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Errorscope Reviews Archive |
New In the ErrorScope
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May/June 2007 Errorscope
Review
Image courtesy of Mike Diamond
This Shattered Die Strike Was Featured in Mike
Diamond's "Shattered Dies" article.
One of CONECA's newest columnists, Jeff Ylitalo, continues his look at bi-metallic error coins in his column, "Bi-Metallic Mania" He examines insertion and bonding errors in bi-metallic coins. He describes three extraordinary core-based errors, teaching us how bi-metallic coins are made while showing us a couple of the curiously odd things that can go wrong when the core doesn’t seat into the ring properly during striking.
CONECA President, Mike Diamond
presents the feature, "A Short Discourse on Shattered Dies and
Catastrophic Die Failure.” The
cover coin accompanying this article is of a Washington quarter that according
to Diamond displays “incredible die failure.” His article explains how this
coin, (and numerous others shown) were struck by coin dies that were so badly
damaged that they broke apart on impact or somehow surprisingly held together
despite serious breaks and obvious disintegration. Diamond provides some insight into why coin dies sometimes
break apart and a little bit about the mechanics of how that happens, using more
than two dozen coin photographs to illustrate his points.
In his
regular president's message column “The Skeptical Eye,”
Diamond, points out that “unique errors are, paradoxically, quite
common.” He
explains how the very nature of the minting
process creates a profusion of unique, one-off types of specimens.
The feature, "Die
Deterioration and its Effect on a Doubled Die,” by Robert (BJ) Neff
examines two specimens of the 1964-D Doubled Die Lincoln cent, (cataloged as
CONECA DDR-012.) One specimen is in
an Early Die State (EDS) and the other is in a Late Die State (LDS.)
He compares and contrasts the two specimens, noting in photographs and
descriptions how the appearance of the hub doubled details have changed as a
result of die deterioration. Neff
also depicts and describes a 1999-P Lincoln cent that has a “wavy steps”
reverse, but is known with two different obverse dies.
He wonders why the Mint changed the obverse die without replacing the
clashed and abraded reverse die, too.
In Neffs, “The Denver Mint
Single-Squeeze Doubled Die,” he writes about the fact that hub doubling
(doubled dies) seemed harder to find from the Denver Mint than from Philadelphia
ever since the single-squeeze hubbing method went into use around 1995 [1997]
but that things might have changed in recent years. He cites several Denver Mint doubled dies from 2003 onward,
and encourages everyone to keep checking their pocket change.
Errorscope editor, Frank Leone
presents the feature "Nine Bags of Wheaties,” detailing what he
found in nine 5,000-coin bags of Wheat cents that he purchased and believes
legitimately unsearched for die varieties.
After briefly laying out his searching criteria, (e.g. only checking
certain dates closely,) he promises to share his most interesting finds with Errorscope
readers in coming issues. To get
the ball rolling, he describes and shows photos of three neat finds, including a
Lincoln Memorial (!) 1964-P Proof doubled die, a 1941-P cent with a sticker on
it reading “Red’s Coming Back To Town,” and a 1941-P cent where the
reverse was lost when the planchet split apart after striking.
In the feature "A Fake Second Strike – Deconstructed,” Diamond uses a convincingly faked double-struck Lincoln cent as the exhibit coin, showing us in words and pictures why this specimen must be condemned. His basic premise is that “it’s not necessary to determine exactly how [the fake] was produced. It is sufficient merely to show that its appearance violates the finite constraints of the minting process.” He then proceeds to carefully describe 15 points of observation that are suspicious to him, giving each a rating for its significance. This article amounts to a tutorial in authenticating or condemning a potentially double-struck-flipover-in-collar error coin specimen.
Additional content includes an obituary for the late Russ LeBeau; the Membership News summary by Paul F. Funaiole; and a Classified Advertising section.
Errorscope
is the official publication of CONECA, the Combined Organizations of Numismatic
Error Collectors of America.
The May/June 2007 issue of Errorscope is Volume 16, Number 3, and
was mailed to members on July 29, 2007.
The preceding abstract is copyrighted by CONECA; publication is freely
granted to numismatic media as long as credit is given to CONECA.
(Written by Susan Headley for CONECA.)
New In the ErrorScope
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September/October 2006 Errorscope
Review
Photo © Ken Potter 2006/Coin courtesy of Jennifer Snyder
Here is a look at a 2005-P Minnesota 25c with "Trails" extending
from the
evergreen treetops predominantly to the north as seen in Neff's article
January 08, 2007 -- Robert (“B.J”) Neff investigates the “trails” effect found in Lincoln cents and statehood quarters. These take the form of thin, raised extensions arising from letters and other design elements. They occur in parallel groups, and they tend to run in consistent directions. BJ considers a number of proposed explanations, and dismisses the notion that they’re manifestations of die deterioration, that they’re related to planchet grain, or that they’re doubled dies of some sort. He detects a relationship between trails and “wavy steps” and ponders an association with the adoption of the single-squeeze hubbing technique. More installments of this investigation, and related investigations into “wavy steps” will follow.
Mike Diamond introduces a newly-recognized category of planchet defect that he terms the “intrinsic metallic inclusion”. On rare occasions, unmixed globs of metal end up in the molten alloy from which an ingot of coin metal will eventually be poured. The inclusion will usually represent lighter metallic elements which comprise a minor fraction of the alloy. However, non-standard metals are also possible. In any case, once the metal rises to the surface of the molten ingot and solidifies, it gets rolled out into an elongated strip which presents a dramatic color contrast with the surrounding alloy. Mike presents a stellar example in a 1948 cent, and discusses several other probable examples.
In another article, Mike discusses a normal-diameter 1992-D dime struck on a heavy (2.51g), solid copper-nickel
planchet. It’s not clear where this planchet came from, as the Mint was not striking coins for foreign countries during this time period. It’s one of many “orphan” off-metal errors that are known in the numismatic record.
