How can this happen?

[alexbq2]

This is puzzling to me. The legs of the horse on the image below appear to be detached. It looks like some elements of the coin design are missing. I also looks like the low relief elements are the once that are gone. I recall a discussion of the Nicholas I Monument ruble that had a similar defect. 2 arguments were made. 1st - the die was polished too hard, and the high relief elements of the die were rubbed off. 2nd some method of creating forgeries, has a side effect of lowering the relief of the coin, and thus some elements of the design are lost. The kopeek below looks legitimate, and I doubt anyone harshly polished that coin's dies. What's the explanation then?

 

[bobh]

This is puzzling to me. The legs of the horse on the image below appear to be detached. It looks like some elements of the coin design are missing. I also looks like the low relief elements are the once that are gone. I recall a discussion of the Nicholas I Monument ruble that had a similar defect. 2 arguments were made. 1st - the die was polished too hard, and the high relief elements of the die were rubbed off. 2nd some method of creating forgeries, has a side effect of lowering the relief of the coin, and thus some elements of the design are lost. The kopeek below looks legitimate, and I doubt anyone harshly polished that coin's dies. What's the explanation then?

 

Design elements were composed of parts, even the lettering, back in those days. For example, the letters "A" and the Cyrillic "L" are the same except for the crossbar in the "A". Die punchers were sometimes almost illiterate, and they would mis-punch some design elements or misspell letters such as substituting "A" for "L" or forget to put the crossbar on "H", etc.

 

As to the horse, the legs were probably separate design segments from the body and were simply misplaced.

[alexbq2]

Design elements were composed of parts, even the lettering, back in those days. For example, the letters "A" and the Cyrillic "L" are the same except for the crossbar in the "A". Die punchers were sometimes almost illiterate, and they would mis-punch some design elements or misspell letters such as substituting "A" for "L" or forget to put the crossbar on "H", etc.

 

As to the horse, the legs were probably separate design segments from the body and were simply misplaced.

 

 

Thanks Bobh. You're probably right. Although, I think that even the most illiterate peasant of that time would know that horse's legs are attached to its body. In this case probably some apprentice was cutting the die and messed up the job.

 

I have seen this kind of defect on other coins of that period and was wandering if there was something to it.