Collecting Errors: An Interesting Venture
The study of errors and varieties is a never-ending process; it forces the student to research obscure Mint records, to study the mechanics of coining operations spanning past eras and to stay current with new technology. For the serious errorist, this hobby is like one gigantic perpetual jigsaw puzzle—when you get the answer to one question there’s always countless more to address.
At some point readers of this book may decide to expand outside of the types that are most frequently found in circulation (which is the focus of this book) to include types that are more often found in dealers’ shops, coin shows or auctions. In this chapter we will show you just one way of collecting where an enthusiast might supplement types found in circulation with those purchased from dealers or auctions.
Errors and varieties are classified into three main divisions: planchet, die and striking errors and varieties. This classification system is commonly referred to as the “PDS System” (which represents the first initial of each of the three main classifications).
A popular way to collect errors and varieties is to obtain one of each class within the denominations and types that interest you. Another collecting method is to focus on one specific type of error or variety such as off-center strikes or off-metals on Jefferson five-cent pieces or whatever your denomination of preference is. Most collectors will find a method of collecting that suits them best, which is not necessarily what anybody else is doing.
For this article we’ll look at a small sampling of the types that a collector with a focus on collecting errors by type for the Lincoln cent series would need for his/her collection.
However, before we get started I’d like to point out that a collector may decide to own one of each type for the entire Lincoln cent series starting from 1909 through current (regardless of what major type Lincoln it is) while other folks may decide that they need one of each error-variety type for each major type of Lincoln cent design.
What that would mean is that if a collector decided to pursue the latter course, he or she would need an example of each error-variety type possible for the copper alloy Wheat reverse cents from 1909–1958, the 1943 zinc-plated steel cents, the 1959–1982 95% copper alloy Memorial reverse cents, the 1982–2008 copper-plated zinc cents, all four of the 2009–P Bicentennial reverse Lincoln cent types and the 1910–current cent with the new Shield reverse.
PLANCHET ERRORS & VARIETIES
A Planchet Error or Variety is any variation that occurs during the production and handling of coinage strip, blanks, planchets or damage that may occur prior to striking.
This may include: clipped planchets (technically incomplete planchets), laminations, split-off clad layers, faulty plating, adjustment marks, wrong stock planchets, differences in alloy, weight or thickness specifications, etc.
The terms Blank and Planchet are not interchangeable. Blanks have their rims upset in a rimmer, creating planchets. The terms “Ty-I and Ty-II” blank or planchet are incorrect, representing hangovers from the early days of the hobby. However, anything described within this presentation as a “planchet” may be either for the sake of brevity.
There are four primary reasons for upsetting the rims of a blank: to standardize diameter, preform the rim to reduce the striking pressure required during coining, to work-harden the rim to extend wearing quality, and to reduce friction during the feed. The rim protects the coin’s design during its life.
SPLIT & LAMINATED PLANCHET
This 1970s-era Lincoln cent had much of its thickness split away before it was struck. The inner core of the planchet is the side with the striations, which on this coin happens to be the obverse.
Coin courtesy of: Al Raddi.
DOUBLE CURVED CLIPS
The term “Curved Clip” is actually a popular misnomer that error collectors tend to accept in describing a general class of planchet error that originates with a blank that was produced with an incomplete area of metal at its edge. The error occurs when a blank is punched from out of an area of strip that overlaps a hole (or holes) from where a blank was previously punched out.
Envision using a cookie cutter to “punch” out a cookie from an area of rolled out dough that overlaps into an area from where you already cut out a cookie or two and it’s easy to understand how “curved clip” errors occur.
This 2007-P Adams dollar features two very nice curved clips. It shows very strong tapering at the lips of the clips, diagnostic of a genuine error.
Coin courtesy of Alberto Irizarry of Michigan, who found it in a roll while looking for double and plain edge dollars.
LAMINATED PLANCHET ERROR
A 1917-S Lincoln cent and a 1949-S Jefferson nickel with Lamination Peels. Laminations are most commonly the result of contaminants, slag, occluded gas, improper alloy mix, etc., causing the metal to laminate as shown here. Laminations are very common on “War Nickels.”