In a final article, Mike scratches his head over a 10 cent Italian Euro coin with a curious raised ring just inside the design rim. The ring is sharply defined, uniform, present on both faces, and has a high relief. Such rings are known from other countries and other denominations, but their origin is obscure.
Robert Knauss recounts his adventures cherrypicking die varieties and die errors on Standing Liberty quarters. Repunched mintmarks, die chips, and die abrasion (“die polishing”) errors seem to capture the imagination of collectors of this series.
Frank Leone provides us another glimpse of some outstanding errors in his collection. In this issue he presents a double-struck 1841 British coin and a double-struck 1999 Susan B. Anthony dollar.
Jim Checkovich continues delving into old issues of the Numismatic Scrapbook Magazine from 1938-1940. He finds articles on a major coin theft from a Philadelphia museum, speculation on future silver dollar releases, an 1839 U.S. half dollar retrieved from a tree trunk in Cuba (!), and collector finds from bags of circulated cents.
In “Other People’s Errors”, Jim offers more examples of error silver bars struck by
A.J. Cool’s Mini-Mint of Brigantine, New Jersey. In this case it’s a mated pair of two off-center silver bars that meet at a chain strike. Wild.
Jose Cortez, Gene Nichols, and Robert Neff ponder a 1999-P Roosevelt dime with peculiar smearing of reverse letters, notching of some letter, and a “stepped rim” that is NOT a partial collar. After consulting with other experts, the authors attribute most of the effects to machine doubling, with a possible contribution from die deterioration doubling.
James Wiles continues posting examples of doubled dies that he’s looking to examine.
Submitted by Mike Diamond -- CONECA Board Seat #4 -- Publicity
New In the ErrorScope
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July/August 2006 Errorscope
Review
Image courtesy of Mike Diamond
Frank Leone presents a curious double error on a 1972-D Eisenhower dollar. At approximately 6:00 on the reverse face there is a short, deep, crescentic strike-through error. At the opposite pole on the reverse (12:00) there’s an area of exposed copper core that is weakly struck and some corresponding weakness on the opposite face. The best explanation is that a piece of the dollar planchet was sheared off by the feeder mechanism (at 12:00) immediately before the strike and that piece was struck into the planchet at 6:00.
Frank also presents two Kennedy half dollars struck by dramatically misaligned obverse dies. He uses these two examples to deliver a refresher course on misaligned die errors.
Frank’s last contribution in this issue is found in his “Wowsers!” column. It’s a1912 Brazilian 2000 reis coin that assumes the form of a dramatic obverse die cap.
Mike Diamond provides an overview of Rockwell test marks on dies and planchets, and attempts to discriminate between bona fide test marks and circular defects that arise from other causes.
Machine doubling is Mike’s next target, and he presents some extreme examples that should excite the interest of any collector. Mike is careful to define and describe two rather different forms of machine doubling. The more familiar form creates flat, marginal shelving at the edges of design elements, and distinct doubling in interior design elements. It’s caused by a die that bounces after the initial impact and lands lightly a second time on the coin in a slightly different position. The other, rarer form smears the design and pushes up a ridge of metal at the end of each smear. It’s caused by a die dragging across the surface of the coin after the initial impact.
In a short note, Mike ponders a clever scenario proposed by Robert Neff to explain a “grease strike” cent with odd, raised doubling that was featured in the previous issue. Although the proposed sequence of events came up short as an explanation, it was imaginative and worth considering.
Robert Neff makes several other contributions to this issue. His discovery of a 1946-S cent with an inverted mintmark is described in an article by Ken Potter.
Robert himself writes extensively on the “wavy steps” phenomenon in Lincoln cents. Found on the reverse face of Lincoln cents beginning in 1987, it manifests as a downward continuation of the fluting seen in the columns of the Memorial. The term “wavy steps” is derived from the distortion produced in the steps of the Memorial by the extension of the fluting. Fluting lines can extend from any or all of the columns, not just those above the steps. Fluting lines can be vertical or show an angular deviation to the left or right. While most investigators have classified these as doubled dies, Robert expresses strong doubts about this conclusion. While he’s not sure what’s causing the phenomenon, he suspects it’s related to the introduction of “single-squeeze” hubbing technology in 1986. While the single-squeeze method of transferring the design from a working hub to a working die wasn’t fully adopted until 1997, Mint records indicate that “pilot testing” had begun by 1986.
Ken Potter presents us with concrete evidence that the single-squeeze technique was used as early as 1986. He reproduces the relevant page from the 1986 Report of the Director of the Mint that attests to this activity.
Jim Checkovich continues his series on mint errors found in privately-produced silver bars. He presents a double-struck silver bar struck through a copper disk on the second strike. The disc is still loosely embedded in the bar and can be easily lifted out.
Jim flips through some issues of a long-defunct periodical called The Numismatic Scrapbook Magazine. He finds that in the years 1938 – 1940, collectors were publishing observations on mintmark styles and positions long before most of us thought there was any interest in such things.
Submitted by Mike Diamond -- CONECA Board Seat #4 -- Publicity
New In the ErrorScope
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May/June 2006 Errorscope
Review
Images courtesy of Mike Diamond
August 13, 2006 -- It is the nature of error/variety research to occasionally
deliver disappointing news. Such is
the case in this issue where the debunking of the 1980-D/S dual mintmark
Mike Diamond presents a tutorial on the many ways that foreign matter can end up embedded in a coin. He presents examples of poured-in, rolled-in, and struck-in debris and educates folks on the subtle signs to look for in the as-yet-theoretical categories of punched-in and squeezed-in debris.
Diamond acts as the conduit for a discovery by Frank Ferrell of an indented cent struck on a split planchet. While such an error is by no means unprecedented, it does present an initially puzzling appearance.
In his final article in this issue, Diamond presents some error coin eye candy in the form of a triple-struck, double-denomination error. Specifically, it’s an in-collar, flipover, double-strike delivered by cent dies on top of a previously struck 2000-P dime.
