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.
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Die
Polishing
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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.
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Filled-
Die
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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.
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Filled-
Die
FIRST
STAT_
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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.
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Filled-die
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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.
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reverse
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obverse
Die
Crack
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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.
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Off-center, a major
error
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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.
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Multiple errors, a major
error
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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.