Lincoln courtesy of: Mike Tremonti of MI. Jefferson courtesy of: Al Raddi.
DIE ERRORS & VARIETIES
A Die Error or Variety is anything that occurs to a die that’s imparted to coins struck from that die due to variations that may occur during the production of die steel, die blanks or during production, transport, storage, repair, mishandling or use of the dies. These variations may trace back to master tooling used to make the working dies.
Common examples are Doubled Dies, Cuds, Repunched Mintmarks, Overdates, Repunched Dates, Clashed Dies, Die Cracks, Rusted Dies, Die Gouges, Split Dies, etc.
Some die varieties are not errors, such as changes in the date or Mintmark styles or Small Dates and Large Dates.
Overdates, Overmintmarks, etc., altered by a Mint intentionally are not errors but varieties, though the area of demarcation isn’t always clear on these types.
Exactly what constitutes a die variety vs. an error has always been open to debate among specialists.
REPUNCHED MINTMARK
Here is a 1943-D/D Lincoln cent with a strongly separated repunched Mintmark. Listed by CONECA as RPM-001 and in the Cherrypicker’s Guide To Rare Die Varieties as FS-501. This one can also be found in the Red Book. Coin from the Ken Potter collection.
CLASHED DIES
Die Clashes are the result of a failure of a feeder system to deposit a planchet between the dies during a press cycle. When this occurs, the dies clash or smash into each other, imparting some of one or both dies’ designs into the opposing die to a greater or lesser degree. It is possible for dies to clash and only one die be affected with clash marks.
Shown here is the obverse of a 1995 Lincoln cent with a very strong clash. These are often referred to under the nickname “Prisoner Cents” because the columns from the reverse (of the Memorial Building) look like bars when impressed into the obverse. Clashes are quite common on United States coins but few are this strong.
MAJOR DIE BREAK (CUD)
This 19[79]-P SBA dollar displays a Major Die Break (“Cud”) over portions of the date. This type of error-variety occurs when a piece of the die breaks away from the shank and face of the die leaving a void where the planchet will remain unstruck and protrude over the design/fields. The depression on the reverse is caused by the lack of pressure to strike up the design as a result of the missing chunk of die on the obverse. (With the Narrow Rim on the obverse we know this is a 1979 dated coin because it is the only year a Narrow Rim was used.)
Coin courtesy of: Thomas Tamski.
STRIKING ERRORS & VARIETIES
Striking Errors are the result of a malfunction of the mechanical system in striking the coins in a coining press. These malfunctions may originate from improperly processed planchets, often resulting in multiple errors, i.e., coins boasting both a planchet and striking error.
This includes a malfunction of the press’s peripheral tooling including improper feed, delivery of wrong planchets, delivery of foreign objects, collar failure; loose or broken die retainers, coil springs, etc. In this context edge inscription presses are also considered a part of the striking process.
Striking Errors include such items as Rotated Dies, Misaligned Dies, Off Centers, Double Strikes, Brockages, Wrong Planchets, Double Denominations, Strike-through errors, etc.
Striking Varieties occur when a Mint decides to over-strike coins, such as a newer denomination over an older one, deliberately changes the orientation of the dies from Medal Alignment to Coin Alignment within the same year, when a Mint uses different types of collars such as a “Sloppy Collar” and a “Closed Collar” in the same year, etc.
DOUBLED STRIKES
This 1974-D Lincoln cent was Double Struck with the first strike centered and the second strike off center. The second strike is die struck on both sides. Double Strikes with the second strike die struck on both sides are more desirable than ones with a Uniface Reverse (or obverse).
LATE-STAGE BROCKAGE STRIKE
This is a later stage Brockage at which point the “Capped Die” has struck so many coins that it has wrapped up the nose of the die far enough and thinned out enough to severely distort the reverse image and allow the obverse image to start to dominate.
BROADSTRIKES
This 1999 Lincoln cent is a widely spread and cupped Centered Broadstrike. While it does resemble a Die Cap it is not. There is no evidence that it was stuck to the upper die and struck a series of Brockages. Coin courtesy of: Gary Kelly.
