Education: Error Vs. Variety

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Die varieties are created on the die before the die is placed into use. They are a part of the initial design on a single die used to mint coins. The design imperfection (usually doubling) transfers to every coin minted by that die.

Errors occur either in the way the planchets were made (planchet errors), as a mistake of the striking process (striking errors), or something that develops on the die during use (die errors). Planchet and striking errors are generally a single coin to single coin occurrence - meaning that an error could occur between strikes of two completely normal coins. Die errors, because of their nature (on the die), start on a single coin somewhere during the life of the die and often progress in size and severity as the die is used, but they always leave their mark on every coin minted after the error occurs.

The biggest difference and the big question to ask in determining whether a flaw is considered a die variety or an error is to figure out whether what you are seeing would have been on the die when it was placed into use.

Could that die have minted completely normal coins? If so, then it's an error.

Or is the anomaly something that was on the die when it was first hung on the press to mint coins -- meaning there's no chance that die minted completely normal coins? If so, then it's a die variety.