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 Replies: 17 / Views: 3,500 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1191 Posts |
Title says it all.
What is the difference between an error coin and a variety coin?
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Valued Member
Spain
239 Posts |
It depends because some errors are so popular that they're classed as varieties.
Erorrs happen because something in the process didn't work as it should've done, varieties are differences in designs which are usually purposefully made.
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Moderator
 United States
56855 Posts |
Short answer: Error is one of a kind and Variety has many of the same. John1  |
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Valued Member
Spain
239 Posts |
Great answer but remember that things such as die chips, die clashes/cracks etc. will be present on more than one example. It will be progessive but for a short while many will be the same.
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Valued Member
United States
415 Posts |
An error typically occurs during the minting process, while a variety tends to be an irregularity on the master hub......Errors tend to be unique or few of a kind, varieties tend to have multiples quantities........(UNLESS THE VARIETY IS A MINT INTENDED CHANGE LIKE TYPE 1 AND 2 Buffalo nickels), ALL VARIETIES ARE ERRORS, NOT ALL ERRORS ARE VARIETIES |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5825 Posts |
Errors are unintentional. Varieties are intentional. Some errors are changed to varieties by a Mint decision. Classic Case: 1955 DDO. Mint approved the error rather than toss out 1000's of cents. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4897 Posts |
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Valued Member
Spain
239 Posts |
Wow, what a read. Nice link.
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Moderator
United States
188001 Posts |
Amida beat me to it.  |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
1191 Posts |
Thank you for the link. That answered my question.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
In the linked thread many times they refer to a "die error". This can be the source of a lot of the confusion. Something that results from a "die error" is neither an error or a variety, it results in a die stage (Die stage is the proper term but you will often see it called a die state. Calling it a die state is incorrect.) Die stages are discrete steps of changes in the life of a die. A crack appears, the crack extends to a new spot, a chip appears, a clash appears, etc. Something where it wasn't there on the previous coin but it is on the next one, a discrete change. Die state refers to the amount of wear that a die has received and it is a continuous process. You can say this is a early stage and this is a late stage but you can't point to a specific coin and say "This is were it changed from early to mid state, it's always a range.
Something such as the 37 D three leg nickel is neither an error or a variety, it is a die stage. That reverse die wasonce sharp and new and it produced coins with four legs. As it wore it changed from an early to a mid, to a late, and finally a very late state and as it did the images it produced were less and lees sharp and clear, but they all had four legs. but then the die was severely polished removing part of the right foreleg. This created a die stage. The last coin struck before the polishing had four legs, the first coin struck, and all the coins after that, had three.
So in general a variety is present on all the coins of a given die, a discrete change in the appearance of the die creating that variety is a die stage, a gradual change in the condition of the die results in die states. A unique one of a kind occurrence is an error.
Edited by Conder101
12/17/2015 1:33 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1812 Posts |
This is both a error & die variety ( type 2 - wide. AM).  |
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Moderator
United States
16677 Posts |
Errors are not manipulated.. Supposedly.
Varieties are.
swcoin.ecrater.com
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21786 Posts |
Varieties are the result of differences in dies, deliberately cut the way they are.
Errors are the result of a fault in the minting process, which may include die damage.
How each category is derived is quite distinct, one from the other.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
HOWEVER, what do you call an error coin that was made purposely by the Mint? And if made continuous, wouldn't that be a variety?  |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
Well since an error is a one of a kind item, the mint couldn't be making them continuously. If they did deliberately make an error coin, the term would be a piece de caprice. (Think dime struck on nail.)
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Replies: 17 / Views: 3,500 |
Posted 12/17/2015 05:27 am
