Does anyone understand why the dotted border is incomplete on the reverse?
The dotted border can not be explained due to striking, a flat strike or die shift would look different.
The missing dotted border can not be explained with wear or corrosion (no corrosion on gold coins).
Filled dies is imho not possible too because I would not expect that the dotted border is 100 % filled on the whole distance.
Dies can be filled with dirt etc, but does andyone really think that the letters and contours are then equally and completely filled with dirt?
On really filled dies I would expect that some parts are filled but not completely filled with dirt and other parts can be completely filled with dirt.
Incomplete dotted border implies transfer dies but I think it is rather modern dies or recutted transfer dies.
Diagnostics
Note that on different "strikes" different areas are missing the
border, while it is present in other areas where it was not evident before. Moreover, the missing or lightly impressed
border on the
obverse is matched by a missing or lightly impressed counterpart on the
reverse in each case. This indicates that the
border is present around the total edge on the dies, but is being variably imprinted on the
flan during pressing of the coin.
Mechanism
The most likely explanation is that during hydraulic pressing of the coin the press/ram to die support geometry resulted in unequal pressure distribution across the
flan during pressing, with the maximum pressure differential being edge to opposite edge. As a result the
border was most strongly impressed on one edge and most weakly pressed on the diametrically opposite edge on each
side of the coin. Support for this hypothesis is to be found in other elements of the primary iconography and
epigraphy; those closest the
border with maximum imprint are strongly defined, while those closest to and facing the weakly imprinted
border are less sharply defined.
Fake Coins and Notorious Fake Sellers