OFF METAL TRANSITIONAL ERROR
This 1983-P Jefferson nickel was struck on a homogenous brass planchet that was last used to strike Lincoln cents in the earlier part of 1982 (which was the year in which the Mint switched over to copper-plated zinc cents). Only a few of these are known from both Mints. Coin from the Ken Potter collection.
WRONG PLANCHET ERRORS
This Denver Mint silver quarter was struck on a silver dime planchet. Because the composition of both denominations is 90% silver this is not an Off Metal but rather a Wrong Planchet error. In effect, all Off Metal strikes are also considered Wrong Planchet strikes but not all Wrong Planchet strikes are Off Metals.
The above are just a small number of the possible error-variety types known and we hope they whet your appetite to learn more. There are a lot of good books available on the subject with perhaps the best being The Official Price Guide To Mint Errors by Alan Herbert. Good used copies can be found on eBay and Amazon. Try to find a 6th or 7th edition. Either is as good as the other.
Dropped Letter Error
This Lincoln cent error is known as a “dropped letter.” This error is formed when foreign material (such as grease) is packed into a portion of the die, then falls out when struck into a planchet. This will leave an incused (not raised) example of the letter from which it originated. This type of error is uncommon and difficult to locate, therefore values are hard to estimate. Coin courtesy of: Mike DeCarter
The photo on the right shows a clear E of E PLURIBUS UNUM that was struck into the steps of the Memorial building.
The Rotated Reverse
Last but not least are the “rotated die errors.” This error type involves the instillation of one of the dies into a press in the wrong rotational alignment, or for one of the dies to break loose from its fixed position, allowing it to rotate within the die holder. Normally, the dies for United States coins will be set into the press with their designs opposite each other and shifted toward opposite poles. This will result in a struck coin that will show the obverse right side up while the reverse is upside down. This is normal and referred to as “coin alignment.” However, on rare occasions, one of the dies is set so that it strikes coins in an orientation other than “coin alignment.” This can result in a coin which, if held with its obverse upright, will display the reverse at any alignment other than the proper 1800 “coin alignment.” The most desirable error of this type is one that shows a 1800 misalignment, which of course results in a coin with no rotational differentiation between the obverse and reverse (or what is referred to as “medal alignment” since most commemorative medals, military medals and tokens are struck in this manner).
To date, at least eight different States quarter designs have been found with significant “rotated die” errors. Any rotational misalignment of over 15% is considered significant.
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CIRCULATION DATES WITH KNOWN 90-180 DEGREE ROTATIONS |
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Cents |
Nickels |
Dimes |
Quarters |
Halves |
Dollars |
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1966 1968-D 1972-D 1973-D 1993-D 1994 *2016-D (reported) |
1966 1969-S 1972-D 1991-D 1997-D 1999-P 2000-P 2005-P 2012-D 2015-D 2016-P 2018-D |
1994-D 1998 |
1965 1966 1972-D 1985-P 1989-P 1999 P&D 2000-D SC 2000-D MD 2001-P KY 2005-P MN 2007-P GW 2007-P JA |
1973-D 1977-P 1979-D 1984-D 1988-P 2000-P |
1976-S IKE 2000-P SAC 2007-P ADAMS |
How to Measure Rotated Die Errors in Photoshop
Here is a 1911-D Lincoln cent with rotated dies that measure 28 degrees CCW from the proper position of the reverse. We will use it as an example here. To measure the degrees that it is out of proper rotation, place the coin into a cardboard 2x2" coin holder with the obverse perfectly straight and staple it shut. Then photograph the obverse and then flip it over horizontally (side to side) and shoot the reverse. Next, import the images into Photoshop and start rotating the image of the reverse from the Image Menu with the "Custom" setting until the coin is perfectly straight up and down (though with the reverse inverted [tails facing down] as it should be for US coins). In this example if you first guessed that it was 25 degrees off but see that it is still not perfectly straight, continue to rotate the image another few times to arrive at 28 degrees. Once the reverse is straight you'll know how far off the rotation is from its proper orientation and you should record that on the holder.
It is important to shoot the coin in a 2x2" holder so that you have the straight edge of the holder to guide you into making sure your starting point for the reverse is exactly as it is oriented on the coin.
