US error coins
Since the inception of coin collecting there has been much controversy over what constitutes a true mint error.
After the blanks are punched they are rolled on the edge placing an upset needed for the minting process.
Improper alloy mixtures occur when the sheet stock contains uneven layers of the metals intended for the type of coin that is produced.
A planchet error can be caused by using a blank intended for a different denomination or wrong stock.
A dirty or oily blank may cause the details of the coin to become dull or even missing.
A piece of debris may find its way into the dies causing a series of lines to be minted on the surface of the coin.
A die clash occurs when a planchet is not fed into the collar that holds the coin in place for the minting process.
The 3-legged Buffalo nickel was the direct result of die polishing and the removal of a leg.
The DDO and DDR errors are related to any part of the coin that shows a distinct doubling.
The collar is a third die that actually holds the coin in place in the minting process.
The details of the coins produced have the appearance of mirror images of the obverse and reverse.
Variations in coins are caused by creating hubs and dies that are not exactly the same resulting in dates that can be compared as large to small, wide to thin etc.
The best case of the mint using different die sets is the variation of the letters AM on the Lincoln cent.
Below are two unclassified error, one with the date flattened in a 1998 Jefferson nickel and another Jefferson nickel with a recessed S. [2] Counter stamped coins have a long history in the early days of minted coins.
Below is a counter stamped Lincoln cent with a number 2 in a bar shape outline.
[3] Stan McDonald - Numismatist, book author, coin magazine contributor.