Frank Leone presents additional cuds found among Susan B. Anthony dollars. He also presents descriptions and photos of die markers found associated with the largest cuds in this series, in the hopes that these markers can lead to the discovery of pre-cud specimens.
Leone also presents some odds and ends from his desktop. They include a broadstruck 1856 half dime with a hole drilled through the unstruck portion of the coin, an 1880-S Morgan dollar with a partial collar and a small planchet defect, and a buffalo nickel with a deep, oval strike-through error.
Ken Potter discusses overstrikes found among arcade and gaming tokens, emphasizing that these are not errors. Some of these overstrikes simply represent test strikes designed to test the dies. Others represent recycling during periods of metal shortage. Thousands of overstrikes exist and they date back at least as far as the 1940’s.
Potter also devotes space to a recently discovered 1992 cent with the “close AM” design subtype on the reverse face. Prior to 1993, both business strikes and proofs were characterized by the “wide AM” design subtype. It’s possible that a reverse die prepared for 1993 was used prematurely at the tail end of 1992. There are also a few examples of a 1992-D “close AM” cent known.
Jim Checkovich continues his series on defective silver bars.
The specimen exhibited in this installment is a John F. Kennedy silver
bar from a
Checkovich waxes nostalgic over some admission badges from Error-A-Rama meetings from the early 1970’s. Each badge had attached to it an elongated cent and dime, each embossed with NECA designs.
Robert (BJ) Neff presents a 1946 and two 1946-S cents that show clear doubling of the “4”. One of the 1946-S cents shows an odd, raised diagonal line extending from the right extension of the crosslet to the upper right side of the vertical bar. Since the doubling is very similar on three different dies, the idea that this is simply die damage seems remote. Other ideas include modified hub doubling (ClassVII ), design hub doubling (Class III ), a retouched digit on a working hub, and a repunched digit.
Submitted by Mike Diamond -- CONECA Board Seat #4 -- Publicity
New In the ErrorScope
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March/April 2006 Errorscope
Review
Photo courtesy of Frank Leone
June 30, 2006 -- In this issue Mike Diamond presents us with a very curious 1995 cent that was struck through a layer of “grease”. The last digit of the date is completely duplicated, with a secondary, slightly enlarged “5” located down and to the right of the normal digit. Mike’s not sure what kind of doubling it represents, but he does use it as an excuse for reviewing no less than a dozen different types of raised doubling.
Mike also presents a second mystery coin, this one a very thin (7.46g) 1965 half dollar whose density is also abnormally low (SG=9.1). Although composed of silver and copper, it’s not at all clear that this is clad composition.
Frank Leone dips into the Sam Thurman cud collection and presents us with fistful of Susan B. Anthony dollars with die breaks of various sizes. Some represent progressions and these nicely illustrate the gradual breakup of a die. Frank also discusses a 1921 Morgan dollar with a retained cud on the reverse.
In addition to collecting cuds, Frank is a fan of brockages. At a recent auction he picked up an Indian rupee with a double brockage impression of the obverse design on the reverse face. The coin that created the brockage was probably an in-collar double strike. Frank also picked up a mated pair of in-collar uniface strikes from Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and an off-center British pattern farthing.
Ken Potter relays the story of an off-center 1847 large cent that was unexpectedly discovered in a bag of mixed date large cents, many of them culls.
Dropped letters found in recent nickels are the subject of Ken’s second article. A dropped letter occurs when a hardened plug of “mint goop” falls out of a recess in the die face and is struck into a planchet. This leaves an incuse impression of the letter when the material falls out afterward.
It’s always a treat when Bill Fivaz contributes a piece. In a short article he presents evidence for three different mintmark styles among 1955-S dimes.
Jim Checkovich explores the error side of exonumia in the form of a double-struck silver bar with a Kennedy half dollar design on the obverse.
James Wiles continues his hunt for elusive doubled die varieties and repunched mintmarks.
Submitted by Mike Diamond -- CONECA Board Seat #4 -- Publicity
New In the ErrorScope
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January/February 2006 Errorscope
Review
Image courtesy of Mike
Diamond
May 10, 2006 -- Ken Potter revives "Oh, No It Ain't ...!"
Bill Fivaz’s old column devoted to fakes and damaged coins mistaken for errors. In this installment, Ken warns us about fake silver dime blanks carrying a wide assortment of clips. These blanks flooded the market in the late 1980’s and they succeeded in fooling many coin dealers. They still come up for sale regularly.
Ken acts as the conduit for a correspondent who sent him a Kentucky quarter that was struck through on both faces by obstructing matter that Ken identifies as “mint goop”. This can be a combination of machine oil, grease, metal shavings, dirt, dust and just about anything else that can gum up an operating coinage press.
In a one-page article, Robert Knauss updates the known tally of off-center Standing Liberty quarters, adding two specimens that appeared in sales catalogs in the mid-1970’s. The whereabouts of both coins is presently unknown.
Mike Diamond contributes an article on “filled collar” errors. Such errors occur when debris or some other obstructing matter accumulates on the working face of the collar. This plug of foreign material can distort a coin when it is forced past the obstruction by the impact of the hammer die. Coin metal is relocated away from the face struck by the anvil die and forced into the gap between hammer die and collar. The result is a poorly struck design rim on the face struck by the anvil die and a thin, high flange on the face struck by the hammer die.
Diamond also writes about split dies, retained cuds, and other manifestations of die fracture. He describes the diagnostics that can be used to identify each error type. This is important, as they vary greatly in rarity and value.
In “The Dating Game”, Errorscope editor Frank Leone describes methods by which the date of a coin can be deduced even in the absence of a die-struck date. Clash marks that preserve part of the date, and subtle design changes made through the life of an issue, are just two lines of evidence that can be employed.
Frank also recounts the discovery of a rare Morgan dollar retained cud that turned up at a coin show held in Baltimore in December, 2005.
Jim Checkovich describes a silver bar struck by a private mint in which one of the dies was both broken and cancelled prior to the strike.
