2009 D 25C DOC...pulled this from a NF String roll today....lots of pics..opinions pl

[sumorada]

[diamond]

Looks like a case of pre-strike damage. Interesting.

[fugnchill]

I was wondering if this would be an Incompletely sheared straight clip? I couldn't find a picture of this type of error to compare it to.

Lestrrr

[diamond]

In incomplete straight clip is certainly possible. However, there is no way to distinguish an incomplete straight clip from some other form of damage that leaves a straight cutmark on the surface of a planchet. For example, there are quite a few nickel-on-cent and nickel-on-dime planchet errors that feature straight cutmarks, and these are clearly not incomplete straight clips.

[Zimmy]

I am wondering whether its possible to have an incomplete straight clip since the straight clip usually involves the edge of the planchet strip where no metal exists in the voided punch area. Therefore, when the punch overlaps the edge, there is no metal that can be retained. Does this make any sense?

[diamond]

I really don't know what you're saying. The guillotine/shears trims the ends of the strip. A splitter cuts the coin metal strip lengthwise (at least in the past).

[Zimmy]

So what you are saying is that the strip could have been incompletely sheared at a place where the punched then overlapped that area. Can the strip be incompletely sheared at the end of the strip or the side of the strip?

[diamond]

I don't know why you're talking about a punch. The strip is trimmed prior to entering the blanking press. In any case, it is conceivable for an incomplete straight clip to occur on the side or the ends of the strip. But, once again, it is impossible to distinguish an incomplete straight clip from some other form of damage which leaves a straight incision in the planchet surface.

You can find quite a few straight clips with shallow incisions that lie parallel to the clip. However, these are likely to be scars from a cutting guide.

[sumorada]

Hello Mike,

I don't know if this helps but the cuts/lines on the obv/rev seem to be offset.
Here is another interesting pic of how the strike filled the cut/gouge and left it offset.

[diamond]

If the cutmarks on the obverse and reverse are offset, this would have uncertain significance. There is no agreed-upon example of an incontrovertible straight clip. Straight clips themselves are highly variable in edge texture/topography, indicating the use of a wide range of cutting devices over the years. All we have is lots of coins with pre-strike damage in the form of a straight cutmark. We can be no more precise than that.

[Zimmy]

The punch I was referring to was the gang punch that makes the blanks from the strip. The gang punch would have had to somewhere overlap the area where the sheer would have incompletely cut the strip to produce an incomplete straight clip. Incomplete curved clips are made by the blanking process not cutting through. Straight clips are not caused by the incomplete curved punching so they would have to be caused by the incomplete sheering process. I am just thinking outloud. Does this make sense.

[diamond]

Yes, this is correct. If this cutmark is an incomplete straight clip, the blanking die would have had to slice through the incomplete straight clip on the coin metal strip.