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 Replies: 9 / Views: 1,568 |
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
7096 Posts |
Why the spotlight on error coins.
I can understand why the noodelers look for these as a way of making a few dollars.
But personaly I would rather collect the best specimins of each year and mint mark to add to my collection.
Of course some of the errors in the decimal coinage will become classic ( Like the 1933 overdade or the broken N 1925 penny).
Lets face it those blokes at the mints are paid by the hour not by the coin,
So there is a bit of a blunder in the days mintage they realy don't loose any sleep over it and they will make mistakes occasionaly.
Misstrikes planchet flaws are just bad workmanship in my opinion and should be vetted out before the coins are put into circulation.
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
1005 Posts |
I think it comes down to "why do you collect coins".
For me they are an interesting tool. They have history to them. They make the world work smoothly.
I believe errors are supposed to be removed by the mint, which means they would be even more difficult to come across.
Having a rare and unusual example is nice.
I particularly like the 2000 $1/10c mule.
If you look at an error as a flaw, then you probably wont like it.
If you look at it as unusual, then you might like it.
Edited by ozcoins
12/21/2011 07:54 am
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Moderator
 Australia
16826 Posts |
It seems to me that error coins are a "fad 'n' fashion" whose popularity comes and goes. Back in the sixties, when there weren't too many alternatives to collect, errors and varieties were all the rage; by the 1970s, interest in them had collapsed again. It picked up again in the 1990s as people started getting sick of the multitude of made-for-collectors products the mints were churning out, and sought to collect things that (hopefully) definitely were not deliberately made. Quote:
Misstrikes planchet flaws are just bad workmanship in my opinion and should be vetted out before the coins are put into circulation. This is, of course, part of the allure of error coins. Yes, they should have been weeded out by good quality control - but they were not. Which is why the more obvious and outlandish errors are the more highly prized ones. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Pillar of the Community
United States
716 Posts |
The collection and study of error coins can give a collector a better understanding of the processes involved in minting coins, and what can and, historically, has gone wrong in the minting process. I think that any aspect of coin collecting that adds to ones knowledge is of interest to the serious coin collector.
Also, what makes coin collecting so interesting is that it is a very challenging hobby. Any part of coin collecting that contributes to that challenge is going to attract collectors. Obviously the collection and study of error coins is challenging, and, therefore, the collector interest.
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Valued Member
United States
320 Posts |
I hear you... anyone can appreciate a Mercury dime...turn it over in your had, it's pretty! A collector might get excited about a 1916-D, being a key date. But it takes a REAL special person to appreciate a dime with doubling that requires a loupe to even see. The thing that I think motivates "most" collectors is having something rare and exceptional, something that most other people don't have or (in some cases) can't obtain... whether it's a complete set of whatever coin, or a MS-70 coin, or maybe a key-date coin...even a rare coin that only "x" number are known to exist... it's all about the "wow factor" (to borrow a phrase). Errors, by their very nature, not only rare but most people don't even know enough to collect them- there is a certain amount of knowledge-base required. So most people, even most coin collectors, cannot have a good error collection, putting errors and their collectors in a different realm entirely. That sounds more elitist than I intended, but you get the idea. |
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
841 Posts |
Trout, mate, just can't help it sorry. Well the spotlights on 'cause you won't see the errors in the dark  sorry, I want to be good  |
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Pillar of the Community
 Australia
7096 Posts |
I have several kilo's of Aussie predecimal coins copper and silver. If I knew what to look for I recon I would find a few Error/Stuff up coins in them. I don't think my eyes would be up to the task tho |
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New Member
Australia
40 Posts |
i found an easy way by accident to hunt upsets in bulk is to place my coins into a plastic page all nice and straight and the same way up. 72x halfpennys and under that size 2c 1c 5c 10c 3d 6d etc. a 2x2 page for larger coins, then simply flip the page over and any upsets (off sets) stand out for all the world to see. off center mis-strikes I find mostly in smaller coins like 6d, sometimes its only 20thou out, but the human eye is a very good tool at picking out fine errors. like a painting out by a mm or so on a wall on the other side of the room, we notice the small detail. The coin may only be worth a dollar or two more to the right person, but still its rewarding, and I find it quite good fun.
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Pillar of the Community
1119 Posts |
eventually it will be a means to fund better coins, just need a few good errors to convince me to work out how to sell on ebay. |
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Valued Member
Australia
490 Posts |
Yes, I gree that you should try to get the best examples as possible, but when you have every type in top conditions things like errors and PNCs (another topic sure to get divided reactions) as a way of filling out and adding character to a collection.
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Replies: 9 / Views: 1,568 |
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Posted 12/21/2011 09:37 am