James Wiles continues his valiant efforts to locate examples of elusive die varieties. Here he shines the spotlight on RPM’s found among three silver quarters, three clad quarters (one proof), and five silver half dollars from the 40’s and 50’s. The doubled dies in this installment all belong to silver quarters, with the exception of a clad dime.
Submitted by Mike Diamond -- CONECA Board Seat #4 -- Publicity
New In the ErrorScope
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November/December 2005 Errorscope
Review
Images courtesy of Mike
Diamond
"Author Ken Glickman interprets this struck fragment as a piece of chopped webbing derived from punched, copper-alloy cent strip. The fragment was struck into a half dollar planchet and carries the half-dollar design on its reverse face."
April 2, 2006 -- This issue of CONECA's
Errorscope features two articles by Ken Glickman. In the first he presents an overview of
Panama ½ Balboa coins struck over earlier Kennedy half dollars. These intentional “errors” have a fascinating and still somewhat murky history. His second article deals with a bona fide error – a piece of chopped webbing from copper-alloy cent strip that was struck into a Kennedy half dollar planchet by a half dollar reverse die. This fascinating off-metal error is the end product of a remarkable chain of events.
Mike Diamond tallies four contributions to this issue.
He recounts his purchase of a fake incomplete punch on a Mercury dime. The alteration was so convincing that it fooled him and one long-time error expert. Mike’s only excuse is that the purchase was made at the very start of his collecting adventure.
Mike relays Garland McKelvey’s report of 24 additional flat die dents (paired and unpaired) found on the reverse of pre-1946 Lincoln cents. It brings the total number of die pairs to 35 and increases the time span in which these die errors can be found from 1917 to 1945. Although it’s still not clear what is leaving these dents, their relative abundance and prolonged presence indicates that a normal component of the minting process (a feed finger?) is responsible.
Mike punctures a longstanding error myth by showing that the vast majority of coins allegedly struck through feed fingers are nothing of the sort. Most coins carrying indentations with a straight border were simply indented by other planchets or coins. The great majority simply reflect an unusual pattern of metal flow that develops in some off-center strikes, while a few may represent indentations from uniface chain strikes or straight clipped planchets.
In his last article, Mike surveys some errors that can only be found on bimetallic coins. They include misaligned cores, misaligned core holes with properly seated cores, and coins with both hole and core out of alignment with the outer ring and each other. Struck rings sans core, and struck cores sans ring, round out the survey.
Ken Potter reminds us that coins dated 1964 were actually minted all the way through to April 1966. This makes silver and clad transitional errors of this period rather less of a surprise than they otherwise might be, since we’re dealing with well over a year of overlap in the production of these two compositions.
Joe Rizdy presents a short biography of error coin dealer Fred Weinberg, a fixture in the hobby since the 1960’s.
Tom Matthews recounts how his father got him started in coin collecting and how, after many years of collecting Lincoln cents by date and mintmark, he stumbled into the error/variety hobby. Right now,
RPMs (repunched mintmarks) are the focus of Tom’s collecting efforts.
Jim Checkovich plies us with a dose of nostalgia in the form of a
souvenir matchbook from a 1963 meeting of C.O.N.E, the Collectors of Numismatic Errors, one of the forerunners of CONECA.
James Wiles continues to put out his “most wanted” lists of varieties he’s looking to examine. In this issue he parades
mug shots of seven dime RPMs, five quarter RPMs, and six Roosevelt die doubled dies.
Submitted by Mike Diamond -- CONECA Board Seat #4 -- Publicity
New In the ErrorScope
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September/October 2005 Errorscope
Review
Images courtesy of Mike
Diamond
Click On Picture To See Larger View
February 11, 2006 -- In an article entitled “Upsetting News," Diamond undertakes a survey of planchets and off-center coins in which the style and extent of upset deviates sharply from the normal pattern. Some of the examples may represent planchets that went through nonstandard upset mills that were perhaps set up for a foreign denomination. Other examples may represent forms of pre-strike damage that caused a blank or an initially normal planchet to be rolled and squeezed in a mechanical device other than an upset mill. There are more questions than answers in this article.
Here is a quarter-size 2000 cent that shows doubling and proportional expansion
of the design on both faces. It may be a cent that received an initial normal strike
and was then struck a second time between two die caps or cap-like obstructions
In another of Diamond's articles that presents more
questions than answers, entitled “Replication Without Explanation," he
presents an array of very strange doubling found associated with capped die
strikes and other kinds of “struck through” errors. Some of the
doubling is incuse while other types are raised. While some of the types
of doubling presented have a credible explanations but he says the majority
still defy understanding.
Under the pseudonym “I.B. Lookin”, one of our
members recounts a visit to a local coin shop where he was allowed to scrutinize
the contents of a newly purchased collection. The very first coin he
looked at turned out to be a rare and desirable variety – an uncirculated
1942-D nickel with a D over horizontal D repunched mintmark. Our writer
naturally purchased the coin. It was ultimately graded MS-65 and later
sold at auction. The lucky fellow split some of the profits with the owner
of the coin shop, which I thought was a nice gesture.
In “Rare Coin Tales”, Jim Checkovich recounts a
Frankensteinian experiment concocted by his ever-optimistic and seriously
delusional friend Eddie Fastbuck. Eddie, always looking for the next
(actually first) big score, decides that if animals could be cloned, why not
coins? Lacking any knowledge or expertise in biology or chemistry, the
results are predictable, but still amusing.
In World Goodies, Ken Potter treats us to a 2000 Indian
2 rupees coin with a bizarre-looking notch on the edge of the coin. The
notch is beveled and bears dramatic grooves or “threads”. Perhaps someone
drilled a hole into the coin metal strip. Another possibility is that
someone screwed a metal screw into the strip and then unscrewed it before the
strip was sent on to the blanking press. We may never know.
Elsewhere in his column, Ken presents a German 1 pfennig coin with a strong
repunched mintmark, two Canadian dollars with doubled dies on the reverse, and a
Netherlands 1 cent piece with a doubled die on the obverse.
