1957 Nickel Over Polished Die On Log Above Beavers Tail

That's one of the gaps In my knowledge that has been confusing me, even some die cracks and die chips iv heard called specific varieties or errors like a cracked skull etc. What makes something that I'm constantly told is nothing on one coin special on another coin?

@okiecoiner, I understand that, but I don't understand what makes a die crack collectable or not. Aside from doubled die coins any error of significance is noticable easily with the human eye. And I understand the difference between an error and a variety. Where do mules fall? Like there is some mules listed. Or coins like the 1953-1955 Canadian pennies,are they considered mules? I know they are called verities but isn't it caused by using dies from other years to stamp the coin like other mules?

I really don't want to get into a public discussion on semantics. I really have nothing to assemble, nor do I collect, anything after about 1920. Modern coin minting and construction/alloys of modern coinage is entirely different than where I plant my feet. My definition of a "variety" is the same as that of Hans Zoell, the variety guru of the mid 20th century Canadian numismatic. A variety is a coin struck with design approved by the mint, is struck on a good planchet, with proper equipment that is in proper working order. A new portrait: variety, a modified design: variety; repunched letters or digits: variety, date or design spacings: variety. And so on and so on. My major area of expertise is in Vicky large cents, especially the 1858's and 9's. For those years with their thin planchets, reverse dies were lucky to strike 50,000 coins, but sometimes could get 100,000 and sometimes 10,000 or less. With populations like those, most anomalies are worth taking a second look at. Die cracks in any Vicky is a marker only, used to identify a known variety. Clashes, rotations, off-centers of those are all collectible but they are not varieties.

Now, with mintages of 100's or so millions, an anomaly coming from a single die is very very common, with availability to collectors being in the maybe 10,000 to 1 ratio .... for every collector, there are 10,000 coins available. What one person thinks is a variety, others will think of a vanilla coin. It's like seeing a man wearing clothes covering his legs. Are they called pants, or trousers or something else. Everyone will have a different description for what they see. You personally, as can I, call the description of a coin anything that I want, yet others may disagree. It's your hobby and your collection. Call things what you want, but I would try to stick to what something has been called for decades just one thing. That's what books and study is for. I think that all of us on this site are looking forward to what johnwayne007 has put down on paper. That work, alone, may clear up many opinions.

Well, actually there are 3-4 excellent texts, in addition to Wexler. One I'm giving to you once you find a way the 8 miles to Burlington. It's "The Error Coin Encyclopedia" by Margolis, an old '94 copy. I personally like Alan Herbert's book on errors and there are others more commonly known. Don't rely on Charlton answering more than 10% of your questions ... it's not an error book.

Hyped up to make it Marketable.
Most die cracks (unless it is large or runs rim to rim) have no extra value as they are too common.
Have one placed in a strategic place like the Lincoln cracked skull that you mentioned or
the 1999 Spitting Horse to name a couple, and someone comes up with a fancy name for
it as a means of selling them. If either of these cracks were about 1/4 inch either side ,
they would just be a normal crack worth about face value.
Too me a crack is a crack wherever it is on the coin.
That is not to say that some people do not collect them, It is just my opinion.

Wrekkdd
Did you not get my email this past Friday.

Thanks okiecoiner I'm glad you can see my passion for the hobby and are willing to help me out so much.

To paraphrase Okie; anything on a coin that wasn't supposed to be there is an error. Clip, delaminations, die crack, die clashes, die chips, etc.
A 1936 dot quarter is a true variety because the dot was put in the die by the mint. Same coin with a bar die crack is a variety with an error. Without the dot it's a no-dot variety error coin.

The 1947 nickel is a variety (no ML variety) since there is also the Maple Leaf variety, but you don't see the no ML called a variety. A 1947 maple leaf nickel is also a true variety because it was intentional. 1947 dot nickel, caused by a die chip, is a (no ML variety) error .

A 1956 dot 10 cents is an error because it is a die chip, not something meant to be there. Since there was only one kind of 1956 ten cents issued, there's no variety possible. The dot repeats on a number of coins and collectors became interested in it. As it's value rises with demand, it gets listed along with the normal coin to show the higher value, gets called a variety, instead of an error or error variety. The well-known error varieties just get tossed in with the "variety" tag.

Mules are production errors or fraud.

Thanks Terry, for shortening my definitions of the difference between a variety and an error. The 2 of us have been doing that for the last 20+ years on CCRS and other various sites. You are short and to the point. I'm wordy and usually get Zoell's and Griffin's names in there since it used to be mainly about Vicky cents. I hope you are staying out of trouble and good to see you back on some of the forums more actively.