What is the Name of This 1922 Silver US Coin?

[avintagejool]

I know that this is probably considered "folk art", but I am interested in what this coin is called,..other than "destroyed" by the pounding. Thanks!

[maxine*j]

Another editing mess I can't get rid of.  Apologies.

[argon38]

Maybe I'm using the wrong word with "punch". I mean a sort of raised die, as opposed to a tool for cutting things out.

[maxine*j]

---

@argon38 wrote:

---

@maxine*j wrote:

And the word "Liberty"?  And the new laurel wreath?  Magic?

---

They'd be part of the design on the punch (in reverse, obviously).

---

I still do not see why anyone would take a coin with a given figure of Liberty, devise and create a punch / die with an entirely different version of Liberty, then use the punch to entirely obliterate the original Liberty and replace it with the new one.   

But you win, and I will entirely cede all points to you and to *fossildiver*.

[fossil_diver]

I never said it wasnt a coin. Of course its a coin. This was a common form of coin jewelery back in the day. The coin is placed over a die and then hammered into it either by hand or with a press. The technique is called repossee and is sometimes used along with chasing to add detail. Look it up if you doubt me.

Here, I'll do it for you...

Repoussee coin jewelery...

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/repousee-coins-aka-push-outs-or-pop-outs.225062/

[argon38]

---

@maxine*j wrote:

I still do not see why anyone would take a coin with a given figure of Liberty, devise and create a punch / die with an entirely different version of Liberty, then use the punch to entirely obliterate the original Liberty and replace it with the new one.   

---

I didn't get it either, until I noticed those "torn" edges a few minutes ago. It's supposed to be Liberty breaking free of the constraints of the coin, I guess. It would've been harder for the designer to make that point with a sideways profile. I wonder if it's legal to deface a coin like that?

[maxine*j]

Thanks for posting that. 

My problem was that I thought such coins had the original image "pushed out," to make them 3-D.   I this case, the image is a different image than the one that appeared on the original coin, and that completely confused me.

[fossil_diver]

They could put any image on the coin they want. They could put Mickey Mouse on it if they wanted to. Silver is a soft and easily malleable metal. 

[maxine*j]

---

@fossil_diver wrote:

They could put any image on the coin they want. They could put Mickey Mouse on it if they wanted to. Silver is a soft and easily malleable metal. 

---

I admit that I'm so old that I still get hung up in reasons, forgetting that often things are done just because they can be done.    

[all_fakes]

A note as to legality:  I believe it is legal; I researched the laws on defacing coinage and paper money a while back; and while it is illegal to deface "with intent to defraud" it is not illegal to deface for other purposes.

So it is of course illegal to deface a $10 bill to make it look like a $20, but it is legal to make those rolled souvenir pennies one sees; and I've seen art made from paper money also.  

(Repousse is a general term meaning "to hammer into relief from the reverse side." See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repouss%C3%A9_and_chasing

This is pretty high relief for repousse, but may have been combined with other techniques; it is common in jewelry to raise a section witih repousse and then finish with chasing, carving, engraving, or other techniques.)

[maxine*j]

---

@all_fakes wrote:

...  (Repousse is a general term meaning "to hammer into relief from the reverse side." See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repouss%C3%A9_and_chasing

This is pretty high relief for repousse, but may have been combined with other techniques; it is common in jewelry to raise a section witih repousse and then finish with chasing, carving, engraving, or other techniques.)

---

I get that.   And I understand that I was wrong about this thing.

I just don't get why anyone would take a coin with an attractive image and go to all the trouble to put a different image in its place.   Why start with the coin in the first place?   Is it just the cheapest and easiest way to obtain a silver disk? 

I mean, the Peace Dollar design was the choice in a design competition, a part of World War I commemorations, so to replace that coin's rather refined Lady Liberty with this one just seems...  well, sort of tacky. 

Not expecting an answer.   Just my mind meandering... 

[avintagejool]

Thank you to all that replied. On another board I was found that this style of work was popular/done between 1900 to the 1920's, and it is called "Pop out jewelry". There are even some pieces on eBay if you do a search. Pretty collectible. Thanks again!

[avintagejool]

Thank you fossil-diver!

[argon38]

---

@all_fakes wrote:

A note as to legality:  I believe it is legal; I researched the laws on defacing coinage and paper money a while back; and while it is illegal to deface "with intent to defraud" it is not illegal to deface for other purposes.

So it is of course illegal to deface a $10 bill to make it look like a $20, but it is legal to make those rolled souvenir pennies one sees; and I've seen art made from paper money also.  

---

Yes, it seems clear that where coins are concerned, it's quite legal provided there's no fraudulent intent:

Title 18 United States Code, Section 331

Whoever fraudulently alters, defaces, mutilates, impairs, diminishes,
falsifies, scales, or lightens any of the coins coined at the mints of
the United States, or any foreign coins which are by law made current
or are in actual use or circulation as money within the United States;
or

Whoever fraudulently possesses, passes, utters, publishes, or sells,
or attempts to pass, utter, publish, or sell, or brings into the
United States, any such coin, knowing the same to be altered, defaced,
mutilated, impaired, diminished, falsified, scaled, or lightened -

Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five
years, or both.

https://lawblog.justia.com/2011/01/05/penny-presses-and-18-usc-331/

However, from what I can gather, the situation regarding paper money is somewhat different. Here the criterion isn't the presence of fraudulent intent, but whether there is "intent to render such bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt unfit to be reissued":

Title 18 United States Code, Section 333

Mutilation of national bank obligations 

Whoever mutilates, cuts, defaces, disfigures, or perforates, or unites
or cements together, or does any other thing to any bank bill, draft,
note, or other evidence of debt issued by any national banking
association, or Federal Reserve bank, or the Federal Reserve System,
with intent to render such bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence
of debt unfit to be reissued, shall be fined under this title or
imprisoned not more than six months, or both.