Continuing his appeal for varieties “missing in
action”, James Wiles sends out an ABP for four nickel repunched mintmarks and
eight dime repunched mintmarks. He is also seeking an additional six
doubled dies among silver Roosevelt and Mercury dimes.
Submitted by Mike Diamond -- CONECA Board Seat #4 -- Publicity
July/August 2005 Errorscope Review
December 01, 2005 -- Leading off the
list of research articles in this issue is a survey of Standing Liberty
off-center strikes authored by Robert Knaus. The article is illustrated by
some of the prettiest pictures of off-center SLQ’s that you’re ever likely
to see.
Mike Diamond puzzles over the poorly struck rims that
are nearly ubiquitous on 1985-D dimes. He notes that the absent design
rims are associated with a very well-struck edge and sharp rim/edge junction.
He concludes that the pervasive weakness seen in these dimes is due to
inadequate upsetting of the planchets. When combined with the unusually
convex obverse die used in 1985, it creates ideal conditions for a poorly struck
perimeter.
Diamond undertakes a survey of flat die dents (paired
and unpaired) that can be found on the reverse face of cents carrying the dates
1924, 1941, 1943, and 1944. Eleven different die pairs are represented
incorporating all three mints (PDS). It’s possible that a machine part
– possibly part of the feeder mechanism – is causing this damage. The
dents range from barely noticeable to quite dramatic. The strongest
example occurs in a 1924-D cent. The discoverer of most of the die dents,
Garland McKelvey, has recently reported finding something on the order of 20
more cases, ranging between the years 1920 and 1945. Sounds like an update
is in order!
James Wiles has tacked up some more “wanted posters”
in his column “Doubled Dies: Missing in Action. The culprits include a
1970-S cent (DDO-001), a 1986 cent (DDO-001), a 1987-D cent (DDO-002), a 1913
nickel (DDO-001), a 1942 nickel (DDO-002), and a 1940-S dime (DDO-001).
In the RPM version of “Missing in Action”, James
issues an all points bulletin for repunched mintmarks found among four cents and
eight nickels.
In “Rare Coin Tales” Jim Checkovich continues to
give his colorful sidekick, Eddie Fastbuck the opportunity to tell “the
truth” about his coin show heroics. In this installment he actually
manages to safe a drowning child, but whether he did so accidentally or with
intent is the subject of some controversy.
New In the ErrorScope ...
May/June 2005 Errorscope Review
Sept 10, 2005 -- In this issue, Ken Glickman recounts his lucky find of a 1981 half dollar with a full brockage from an error quarter. Such a rarity is seldom encountered, especially when prospecting through rolls of otherwise ordinary half dollars.
Mike Diamond contributes four articles to this issue. In one he re-evaluates existing theories to account for the existence of elliptical clips. The physical and statistical evidence indicates that most elliptical clips are not the result of sloppy work by mint employees, but are instead the product of equipment malfunction. One likely scenario is that an occasional blank “hangs up” in its hole in the coin metal strip and is punched again when the strip fails to advance properly. The other possibility is that an occasional blank fails to drop into its hole in the base plate, gets trapped beneath the moving strip, and is advanced to a position where it gets sheared through a second time by a descending punch.
In his second article, Diamond presents two new cases of “floating die clash”. These are die errors that result from one of the dies striking the working face of a die fragment. One die contributes the die fragment and, as a result, leaves a “cud” on each coin that is struck.
After one article on a planchet error and one on a die error, Diamond adds further variety with an article on a striking error. He presents an analysis of “aligned brockages”. These are brockages in which the incuse, mirror-image design elements are aligned with their normal raised counterparts on the opposite face. Typical brockages are out of alignment with their raised counterparts, with the most peripheral design elements situated farthest from the edge of the coin. Aligned brockages are produced by partial die caps, elliptical clip coins that rest against the collar, and elliptical strike clips that remain in position after the strike.
In his fourth and final article for this issue, Diamond discusses freestanding interior die breaks. These are die breaks that are not connected to the rim and not connected to a die crack or split die. A freestanding interior die break is created when a large flake spalls off the die face. Many are due to spontaneous fractures while some may be caused by impacts. The latter subset is likely represented by a Maryland quarter with a particularly large interior large break.
With a waggish sense of humor, Bill Fivaz presents the “earliest” Washington quarter. This bicentennial quarter had the year “1976” replaced by a cud, leaving only the date “1776”.
Nine-year old Joey Ropers presents his account of the Wisconsin “extra leaf” quarters. These intriguing die gouges or die dents have generated quite a bit of excitement in the numismatic community. We still don’t know exactly what they are and we still don’t know if they were intentional or accidental.
James Wiles continues his “Missing in Action” series for both doubled dies and repunched mintmarks. Among doubled dies he’s on the lookout for are some real whoppers including the exceedingly rare and dramatic 1958 doubled die (DD0-001), the slightly less rare but no less dramatic 1969-S doubled die (DDO-001), and the impressive 1917 doubled die (DDO-001). Rounding out the list are a doubled die from 1942 (DDO-001) and one from 1927 (DDO-001).
James seeks to examine RPM’s carrying the following dates: 1930-S (RPM-002), 1940-S (RPM-002), 1941-D (RPM-008), 1941-S (RPM-006), 1942-S (RPM-010), 1943-D (RPM-006 and RPM-014), 1948-S (RPM-003), 1949-D (RPM-004), 1956-D (RPM-014), 1959-D (RPM-012), and 1961-D (RPM-063).
Each issue is enlivened by Jim Checkovich’s column “Rare Coin Tales”. In this installment, Eddie Fastbuck recounts his selfless -- nay heroic -- actions during a smoky fire at a mall coin and collectibles show. At least that’s how Eddie sees it. Others interpret his actions quite differently.
New In the ErrorScope ...
