thanks mate, I'll try and find some when I get home :good: I seem to find a fair few on 5 cents
Oh and they mainly run up and down the coins now but can find the odd one that goes across, oh and the 2001 50 with the old CoA on them as well