VOCABULARY TERMS: DIE STATE, DIE VARIETY

Here are two numismatic terms often confused describing two or more similar specimens. They differ in the number of dies involved. Read on.

Die State. A discernible stage of a production die from freshly cut and hardened, through stages of wear, DIECRACKS, diebreaking, DIE CLASH (if any), and finally, rusting. Each of these stages would produce a struck piece showing evidence of the die’s condition or deterioration. The term die state (as differing periods in a die’s lifetime) is in contrast to DIE VARIETY (each from a different die). Differing die states would also show advancing evidence of DIE WEAR. Once something happens to a die, it never returns to a previous die state – all deteriorating effects are cumulative. Thus it is an advanced numismatic study to determine the die state sequence of a particular die which is termed SEQUENCE EMISSION.
CLASS 11.4

Die Variety. A struck numismatic piece of distinct variety identifying a die different from a similar piece. No two dies are exactly alike. It is of interest to numismatists and collectors to determine as many different dies and die stages as possible; this is accomplished by studying as many specimens possible, noting differences in detail, dates, lettering, figures and ornaments to distinguish each variety. Identifying each such stage and cataloging every known die variety advances numismatic science.

Prior to the mid 19th century all dies were cut by hand – each die was different – thus the opportunity for varieties was extensive. DIE LIFE was shorter than in later times; and since the effort to produce as many pieces as possible from the die, everything was done to prolong its usefulness, including OVERDATING, retooling and utilizing dies in early stages of deterioration. An unbroken die that was not overly worn at the end of the year was RE-ENGRAVED or punched with the following year’s date and put back into production. Thus overdates are the most extensive examples of die varieties.

The rise of HUBBING in the 19th century reduced the number of die varieties – since uniform working dies could be made from the same master die – but hubbing created some die varieties of its own, notably DOUBLING. See DIAGNOSTIC DETAIL, DIE LIFE, STATE.
CLASS 11.4
REFERENCE: NE42 {1982} DOTY, P 103-104.

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