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VOCABULARY TERM: ORANGE PEEL
Dick Johnson submitted this entry from his Encyclopedia of Coin and Medal Terminology. Thanks!
-Editor
Top: Orange peel effect is evident on a proof 1886 double eagle coin even after the die had been proof polished to a mirror finish.
Orange Peel.
A numismatic item with an uneven granular surface similar to that of an orange. Such a surface is most evident in the field of a coin which should be smooth, but can occur on the entire surface. While rare, is has been observed on both 19th and 20th century proof coins. Authorities believe the condition is due to an excessive grain size abnormality introduced by heat treating of the metal during the ANNEALING of planchets before coining. Numismatist Roger W. Burdette stated in an 1981 article “It results from a shifting of individual coarse grains relative to one another, in extreme cases to such an extent that the grain boundaries become apparent to the naked eye.”
Dick adds: This entry was not in the original pre-print of the manuscript of my Encyclopedia, but will be added in future. It was suggested and described by Roger Burdette. I contacted Mark Borckardt for additional information. Mark Borckardt writes: I have been using Orange Peel for many years, and I am not the first. Here is the earliest appearance of the term in the Heritage archives from 1993.
1862 1C
Thanks. I hadn't encountered this expression before, but it makes sense. Dick's creating a very valuable numismatic reference work.
-Editor
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