If you originally shot the coin a bit crooked, you need to straighten it out before you start this process. You can only do this if you have a straight edge for reference. When your edge is straight (using the same process as above) save the picture and start from there.
Using this technique eliminates the need for any of the hard-to-find special rotated die measuring devices that have been made over the years. It is easier since most of us have to process our images in Photoshop anyway, plus it is more exacting than using one of the oldfangled measuring devices. You can use the same principles laid out here to measure any rotated die errors, just remember that U.S. coins should be measured with you arriving with the reverse inverted because that is the way they are normally struck (in what is called "coin alignment") while most tokens, medals and many foreign coins are struck with both the obverse and reverse facing up (in what it called "medal alignment") and they should be measured accordingly.
If you want to use your images in a article you can then clone the coin images from out of the holder and drop them on a nice clean white background to make them look nicer. Coin courtesy of Matt Gengler of Michigan.
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ESTIMATED VALUE: |
DEGREE OF REVERSE ROTATION |
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25-50 |
50-90 |
90-180 |
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Lincoln Cents |
$5–$10 |
$20–$40 |
$90–$125 |
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Jefferson Nickels |
$5–$10 |
$40–$60 |
$85–$175 |
|
Roosevelt Dimes |
- |
$30–$50 |
$75–125 |
|
Washington Quarters |
$15–$20 |
$75–$120 |
$150–200 |
|
Kennedy Half-Dollars |
$40–$50 |
$80–$100 |
$250 |
|
Ike Dollars |
$50–$80 |
$150–$200 |
$300–$500 |
|
Sacagawea Dollars |
$50–$70 |
$125–$150 |
$200–$300 |
|
Presidential Dollars |
$40–$60 |
$80–$100 |
$150–$200 |
Sample Auction Results for Rotated Reverse Coinage
2000-P Sacagawea $1 Rotated Reverse 130 Degrees PCGS MS-66, Stack’s Bowers Galleries, November 10, 2016, Sold $50.00
2000-P Sacagawea $1 Rotated Reverse 140 Degrees PCGS MS-66, Heritage Auctions, March 2010, Sold $322
2000-P Sacagawea $1 Rotated Reverse 270 degrees NGC MS-64, Heritage Auctions, November 8, 2004, Sold $178.25
2007-P Presidential $1 (Adams) Position B Rotated Reverse 85 Degrees PCGS MS-64, Heritage Auctions, March 29, 2009, Sold $149.50
2007-P Presidential $1 (Adams) Position B Rotated Reverse 100 Degrees PCGS MS-64, Heritage Auctions, August 16, 2009, Sold $84.00
1971-D Eisenhower $1 Rotated Dies ~45 Degrees ANACS MS-62, Heritage Auctions, November 7, 2017, Sold $84.00
*This lot was sold with a 1979-P SBA $1 Wide Rim Near Date, FS-301, MS64 ANACS.
1988-P Kennedy 50¢ Rotated Reverse 80 Degrees, NGC MS-64, eBay, June 30, 2019, Sold $80.00
1967 Washington 25¢ Rotated Reverse ~45 Degrees, RAW, eBay, May 10, 2019, Sold $30.00
1985-P Washington 25¢ Rotated Reverse 180 Degrees PCGS AU-55, Stack’s Bowers Galleries, February 1, 2015, Sold $117.50
1999-D Washington (Delaware) 25¢ Rotated Reverse 150 Degrees, PCGS MS-62, Stack’s Bowers Galleries, February 1, 2015, Sold $85.00
1999-D Washington (Delaware) 25¢ Rotated Reverse 90 Degrees, eBay RAW, April 19, 2019, Sold $75.00
1999-D Washington (Georgia) 25¢ Rotated Reverse 135 Degrees, PCGS AU-58. Heritage Auctions, November 17, 2003, Sold $201.25
2000-P Washington (South Carolina) 25¢ Rotated Reverse 180 Degrees RAW AU, eBay, May 02, 2019, Sold $180
1966 Jefferson 5¢ Rotated Reverse 90 degrees NGC MS-65, Heritage Auctions, August 2010, Sold $118.40