It will be obvious, to the experienced mint error collector, that many of the coins pictured below are considered varieties and not mint errors. However, this author classifies any coin that makes it into collectors hands, with an “alteration” in their design, planchet, metal content or any other various deviation from the original and intended state of the coin, by the US Mint, as a Mint Error.
A so-called Mushroom Mint Error
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Clipped Planchet-Split Lamination
A slightly crescent clipped planchet and the force of the strike managed to split the copper clad layer, revealing the zinc planchet underneath.
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MULE COIN
A Lincoln Memorial Cent struck with a Roosevelt Dime Die. It called a “Mule” because one side is struck with a different coin die. So what do you call it a one cent, a dime or an eleven cent piece?
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DUEL DENOMINATION DIE CLASH
2000-P Lincoln Memorial Cent struck on a 2000 Roosevelt Dime Planchet, and a Die Clash. The coin is not silver but copper-nickel clad.
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BROADSTRIKE
1999 Lincoln Cent Broadstrike mint error. This example is almost perfectly centered, but there are some that are off-center. However, and Broadstrike coin that’s more than 10% off-center is considered an Off-Center struck coin.
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CLIPPED PLANCHET
1955 Lincoln Wheat Cent with a clipped planchet.
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REPUNCHED MINT MARK “RPM”
1960-D Lincoln Memorial Cent Re-punched Mint Mark, commonly called an RPM.
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DIE CLASH
1984 Lincoln Memorial Cent with a Die Clash. This occurs when an obverse die strikes the reverse die (without a coin between them), and some of the design of the opposite die is struck on both dies. Then a planchet is struck showing design elements on each side of both dies.
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LAMINATION PEEL
1917 and 1946 Lincoln Wheat Cents with lamination peels and cracks.
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DOUBLE DIE
STRUCK IN COLLAR
1943 Lincoln Wheat steel cent struck in collar error.
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MULTIPLE STRUCK PLANCHET
DOUBLE DIE
DOUBLE STRIKE
2007-P James Madison Double Struck Presidential Dollar. A new discovery.
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PATTERN DESIGN
2000-P Sacagawea Dollars. The left picture is an accented hair, pattern, Cheerios Dollar, and the right picture is a normal tail feather. Recently PCGS discovered that not all Cheerios Dollars are patterns. So, all are not rare. But the examples that are rare are worth $10,000+.
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MINOR DIE CLASH
MISSING CLAD LAYER
1980-D Susan B. Anthony Dollar missing the clad layer on the reverse.
OFF CENTER STRIKE
Roosevelt Dime Off-Center Strike (no date). This coin is struck around 50% off-center with most of the date showing. The most sought after are coins showing full date, and coins can be off-center anywhere from 1% and up.
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STRUCK WITH CRACKED DIE
1794 Flowing Hair Half Dime with die cracks. Modern coins with die cracks don’t bring extra value, unless it affects the design dramatically. However, in older type coins it can signal a possible variety and bring a premium.
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WIDE RIM DESIGN STRIKE
1979-P ”Near Date” Susan B. Anthony Dollar (left) with a normal rim dollar (right). You tell the “Near Date” by the thick rim that causes the date to be nearer to the rim. It is actually a variety, not an error.
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MINOR DOUBLE DIE
2005-D Minnesota Statehood Quarter Extra Tree Error. The error has been reported on the 2000-P and as many as 11 variations might exist.
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CUD
2007-P Roosevelt Dime with Cud (extra metal) under the neck. Also, there’s some extra metal on the lower part of the torch, on the reverse. I found this coin in my pocket change March 27, 2008.
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PLANCHET FLAW
2005 Jefferson/Buffalo Nickel with a ’speared’ bison. You can see the die crack through the middle of the Bison, and looks like a long and thin scratch.
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DOUBLE CLIP
1974 Eisenhower Dollar double clip.
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DOUBLE STRIKE-OFF CENTER
1894 Indian cent double struck, 75% off center.
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RE-CUT DIE
1867 Indian Cent 1867/67 over date.
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ADJUSTMENT STRIKE
1923 Peace Dollar die adjustment strike.
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FILLED DIE
1937-D Buffalo Nickel 3 legs.
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OVER DATE
Have you heard of a 1994 Licoln penny where the words go right up to the edge of the rim- In God We Trust. On the reverse the United States of America is also to the edge of the rim. The weight of the coin is 2.5 grams. We haven’t found anything on the web about another 1994 Lincoln w/ this strike.
It sounds like the coin is struck off center, but anything less than 10% off center isn’t considered a mint error, because the mint allows that much for coins.