What are Error Coins?
Posted by D&G on
September 21, 2008
Quite simply, they’re coin mistakes made at the mint during the production process. Due to stringent control systems, most of these mistakes never see the light of day. However, a fairly large number find their way out into circulation.
Error coins come in several varieties, including:
- Off-center: An error where the coin is struck partially on the coin blank, showing only a portion of the coin design.
- Double die: An error where the coin is struck by a die that has a doubled image on it. A most often cited coin is a 1955 Lincoln penny with a doubled date on the image.
- Clipped planchet: An error where the coin is struck on a coin blank with a portion of the metal is missing. The clipped area of the coin will be shaped like a crescent moon.
A fun activity in our family is to search the loose change on a monthly basis for error coins. A 7x magnifying glass our loupe is handy to help locate the small errors.
Most error coins fetch a few dollars with online auctions sites like EBay. But occasionally, you might find one that can be worth hundreds if not thousands of dollars.