March/April 2005 Errorscope Review
Just as there’s more than one way to skin a cat, there’s more than one way to trim a die. In “Missing Margins” Mike Diamond presents an array of die errors that show loss of the rim gutter and/or loss of the outer part of the field portion of the die face. Some dies lose their periphery through a spontaneous fracture that produces a “crescentic cud”. Others have their periphery steadily eroded when a misaligned hammer die repeatedly strikes and scrapes along the beveled entrance to the collar. Some of these “die attrition errors” have been mistaken for cuds, while others have simply escaped notice. Finally, some dies experience miscellaneous mechanical damage that chews off the outer part of the die face.
In Rare Coin Tales, Jim Checkovich allows Eddie Fastbuck to speak for himself. Eddie is sorely put out that Jim’s accounts of their shared adventures always make him look like a buffoon. Eddie sets the record straight, describing how his numismatic talents have aided many individuals over the years. He recounts how, early on in his collecting career, he sat behind a dealer’s table and made a unique impression with his people skills and business acumen. Read the story for yourself, and see whether Eddie has succeeded in burnishing his reputation.
In “World Goodies”, Ken Potter presents three German doubled dies: a 1906 1 pfennig , a 1938-D 2 pfennig, and a 1915-A 10 pfennig. He also provides close-up pictures of two repunched dates from Germany, an 1886-G 1 pfennig and a 1911-G 5 pfennig. Ken’s not at all Eurocentric, so he throws into the mix a 1960 South African 5 shillings with a reverse doubled die and an 1884-Ca MM Mexico 8 reales with a reverse doubled die.
In Split Image, James Wiles provides some excellent close-up photos of a 1994 cent with a reverse doubled die that manifests in part as extra columns within the bays of the Lincoln Memorial. He also presents a 1964 proof dime with a strong obverse doubled die that’s easily seen in the motto IN GOD WE TRUST and the designer’s initials.
Diamond also undertakes a study of die markers that can be found in a large sample of Virginia quarters produced by a single malfunctioning press. Some of these quarters display a misaligned hammer (reverse) die, others a misaligned anvil (obverse) die and misaligned collar, and still others an off-center strike. Six die stages are identified which demonstrate that these error types are pretty well intermixed. This study demonstrates that assembled progressions of steadily worsening misaligned die errors (and rotated die errors) may be the product of wishful thinking. The actual pattern of error production may be quite erratic. All proposed progressions must henceforth be backed up by die markers.
A 1987 article by Bob Larkin on how to write an article is reprinted in this issue. Sound advice never grows stale.
In RPM Report, Wiles highlights repunched mintmarks in a 1939-D quarter and five nickels dated 1942-D, 1943-P (2 of them), 1948-S, and 1981-D.
Finally, in this months “Beginner’s Page”, Mike Ellis assists novice collectors in recognizing an array of relatively common errors.
Member News ...
Errorscope Back On Track!
May 19, 2005 -- Faithful CONECA Members patiently waiting for Errorscope to arrive in their mailboxes in the last few months have noticed that it has slipped behind. After a series a glitches, I am happy to report that we are now back on track. Our editor, Frank Leone, sent PDF files of the final version of the Jan/Feb and March/April issues for the BOD & Officers to view and they look great! You can see Jan/Feb Issue here. Thanks to all for your patience!
New In the ErrorScope ...
Nov/Dec 2004 Errorscope Review
This issue features three articles by Mike Diamond. One entails an update on the subject of “die subsidence” – coins struck by dies in which the die face has collapsed. He presents a 1974-D dime and a Phillipines 5 sentimos coin, each of which features a split die along with a well-defined zone of subsidence. The phenomenon is shown to also occur in coins struck by private mints, although in these coins – exemplified by a 1943-D copper cent reproduction – the entire die face sinks in to create a low dome on the struck coin. Several new bi-level die cracks are also presented.
Mike relays photos and observations from CONECA member Eric Justice who discovered a 1998-P nickel struck perhaps one hundred times. The strikes are so close together that individual strikes can only be distinguished under high magnification. Mike ponders the mechanisms responsible for the slow crawl that the coin made across the striking chamber during this unprecedented battering.
Finally, Mike turns to the endlessly fascinating subject of doubling. He describes a case of counterclash caused by the following sequence: 1) a clash; 2) a lateral shift of the obverse die; 3) a second clash. When each die struck the raised clash marks on its counterpart, the clash marks were transferred to back to the die as incuse design elements which naturally are expressed on the coin as raised design elements.
Bill Fivaz also takes on clash marks, presenting a 1929 Colombia 5 Pesos with a particularly strong set on both faces.
Christian Merlo gives us the skinny on Flying Eagle and Indian cent die varieties to be found on eBay. He’s been scouting for these for quite some time, and shares with us the relative frequency, price, and condition of many well-known (and some not so well-known) varieties. Christian throws in some cautionary advice about pitfalls awaiting novice collectors who bid on raw coins that may not be accurately attributed.
Our regular columns include World Goodies by Ken Potter. In this issue Ken presents some doubled dies and repunched dates from Peru
In Split Image, James Wiles profiles a 1974-D cent with a Class VI doubled die and a 1954 proof nickel with a Class II doubled die. In “RPM Report” James lays out some high quality photographs of repunched mint marks in a 1950-S cent, P-mintmark nickels from 1942, 1943, and 1945, and a proof 1971-S quarter.
No issue of Errorscope is complete without an Eddie Fastbuck story recounted by his continually astonished friend, Jim Checkovich. Eddie – hustler and schemer extraordinaire -- tends rub people the wrong way. Several dealers decide to exact some payback at a coin show with a devious and rather cruel practical joke. But for once in Eddie’s life, he’s not the one who gets nailed.
