Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Do you collect error coins?

Do you collect error coins? A reader asked me where he can find Malaysia error coin and what kind of error coin can we get? I am not an error coin collector because I don't like the expensive price tag that came with this kind of collection. I am only buying it when I can get it at a cheaper price. The easiest way to find them is via Internet. Many collector sell them online via eBay. I am not sure if any coin dealer in Malaysia specialize on this kind of collecting but if any of you reader do, please share it here.

Malaysia 10 sen 2000 error double strike coin

Mint made errors are errors in a coin made by the mint during the minting process. They are almost always accidental and in modern minting are usually very rare, making them valuable to numismatists. Minting errors are far more common in older coinage, understandably. Authentic error coins must not be confused with coins that have incurred damage after being minted. I found a video clip in Youtube once, on how easy it is to make a man made error and sell them online as error coin. Will post it here if I can find it again.

Here some of the types of error from wikipedia:

  • Planchet errors
Planchet errors occur when the wrong coin blanks, or planchets, are fed into a coin-stamping press. This results in a coin that has been stamped with a design intended for a differently sized coin; this is called a wrong planchet error. In addition, unminted or blank planchets are occasionally produced. The results are usually obvious errors that are also prized by collectors, though the errors are usually caught in manufacturing and destroyed. Blank planchets with rims are valued lower than those with no rim.

Malaysia 10 sen wrong planchet?

A wrong planchet occurs when a denomination is struck on a planchet of a different denomination.Some examples include cents struck on dime planchets, nickels on cent planchets, or quarters on dime planchets. Sacagawea dollars have been reported with statehood quarter designs on the reverse. This type of error is called a mule and there are many more different kinds of mules, too many to list, however.

Malaysia 1 ringgit 30 tahun merdeka clipped planchet error coin by buyosell.

Occasionally a misfeed can occur where the strip of metal isn't fed through far enough. When this happens, the punches strike an area of the strip which overlaps the hole left by the previous strike. The result is a blank with a piece missing, which is called a clipped planchet.A clipped planchet may be straight, curved, ragged, or elliptical.

  • Hub and die errors
Hub and die errors are the result of faults in the coin hub or coin die; there are many different kinds of such errors. Modern coins are still released with hub and die errors, mainly because the defects are too small to be seen with the naked eye. A few exceptions exist, where the dies are used despite producing easily visible flaws. The 1955 Lincoln cent is an example.

  • Strike errors
Strike errors occur when the planchet is struck. It is a fault in the manufacturing process rather than in either the die or the planchet. A standard type of strike error is a broadstrike, where the rim image is not struck into the coin's edge because the collar die was missing. Numismatists often prize strike error coins over perfectly struck examples, which tend to be more common, but less highly than die error coins, which are usually rarer, making it valuable.

Malaysia 1 sen 2004 off centering error coin by wengbusiness.


Malaysia One Sen Broad strike error coin by buyosell.

Broadstrike errors are produced when the collar die (The circular die surrounding the lower die) malfunctions. The collar die normally applies the edge device (reeded edge, plain edge) and prevents the metal of the coin from flowing outside of the confines of the die. When the collar is prevented from working properly during striking, it may rest below the surface of the anvil die. All denominations of U.S. coins with a broadstrike will have a plain edge.

  • Overdate
In the past, it was a common practice for a mint to use a certain die until it broke. As some dies would last for multiple years, a figure would be punched over the old date. For example, some 1942 Mercury dimes show a 1 beneath the 2. For 19th century coins it is difficult to call an overdate an "error", since it resulted from intentional recycling of the die. In more modern times the examples were due to mistakes by the mint. Through a similar historical process mintmarks have been overstamped. A well known example is the 1900 Morgan silver dollar, when reverse dies with "CC" below the eagle were sent from the Carson City mint to the New Orleans Mint where they were given an "O".

  • Defective die
A coin from a defective die shows a raised line on its surface. This is caused by a crack in the die used to strike the planchet. Coins sometimes show an unstruck area resulting from a break in the die, which is known as a cud mark. In U.S. coinage, many coins from the Morgan Dollar series show slight die cracks.

  • Lamination
A coinage defect consisting of a portion of the metal separating from the rest due to impurities or internal stresses. Lamination flaws occur primarily when a foreign material or gas oxide becomes trapped within the planchet (the metal blank used as a coin). This error is especially common to the modern US Cent having a zinc metal base plated with a thin sheeting of copper.

  • Brockage
Malaysia 50 sen mirror by zekaman.com.

A brockage is when a mirror image of a coin is struck on both sides of the planchet. This error typically occurs when a coin remains on either die after striking. The second coin receives the image from the die, though its blank other side also receives the image of the struck coin, and the result is an incuse mirror image.

  • Multiple strike
    Malaysia 10 sen 2000 error double strike coin
1981 50 sen Malaysia double striking Error coin by jennyte

This occurs when the coin has an additional image on one side from being struck again, off center. The result is sometimes mistaken as being a "doubled die". Note: Also referred to as 'double exposure'.

  • Die Clash
A clash occurs when the obverse and reverse dies strike each other because a planchet is not between them. Due to the tremendous pressure used, the parts of the image of one die may be impressed on the other. When planchets are then fed between them the resulting coins receive the distorted image. A well known example is the "Bugs Bunny" Franklin Half Dollar of 1955, where part of the eagle's wing from the reverse gives Franklin the image of protruding teeth.

  • Blundered Die
These occur because of mistakes in preparing the dies, such as an inverted or poorly engraved date. Formerly rather common, modern quality control has made them very unusual. A recent example that might fit in this category was the 1982 release of about 15,000 Roosevelt dimes without the "P" mintmark.


The price or value of error coins has been subject to much debate and the value is usually determined between the dealer and the collector. Conversely, errors on ancient, medieval and higher value coins are usually detrimental to the coins numismatic value. Most of the time, it depends on the rarity of the error on that particular collection. Like the undated 20 pence, the price is higher only at the early stage when people found out about it.

Any of you collect error coins? What collection do you have?

Source: Wikipedia.