By Victoria Stone Moledor
If you believe you've found a state quarter that doesn't appear normal, compare your coin with the photographs and descriptions of the following minor and major error coins.
Die Polishing
The first minor error Coin World saw on the quarters was heavy die polishing. On the Delaware quarter, this might be seen on the reverse ("tails" side) under the belly of the horse and in the fields around the horse. Die polishing appears on the coin as raised lines of varying thickness and can appear on all circulating coins, not just the state quarters.
|
Die Polishing
|
Mint technicians constantly spot-check the quality of coins pouring out of the presses. When they notice a problem on the dies, they will turn off the press and either replace the dies or polish the die to remove signs of the problem. Such problems can include a die clash, a die break or worn dies. A major problem will force removal of the die or dies. If the effect is minor and shallow, the technician will buff or polish the surface of the die in order to remove the effect.
Overzealousness in polishing will not only remove the effect but cut deep grooves into the surface of the die as well. These grooves translate to raised metal or lines on the coin.
Some of the polish marks seen on the State quarters have been quite severe, which is surprising since die polishing marks of that depth and size in recent times have not been so common. Die polishing, however, is still considered a minor error that does not add to the premium value of the coin.
Filled-Die Errors
Filled-die errors cause elements of a coin's design to disappear. Some are severe enough to obstruct almost the entire die, while some are localized and obstruct only a small portion of the design.
|
Filled- Die
|
The Mint is a production facility with dirt on the floor, dust in the air and grease oiling the high-speed machinery. It’s not difficult to think that some – or a lot – of grease and dirt could end up on the dies. In fact, filled-die errors are common, though those that feature a major obstruction of the coin's design are considered desirable. Most filled-die errors are common and do not add a premium value to the coin.
|
Filled- Die
FIRST STAT_
|
One of the first State quarter errors reported to Coin World was the "FIRST STAT_
"error, in which the final E of state on the reverse
("tails" side) is missing on the Delaware quarter. A small bit of grease and/or debris compacted into the E to form this error. A die imparts its design on the surface of a coin because the pressure of the strike forces the metal up into the die. A die looks like the exact mirror image of the coin it is going to strike, so the words, numbers and portrait busts are set into the surface of a die. If anything fills into those recessed areas, when the die tries to strike a coin, the metal in the coin will not flow into the areas that are filled or clogged. Therefore, the coin will not show any details in that area.
|
Filled-die
|
Filled-die errors are known on all the issued State quarters. They are very common and collectors should be wary of paying a premium for them.
An unusual filled die error involves the collar die (the circular die that creates the reeding around the edge of the quarter). A clogged collar die creates a coin with only partially formed reeding on the edge. Filling can occur on any portion of the coin.
Sometimes coins are found with little or no details at all. This could be a filled die error or it could be a major striking error.
Die Crack Errors
Die crack errors appear on coins as lines of raised metal that sometimes run to the rim (the raised border encircling the outer limits of each side) of the coin. They occur when a die cracks under the stress of striking coins. The metal of the coin flows into the crack during striking, forming the line of raised metal. Sometimes a thin die crack can grow into a chunky-looking line as other small pieces of the die fall out along the crack.
|
reverse
|
|
obverse
Die Crack
|
Cracks have been reported on the obverse ("heads" side) and reverse ("tails" side) of every State quarter. Larger, clearly visible cracks are more desirable than smaller ones, but a die crack still does not add significantly to the value of coin.
Die cracks are common on quarter dollar coins and, in fact, are the number one reasons that dies are retired from service at the Mint. Because of the short amount of time in which each state's commemorative quarters will be struck (about 10 weeks) it is unlikely that the Mint will streamline the design of each quarter's dies in order to prevent them from cracking. Even with their propensity to crack, quarter dies can still strike hundreds of thousands of coins before they are retired.
Die Chips
Die chips show up on the surface of a coin as a raised lump. Many have been reported on the State quarters and are considered minor, common errors. Their cause is similar to that for die cracks – a small chip of metal breaks away from surface of the die, creating a void that coinage metal flows into during striking.
|
Off-center, a major error
|
Major Striking Errors
Any one of the errors discussed in this section could occur on the State quarters, except for doubled dies and repunched Mint marks (RPM) varieties, which are die varieties. Because the Mint no longer employs the methods that made such varieties possible, it would be highly unlikely (if not impossible) that either variety would be found on any of the new quarters. A find suspected of being either a doubled die or an RPM error should be scrutinized as possible mechanical doubling.
|
Multiple errors, a major error
|
Finding a major error in circulation is unlikely, though possible. Unless the error is easily identified, one must consider the coin was damaged or perhaps altered to look like a valuable error.