Submitted by Mike Diamond -- CONECA Board Seat #4 -- Publicity
Sept/Oct 2004 Errorscope Review
December 02, 2004 -- Every two years, candidates for CONECA officer slots and board seats publish their election platforms. The September/October 2004 issue continues this tradition. Running unopposed are: Mike Ellis, for the open position of President; Jim
Checkovich, returning as Treasurer; Ynes Zavala, for the open position of Secretary; Paul
Funaiole, returning to Board Seat #1 (Membership); Frank Leone, returning to Board Seat #2 (Publications); Mike Diamond, returning to Board Seat #4 (Publicity and Elections); Ken Potter, returning to Board seat #5 (Webmaster); Sean Reynolds, returning to Board Seat #6 (Attribution and Examination Services); Rich
Schemmer, for open Board Seat #7 (Historian), and Jason Taylor, returning to Board Seat #8 (Errorama/ANA). Board Seat #3 (Youth Director) has two candidates -- Joe Rizdy and Jon Sullivan.
Nine full pages of this issue are devoted to Mike Diamond’s study of horizontal misalignments of the anvil die. Both major and minor examples of this little known error type are featured. Major horizontal misalignments require both the collar and the anvil die to move sideways. Coins are therefore
broadstruck, as demonstrated by a progression of Virginia quarters. Lateral movement of the anvil die is also possible when the collar breaks apart, freeing the die from its confining sleeve. A 1984 cent is presented as one likely product of such a press calamity.
Jesse B. Dean presents a Hungary 2 filler with what at first appears to be a misaligned center hole. However, it’s not the hole that’s misaligned; it’s the obverse face. Since the hole is punched after the coin is struck, the hole will not be centered on the face struck by a misaligned hammer die.
Jason Taylor presents a useful summary of mintmark styles present on nickels from 1941 to 1949. In doing so, he discovers that some information in Walter Breen’s Encyclopedia is incorrect.
In “Split Image” James Wiles provides close-up shots of some of the new, highly publicized doubled dies that have yet to be fully explained, as they are evidently produced by the “single squeeze” hubbing method. His sample includes cents from 2001, 2003, and 2004, as well as a 1999 Susan B. Anthony dollar.
In “RPM Report, Dr. Wiles provides snappy photos of the following cents: 1961-D (RPM-072), 1938-D (RPM-006), 1942-D (RPM-015), 1943-D (RPM-009), 1943-S (RPM-004), and 1937-D (RPM-004).
Ken Potter shows us some Peruvian doubled dies in his “World Goodies” column. Peru has generated a tremendous number of die varieties, many of which are quite dramatic. Fertile hunting awaits any collector with the patience to plow through a foreign “junk box” salted with Peruvian coins.
As recounted in “Rare Coin Tales”, Jim Checkovich visits his friend and muse Eddie
Fastbuck, who is laid up in the hospital. Eddie decided to get down and dirty by hiring two dimwitted gorillas to drug, blind, and otherwise interfere with the activities of rival cherrypickers at a recent coin show. Naturally, his plans backfired in grand fashion.
In Giveaway #30, Joe Rizdy acts as a conduit for Bob Mohan’s generosity in dispensing some 1960-D cents with RPM #109.
Submitted by Mike Diamond -- CONECA Board Seat #4 -- Publicity
CONECA Errorscope Review
Vol. 13 No. 3 May/June 2004 Review
May 15, 2004 -- The May/June issue of the CONECA Errorscope is now
in the mail and being received by members! Mike Diamond takes a look at recent
misaligned die clashes. He explains that a misaligned die clash occurs when dies collide
while the obverse die is out of alignment in respect to the reverse. Horizontal
misalignments, vertical misalignment, and pivoted misalignments are featured, along with
multiple clash marks in which some are significantly misaligned.
Jon Sullivan examines a range of surface imperfections that are
inflicted after the strike and assesses their impact on an error coin's value. Abrasions,
scratches, circular scrapes, and artificial toning are just some of the categories
mentioned.
Frank Leone brings us a market update of sorts on the value of errors
found on world coins as reflected in recent eBay auctions. While prices of U.S. errors
have skyrocketed, the prices of similar errors on world coins have barely budged. This may
be where the budget conscious error collector may be heading in the future.
In his "Wowsers" column, Leone brings us a bicentennial
Eisenhower dollar with a defective, peeling clad layer on the obverse and a
"clamshell" separation of the reverse clad layer. His second wowser is a
multi-struck, bonded pair of 1998 cents.
In his "Metallurgy 119" column, Chris Pilliod dissects a
badly worn Indian cent that appears to have a full, mirror brockage of the reverse design
on the obverse. His analysis indicates that the brockage is probably a fake.
In his "RPM Report," James Wiles documents repunched
mintmarks on cents dated 1923-S, 1925-S, 1937-D, 1944-D, 1969-S, and 1971-S. In his
companion "Split Image" column, Wiles profiles a Class II doubled die on a
1953-D nickel and a Class I doubled die on a 1968-S proof half dollar.
In "The Dictionary" Wiles discriminates between "ragged
clips" and "defective planchets," both of which arise from natural fissures
or irregularities in the coin metal strip. Herein, he also provides recommendations for
collectors considering the purchase of a hand lens, one of the most important tools in the
arsenal of an error/variety collector.
In his "World Goodies" column, Ken Potter shows us a tripled
die Swiss 2 rappen and along with a Canadian cent and a Canadian nickel, each struck on a
Canadian ten cent planchet. He finishes off his potpourri of errors with an off-center
1971 Philippines 25 sentimos and an off-center 1966 Bahamas 25 cents.
Jim Checkovich dimly surveys Eddie Fastbuck's latest scheme to part
collectors from their money in the latest installment "Rare Coin Tales."
Eddie thinks that clever marketing can do the trick. Apply an impressive-sounding,
multi-word, multi-syllabic, (and ultimately undecipherable) label to even the most
commonplace product, and people will think it's worth three times its actual value. Sort
of like describing a tooth brush as a "manually operated, reciprocating, plaque
removal system."
