Coop is correct as to why the errors aren't getting out, but there are two other reasons as well. The Mint stepped up their quality control abd added another stage or two of riddlers for the coins to go through after striking. This removed a lot more of the off sized errors such as clips, off centers, broadstrikes etc before they ever leave the mint. Then since 2002 they have been changing their presses from vertical strike presses to horizontal Schuler presses. With the vertical presses if a planchet doesn't get dropped into th collar properly, or if a coin isn't ejected out of the press it could sit on the collar and bounce around eventually getting back in between the dies. This could cause off-centers, multiple strikes, broadstrikes etc. But with the horizontal strike press if the planchet isn't in the collar it falls out of the press (gravity works). This means the only way to create an off-center is if the dies happen to come together before the planchet has fallen completely out of the way. Double strikes would be almost impossible because how does the struck coin manage to levitate there in the press until the dies come together again instead of falling out? So the horizontal strike press GREATLY reduces the major errors by itself, and then the extra QC measures reduce them even further. Then finally the Mints requirements that errors found during rolling be returned to the mint reduces them yet again.
This has resulted is a great reduction in th number of major errors on the market dated after 2002. As for the older ones after nearly ten years, most of them are now tucked away in collections so fewer and fewer are coming onto the market.
Posted 12/19/2010 12:03 am