What's it Worth?
As a rule of thumb, minor, common errors usually do not bring a premium, though many collectors choose to add them to their collections in order to have representative examples.
Collectors are advised to exercise caution when purchasing minor error coins from dealers or online auctions. Many collectors have overpaid for errors that are quite common and easily found in circulation.
Major errors are highly sought after and authentication is recommended. Some dealers perform authentication for free; others do not. It is wise to contact any source before submitting a coin for authentication.
For an opinion about an error coin's value, consult an error coin dealer. The names and addresses of error coin dealers can be found within the pages of Coin World Magazine.
Rotated Die Error
Durring 1999, the general press, including local and national news, radio stations and newspapers, released some inaccurate information about some 50 State quarter error coins known as Rotated Die Errors.
Many reports describe the coins as misstamped, turned, upside down, inverted and so on. Likewise, reports have erroneously stated that the coins are worth in the $500 range and have inaccurately described themethod to take the test.
Take the test
Before you go on, first make certain that you indeed do have one of the rotated die errors. Rotated errors were reported for Delaware, Pennsylvania and Connecticut quarters from both Philadelphia and Denver; of course, other State quarters could possibly exhibit the same errors, since this is a form of error that can happen to any coin.
Please follow along with the photographs on this page that demonstrate
the test.
| 1. |
Hold the coin in your left hand (by the edges – NEVER handle a potentially valuable coin by its obverse and reverse; it leaves oils that can ruin the coin's surfaces) so that you're looking at the obverse with Washington perfectly vertical, right side up.
Your thumb should be near the legend LIBERTY (9 o'clock) and your forefinger should be near the legend IN GOD WE TRUST.
|
 |
|
| 2. |
Using your other hand, flip the coin end over end. Do not release the coin from your left hand – the coin should spin, and that's the only thing that should move. |
|
|
| 3. |
Once you have turned the coin all the way around and you are fully viewing the reverse of the coin, the reverse should be right side up and read normally from left to right.
If the design on the reverse is NOT right side up, or if it is rotated left or right, your coin is a rotated die error. Please note that a rotation of 5 degrees or less is considered within acceptable tolerances.
|
This coin is normal; its legends read left to right and the image is right side up. If this coin was a rotated die error, the design would be upside down, sideways or even diagonal. |
History, cause and value
Rotated die error State quarters were first discovered in May 1999 on the Pennsylvania quarters. Coin World reported the discovery to the numismatic community first. Soon afterward, other unsubstantiated reports began to value rotated die State Quarter errors at $500 – a price that was not based on an actual sale but on an estimate of similar errors on other coins sold years before. Coin World has received no reports about rotated die errors that have sold for $500.
Please note that some State Quarters errors are worth $500 and even $1,000 or more. These errors, however, are major striking errors that are extremely rare and are infrequently found in circulation. Those types of errors have been around for years on other coins, but they are especially sought on State quarters, which has driven their prices up considerably. To read about such errors, please read more about Striking
Errors and Planchet Errors.
In reality the price for a 180 degree rotated State quarter in Mint State (Uncirculated) condition is in the $50 range, according to error coin dealers who have listed such coins on their fixed-price lists. A Mint State coin features no wear and very few marks or scratches. It certainly features no stains, unnatural toning or other discolorations.
The manner in which the errors were formed is easy to understand. Most U.S. coins have the obverse and reverse dies oriented so each side is upright when rotated vertically (end over end), at an alignment of 180 degrees. This type of orientation is called "coin turn." Rotated dies occur when one die is not mounted properly in the coining press and therefore a coin struck by that die will feature one side out of alignment. The degree of rotation varies from 5 to 180 percent. History dictates that coins with greater rotations are worth more to collectors.
The Mint has yet to offer an explanation as to why these coins exist, because machinery and production procedures are supposed to be in place in the Mints (Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco) to prevent such an error. There is also no way of knowing exactly how many of each rotated die error exists – there could be hundreds, there could be thousands. Some U.S. Mint presses can strike up to 730 coins per minute (yes, that's 12 per second), and U.S. Mint dies are tough enough to strike 100,000 or more coins. Although coins are periodically spot-checked by technicians for flaws, errors still occur. However, the number of error coins that escape the Mint vs. the total number of coins produced is very, very small – a fraction of a percent.
Not all coin dealers specialize in error coins. Most error coin dealers have a broad base of customers who collect error coins and are therefore more likely to know how to properly identify and value error coins. If you are not an experienced coin collector, please note that a dealer's buy price is lower than a list or retail price. If you sell your coin to an error dealer, he or she may not pay full retail price for the coin because he must turn around and sell the coin at the competitive retail price.