Ken Potter - Paul Kmiotek of NY was in for a surprise when he opened a States Quarter Proof set that his In-laws gave him on his Birthday last September! The last thing he expected to find was a major error. Yet, that is exactly what he encountered when he slid the set out of the Mint box and saw that the lower right corner of the case was jammed partially open by the high flange of a mis-struck Wyoming
State Quarter! At first, he didn't notice the error and tried to snap the case back closed but the high flange that was cupped upward from the obverse forced it to spring back open. He then noticed the "problem" and decided to contact
Numismatic News about his find. The report was forwarded to me, and I then consulted with a pool of experts to see what they thought.
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Fred Weinberg of Encino, CA, said, I'd call it a Close Overlapped Double Strike, Cupped, with a Tilted Partial Collar. As a Proof States quarter, I'd estimate it at $1,500.00-$1,800.00 retail value."
Neil Osina of Best Variety/ Sportscards & Coins of Glendora, CA felt the coin was more of the result of a tilted die, with the doubling somehow being caused by this condition due to "slide" or metal flow. He was not convinced it was multiple struck, saying, "I am aware that Proofs are struck multiple times but why is it not uniformly doubled and seems to favor the opposite side of the 'off center' portion? This makes me think some sort of tilt is involved." He estimated its value at between $2500.00-$5000.00.
Rich Schemmer of Rich Schemmer Error Coins, Franklin Square, NY said: "(It is) very possibly an improperly hand-placed planchet, not correctly placed in the collar. The first strike would have deformed the shape, and the additional three-five strikes (which is normal for a proof) would have added to its shape and forced metal to flow upwards. Proof errors are made on a regular basis. I have even videotaped this at West Point. The amazing thing is how it made its way over to the packaging department and then that person picked up that mis-shaped coin and got it to fit in the holder; it had to be a very tight fit." He estimated the value at around $3,500-$4,500. He added that it had a "great cameo!"
Mike Byers of Byers Numismatic Corp, San Clemente, CA said, "I have handled many double struck proof errors. This is clearly a rotated double strike. Since all proof coins are struck twice, it is really a "rotation error" but the four main grading services refer to it as a close overlap double struck with slight rotation. It's not just metal flow since there is distinct double lettering, it's out of round, and a high rim. I'd value it at $2500.00 or so. I think Fred's low, but Rich is high. Anyway- that's my opinion.
Mike Diamond, President of the Combined Organizations of Numismatic Error Collectors of America, said, " I would call it a "double-struck, stiff collar error." At one time he used to call these "Ram Strikes" (which in this case would have been a double-struck ram strike), but he said the term never seemed to catch on.
Meanwhile, this writer in not fully convinced this is a double strike at all and, like Osina, feels that the doubling could be the result of metal flow. Nonetheless, in checking with Weinberg, it appears that if it is in fact "just" a Cupped Uncentered Broadstrike with a Forced-In Tilted Partial Collar (which is what I'd call it) that it would make little difference in value! It's a fantastic find no matter what you want to call it, according to Weinberg.
Kmiotek has been collecting coins since he was about six years old, which he says amounts to about 40 years. He began colleting when his family lived in Europe, where his father worked, picking out the mostly German, Dutch, and French from his mother's purse. He describes himself as a general collector leaning more towards foreign coin and some currency but says he also buys United States Proof Sets. He says his in-laws are also collectors and often buy a number of proof sets and give them away as gifts to others in the family. He says he's particularly grateful for the one they gave him this year!
This article originally included shots of the coin still in the case as described above but those shots have become lost to time and are somewhere floating around on one of my old hard drives.
Note: Proof Sets of this era at least starting in 1999, were NOT sealed but were contained in snap-lock holders that were a bit difficult to open until you opened a few and got the hang of it. They may still be in snap-lock holders - I just don't know. As such no proof set from this era can be said to be in a sealed case.
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