Walter Breen
cameo: Devices in relief or embossed, like our current coin. Ant.: intaglio.
"cartwheel coppers" British twopence and pennies of 1797.
"cartwheel effect" Mint bloom consisting of radial corrugations, which vanish rapidly with even brief circulation. Tilt a frosty uncirculated piece back and forth in the light and radial lines of light rotate in fields somewhat like the blurry lines on moving cartwheels or carriage wheels in a western movie.
cast: Molded from molten metal; formerly a common way of making counterfeits.
cast blanks: Planchets made by casting as above, rather than by cutting from rolled strip. Many private tokens were so made, though the process was long illegal in European mints and was always illegal here. Cast blanks have rounded edges without any shear lines (from the blank-cutter) and will show porosity in protected areas.
Castaing machine: Machine which imparted edge lettering to blanks before striking. It consisted of a bench fitted with parallel bars each containing half the edge lettering, set apart minutely less than blank diameter, spring-mounted, one fixed, the other set to move forward while remaining the same distance from the fixed bar, actuated by gears and long handle. Each blank was caused to go through this machine, ideally without slipping, though in practice slippage accidents were frequent, producing blundered inscriptions (overlapping). More rarely, a lettered blank would be run through a second time. The Castaing machine became obsolete with introduction of the close collar, q.v.
celator: Artist who cut a design directly onto a die blank, working in intaglio; term common in ancient Greek numismatics. The techniques were much the same as in engraving seal stone gems, and some of the same artists were famous for both coin dies and seal stones, e.g. Dexamenos of Chios, Phrygillos, etc.
cent: The 1/100 of a Spanish dollar (Massachusetts, 1787-88) or of a U.S. dollar.
center dot: Minute raised dot (sunken on a die) from use of a compass in layout. They were, found more often than not on early U.S. working dies.
Characteristic Ratio: Same as survival ratio, expressed as the fraction (Number of survivors) / (Number originally made). In general, this figure can be approximately known for a design, type, or date, but not exactly known. It is called "characteristic" because the approximate derived figure is distinctive for each denomination or type,
circulated: Passed from hand to hand; showing signs of wear from this process. Ant.: Uncirculated.
clash mark: Impression of part of device or legend of one die onto part of its opposite number, caused by the two dies coming together with normal coining force without a planchet between them. Formerly called "suction marks" before the actual mechanism was known. This accident might occur either because a blank had not been fed in by the moneyer, or later because of malfunction of the automatic feeder or foreign matter impeding emergence of blanks into the collar-and-die assembly; or because the press continued to run after the hopper was empty of blanks.
close collar: Collar fitting around and above the neck of the lower die, defining a cylindrical space into which the blank ready for striking was to be held. This collar might be either plain or grooved (for plain or reeded edge, respectively), and it was by definition of the same diameter as the finished coin. As the blank was stamped by the dies, it expanded radially into the collar. It was then ejected after striking, as the lower die rose beneath it, and ejector fingers brushed it into the receiving basket, whereupon dies retracted to former position to receive the next blank. A flywheel governed all these motions in both sequence and speed. Close collars are called "collar dies" in the Newman-Bressett book, but "close collar" is the term found in mint correspondence (1829); the contrivance was invented by Boulton & Watt about 1788 but only introduced into U.S. coinage in 1828. It was intended to impart mathematical equality of size, improve protective quality of raised rims, and save the additional operation of ornamenting edges by Castaing machine. Ant.: open collar. See also virole brisee.
closed 3: In early 1873, a style of 3 with knobs nearly meeting. Ant.: open 3.
collar: Metal part fitting between working dies, containing a cylindrical opening into which the blank ready for stamping was to fit; intended to position it on the lower die and to discourage indefinite expansion on striking. See close collar, open collar, virole brisee.
collar die: Same as close collar.
Colonials: Loosely, any and all coins made for circulation in or by the various colonies before the adoption of the Constitution. To this series have been adjoined certain tangential items, notably the British token-coinages portraying Washington, and a few other items with American allusions.
commemoratives: NCL T (non-circulating legal tender) coins made by normal coinage authority and processes, but bearing authorized devices memorializing some historical event or site. Celebration committees worked with Congressional friends for such authorization, preferring commemorative coins to medals because coin collectors were readier to buy the former.
"Conders" Provincial British token-coinages, mostly copper, ca. 1787-1800, mostly of halfpenny size, so called after the author of an early book on the series.
contract coinage: Coinage manufactured by private firms operating under a franchise granted by a government, such as the state coinages of New Jersey, Connecticut and Vermont, the FUGIO cents, and the Boulton & Watt "cartwheel" issues.
coppers: Copper coins of somewhere near halfpenny size, without stated denomination. During the 1780's in the USA they passed at 14 or 15 to the shilling, whereas a Tower Mint halfpenny, officially 1/24 of a shilling, would have been accepted at probably the higher figure had it been available. Coppers fell to 1/60 the shilling, thereafter ceasing to be acceptable after 1790.
copper-nickel: Common name for the alloy of 88% copper: 12% nickel, authorized for the small cents 1857-64.
copy: Generically, a forgery. Ants.: authentic; original (q.v.)
copy dies: Used for making novodels (q. v.), some other restrikes, and simulated series coins. Dies purporting to be of a given type and date, but in actuality made later under clandestine auspices in an official mint. Ant.: original dies. The gold and silver restrikes dated 1863, 1865, 1873 and 1875 are mostly from dated copy dies, not from original dies; whereas many of the restrikes of the half-cents are from original dies.
"Coyning Engine" Early name for a screw press, q.v.
Crown: A silver 5-shilling piece, nearly of dollar size. In colonial reckoning it would have passed at from 6 to 8 shillings at various times.