When Your "Error" Isn't Really An Error At All...

I have been around here for a number of months parusing the posts, responding to what I can. I have gathered that there are a lot of people here who look through copius amounts of change and rolls for goodies. I have also seen a large number of times where the same basic questions were asked about the same basic things over and over. I am posting this not as an insult or admonishment for same, but as a helper to those who are finding what they think are errors, then going to the trouble to image such coins to post here. Hopefully this will save some time and effort. Administrators of this forum may (or may not) want to consider making this post a sticky for a while.

------------------------------------------------------------

THE BASICS

Doubled dies (and it is doubled with the D at the end, not "double") and repunched mintmarks as well as over mintmarks, and repunched dates are all considered "die varieties" - they are not classified as errors.

Errors involve either planchets or dies that were damaged or improperly made or hiccups in the striking process. Included are most things not mentioned in the above paragraph.

-------------------------------------------------------

What makes an ERROR collectible?

1. Visibility - if it's obvious at arm's length, it's likely valuable if it matches up with the other two rules below. If it takes magnification to show what it is, it's probably worthless (unless you're looking at a die variety, which isn't an error.

2. Rarity - If you've seen a thousand of them offered on ebay, or you ran into ten of them in a pocket full of change, it's probably worthless. If you don't know whether it's common, you haven't looked through enough coins yet. Put the coin aside, then look through another twenty-thousand coins. Then reassess your "put aside" coins. Just remember there isn't an error in every pocket full of change.

3. Market demand - Clipped planchets and off-center struck modern coins are a dime a dozen and carry very little premium value. It's a fact, because they are readily available - just look at the dozens for sale on ebay at any given moment. If it's rare and visible you can bet it has market demand.

--------------------------------------------------------

DOUBLING on COINS

Getting into die varieties is actually rather easy, but the first big hurdle to jump is figuring out the difference between hub doubling and non-collectible Machine Doubling. The best way to figure out that difference is to buy a genuine attributed doubled die and study it. They have characteristics that are quite unique to doubled dies which you will become familiar with if you study the real thing for a while.

A few simple rules...

1. Machine Doubling is flattened, shelf like, and has sharp edges. Hub doubling is rounded or beveled like the other letters, and usually has a soft transition with the doubled letters and numbers.

2. No form of non-collectible Machine Doubling has notching at the corners of the devices, and most types of hub doubling does. This is because squared corners are being impressed into the die at least twice in slightly different locations, leaving the impressions of the corners in each location. This is something like laying two square pieces of paper on a table. If they are stacked so you only see one piece of paper, they are in alignment. If they are stacked so you can see both pieces of paper, they are out of alignment and you will see a notch at opposite corners. Same thing happens in hub doubling.

3. Machine Doubling is common and very easy to find. If you find doubling in the first thousand coins you view, you're either really lucky or you've found Machine Doubling...my bet is on the latter. KEEP every example of Machine Doubling you find until you know the difference for sure, then spend all of them on some ice cream. Don't toss back your machine doubled coins just because someone told you they were machine doubled and were worthless. They make a good teaching tool to yourself to be able to pick out the difference, and make good reference even when you think you do know the difference.

-----------------------------------------------------

When to Render an Opinion...

If you KNOW what you're looking at in someone's images, state so. THEN explain why.

If you THINK YOU KNOW and aren't sure, it's fine to say you aren't sure, but make sure you throw that in for good measure. Someone else will come along and agree with you or point out what it really is and know they are teaching you too.

If you DON'T KNOW what you're looking at in someone's images, let them know you don't know and are guessing. I have seen a LOT of misinformation dealt out here as fact...just an observation.

-------------------------------------------------

Enough with my manifesto. I thought posting here and explaining all the simplest answers to the simplest questions most often asked might help some people and might clear up some of the wasted effort in imaging valueless coins. Again, I don't mean to hurt anyone's feelings, just stating what I see as I see it.