Mistakes are not something anyone likes to make but they do happen. Sometimes the mistake involves a lack of information and sometimes it's due to a mechanical failure. But however it happens, collectors who enjoy looking for error and variety coins, especially on State quarter dollars, are pleased to take a manufacturing headache and watch it turn into a collector's dream.
Two of the most commonly reported State quarter dollar errors are those struck with filled dies and those missing the clad layer.
Sometimes readers will say their State quarter doesn't have a date or a portion of the design is missing. That coin probably was struck from an obstructed or filled die. The incused areas of dies frequently fill with debris, including grease, dirt and other substances commonly found in factories like Mints.
In order for a coin to be struck, the metal on the planchet must be free to completely fill the recesses of these areas on the dies, creating the raised design elements on the coin.
The metal of the coin being struck cannot fill the clogged areas; thus, areas of the design on coins struck from the filled dies may be weak, indistinct or missing altogether, depending on the severity of the clog.
On the State quarter dollars and the pre-1999 Washington quarters, Mint marks, in particular, are affected by filled dies, possibly because of their location on the die. The Mint mark on State quarters is located just to the right of George Washington's ponytail and below the motto IN GOD WE TRUST. Mint marks indicate whether the Denver Mint, the Philadelphia Mint or the San Francisco Mint struck the coins.
Until the late 20th century, dies that should have borne Mint marks were occasionally made without them in error (and many coins lack Mint marks by design). Mint marks cannot be "missing" from dies produced since 1991 due to changes the Mint made in the stage the marks are added, in part to eliminate the die varieties (missing Mint marks, repunched Mint marks) created from the 1960s through 1990.
Traditionally, Mint marks were added to working dies as they neared completion. A Mint engraver hammered the appropriate mark into the die using a Mint mark punch and a mallet. No mechanical aid or device was used by the engraver to ensure the punch was in the correct position. Each engraver used magnification in the process, but depended largely on his experience to determine the precise location for the Mint mark. The same process was repeated as new working dies were placed in production.
That changed in 1989 when Mint officials announced that Mint marks would be placed on master dies for cents and 5-cent coins beginning in 1990. The changeover was completed for the other denominations in 1991. Later, the Mint mark was added to the design at an even earlier stage; it now appears on the original model, meaning the Mint mark appears at every stage of hub and die production.
Filled-die errors are a relatively common form of error. Most filled dies are very minor; usually only a few numbers or letters may be missing from the coin's design. Some quarters are severely filled to the point that entire sides of a coin may be obstructed and appear missing. Such severe filled-die errors are really the only kind of State quarter dollar filled die error that will bring a premium value, although ultimately, the value is determined by what a knowledgeable buyer and a knowledgeable seller can agree upon.
(To be continued next week)
First Reports
Brian Hoeft of Nevada reported Sept. 24 that he received two 2003-D Missouri quarters in change.
Circulation Reports
No reports this week.
