We posted recently about the 2011 P Counterstamp Ram Dollar which was available at the Perth ANDA Coin and Banknote Show in February 2011. While we couldn't attend this show it appears that there are at least three varieties of the coin available to collectors. Before we look at the varieties we though it would be worthwhile examining HOW and WHEN the P Counterstamp Ram dollars were made.
1. On the first day of the show it seems that a number of P counterstamps had been pre-minted and made available to the public and perhaps to dealers, it appears that these coins were minted in Canberra before the show took place.
2. Coins were minted by the public on the portable press on the Saturday and Sunday of the show by actually 'pressing the button'.
3. Further pre-minted coins were made by the RAM staff using the portable press either during quiet periods, prior to the show opening, or on Saturday evening after the show shut for the day. These were made available to the public or to dealers on the second day of the show.
We base these conclusions on the observations of those who attended the show and reported to us first hand and on the basis of the characteristics of several coins that we've been able to examine. Now we'll look at the three varieties of the 2011 P Counterstamp Ram Dollar that we've been able to identify.
The "Normal" 2011 P Counterstamp Dollar
Seen above these coins are what we consider to be the coin as it should appear. It is presumed that these coins were minted BEFORE the show commenced, probably using a press in Canberra. This is because these coins were only received from the RAM stand on the Saturday of the show by those who didn't want to strike their own coins. We assume that some of these coins were also distributed to dealers as part of their allocation. We're not sure if was the portable press or a regular production press that actually made these coins. Due to the relative weakness of the counterstamp we presume it was the portable press.
The "Doubled" 2011 P Counterstamp Dollar
Seen above these coins were only received from the RAM stand on day one of the ANDA show by those who didn't want to mint their own coin. We assume some dealers also received these coins as part of their dealer allocation. If you compare the counterstamp on these coins to that on the "normal" coin described above they show strong similarities in terms of strength and characteristics of strike and thus were likely minted on the same press operating under the same conditions. This variety shows strong strike doubling, perhaps even tripling, on the right side of the reverse. This is clearly shown on the right most star and the lettering above and below the star. We'll examine this variety more closely in a subsequent blog entry.
The "Punch Through" 2011 P Counterstamp Dollar
Seen above these coins were received by members of the public who minted their own coins on both days of the show. They were also received by members of the public buying the coins from the RAM stand on the Sunday of the show who did not want to mint their own coin. These coins are characterised by the strong witness mark or what we're calling a "punch through" on the obverse of the coin opposite the counterstamped P. This raised area is similar to that seen on chopmarked trade coins or heavily counterstamped coins (like 19th century Brazilian coinage) and is the result of excessive striking pressure when the counterstamp was applied. This results in the design elements of the coin opposite the mark being damaged or obliterated. Clearly the RAM staff had the striking pressure of the portable press set too high at some or all stages of the ANDA show. It is worth noting that the angle of the "punch through" P counterstamp is slightly different to the two varieties described above. This further reinforces the idea that the pre-minted coins were minted in Canberra rather than in Perth as clearly the counterstamp die had been removed and reinstalled in between the two mintings.
In conclusion what we've got here are two interesting varieties of the normal P Counterstamp 2011 Ram dollar. It's unusual to see varieties of these portable press coins, and while they are not as spectacular as the "no mintmark" dollars that appear occasionally, they are important none the less. If you're a collector of Australian Dollar Coins or interested in errors and varieties then you should be hunting them down for your collection!
Read the update to this article.
Edit 25/05/2011: We spoke to RAM staff at the recent Brisbane ANDA Coin show that the RAM also attended with their portable press. The punch through on the P counterstamp coins struck in Perth was due to the shaft on the P stamp being a little too long and not the pressure of the strike.
Posted by mnemtsas at February 13, 2011 10:53 AM
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