CONECA's Stable Of Authors
Tantalize Readers
Vol. 13 No. 2 March/April 2004 Review
Image © Ken Potter 2003/Coin courtesy of R. A. Medina
April 02, 2004 -- In his "World Goodies" column, Ken
Potter presents the strongest doubled die known on an Italian coin. Listed as
VCR#1/DDO#1/DDR#1, this 1975 100 Lire features a very strong doubled die on both the
obverse and the reverse. He also provides space for a 1979 Mexico 20 centavos with a
strong obverse doubled die that he lists as VCR#5/DDR#1 and a German 1921-A 50 pfennig
with a doubled die obverse that he lists as VCR#1/DDO#1.
Standing front and center in this issue are Standing Liberty quarter
errors! An array of droolworthy striking errors are presented by Robert Knauss. Included
are several double strikes and a partial brockage.
In a lengthy article, Mike Diamond discusses what he refers to as an
"extrusion strike," an effect that may be found in association with a wide range
of error types. According to Diamond, in an extrusion strike, coin metal squeezes
explosively into a gap located above or below the planchet. This leaves a die-struck area
on one face and an unstruck, hollowed-out area on the opposite face.
In another article, Diamond describes an unusual double-struck 1969-D
dime that he refers to as an "invisible strike." According to Diamond,
"The first strike was normal but the dies failed to approximate normally in the
second strike. They were too far apart at their closest approach to leave an impression
except where a struck dime intruded over the obverse face and a planchet intruded beneath
the reverse face. The result is two widely separated islands of die-struck design, one on
the reverse (opposite a partial brockage) and one on the obverse (opposite an
indent)."
William C. Massey ponders the appropriate name to apply to a very small
clip that just barely disturbs the edge of a solid-alloy coin. He chooses to follow Alan
Herbert in restricting the use of the term "disc clip" to clad coins, so
instead, offers the term "kiss clip" as a substitute. Whether this term catches
on remains to be seen.
In his "The Dictionary" column, James Wiles describes the
distinction between a "rim clip" and a "disc clip," noting that the
later term is restricted to clad coins. He notes that both are very small curved
clips but that the disc clip is small enough to be obliterated by the strike where it
fills-in due to metal flow. The phenomenon of the "reversal of clad
layers" observable within the "clip area" on the edges of clad coins is
mentioned as the diagnostic in identifying otherwise undetectable disc clips (where only
the "reversal" remains as evidence the the clip).
Frank Leone profiles two bust halves from the Sam Thurman cud
collection. According to Leone, on one coin (CBHD-1836-1), the alleged cud proved to be
simply post-strike damage. The other half dollar (CBHD-1833-1-Ret) turned out to be a
counterfeit that was already known to be bogus among collectors of bust half counterfeits.
In "The Survey Asks", Wiles describes the difficulty in
cross-referencing die variety attribution numbers. Outdated, incorrect, incomplete, and
inaccessible listings available elsewhere are difficult to reconcile with CONECA's more
complete and publicly available lists. Attribution numbers in The Cherrypickers' Guide
have been cross-referenced to CONECA's numbers.
In "Split Images", James Wiles highlights a 1967 quarter with
a Class V doubled die (DDR-004) and a 1964 half dollar with Class II doubled die
(DDO-035). In his "RPM Report," Wiles provides photographs and diagnostics for
six repunched mintmark varieties found on a 1971-S dime, 1939-D quarter, 1942-S quarter,
1968-S quarter, 1971-S quarter, and 1962-D half dollar.
Frank Leone strains his eyes by counting the denticles in two cent
pieces and Indian cents. The outcome of this exercise is reported in his column "2
Times." Interestingly, Frank discovers that obverse denticle counts vary
between the 1864 Small Motto and 1864 Large Motto two cent pieces. In both, obverse
denticle counts are larger (by one and two denticles, respectively) than the reverse. An
even larger mismatch is seen in Indian cents where the obverse has four more denticles
than the reverse. The reason for the mismatch in denticle number is unclear.
Finally, our resident storyteller, Jim Checkovich, describes another
adventure with the hapless but eternally optimistic Eddie Fastbuck. In this episode, the
two intrepid collectors sneak into an abandoned (and reputedly haunted) house at night in
search of coins under the floorboards. They never get that far...but they do survive to
hunt another day.
Diamond Examines Brockage
Dimes w/Sockets!
Vol. 13 No. 1 Jan/Feb 2004 Review
Images courtesy of Mike Diamond/Coins courtesy of Fred Weinberg
Feb. 14, 2004 -- Mike Diamond once again prowls the remote corners
of the hobby to bring back another mind-blowing error. He presents an analysis of three
dimes that have confounded some of the best minds in the hobby for the last 20 years. The
coins represent a progression struck in a press that went wildly amiss. Each coin features
a full brockage on the obverse, a weak, slightly off-center strike, three die breaks
("cuds") on the reverse, and three corresponding depressions on the obverse.
Diamond concludes that a dime was impaled on three "prongs" extending from the
obverse die face - prongs that fit into three "sockets" in the reverse die face.
This impaled dime proceeded to strike a series of dimes, including the three presented
here. Naturally, there is room for disagreement when such a wild scenario is offered and
Diamond welcomes opposing views.
Frank Leone returns to familiar territory in profiling several bust
halves with cuds. They come from the Sam Thurman collection. Frank has only just begun
scratching the surface of this invaluable reference collection. We can expect much, much
more from him on this in the coming years.
Christian Merlo describes his latest auction adventures on eBay, and
laments the passing of the days of easy pickings. It seems that people are becoming more
educated in what to look for, no doubt in part due to the efforts of CONECA. The
"stealth auction" is not quite a thing of the past, but has gotten more elusive.
CONECA's indefatigable historian, Mike Bozovich, uses the vehicle of
two old issues of The Numismatist (Journal of The American Numismatic Association) to
travel back to 1921 where he finds the earliest accounts of error collecting that he is
aware of.
Our regular columnists are as busy as ever. Ken Potter, in his
"World Goodies" column provides pictures and commentary on several doubled die
varieties and repunched design elements from Chile.
In his "Wowsers!" column, Frank Leone parades before us a
beautiful first-strike, in-collar brockage on the obverse of a 1955 Canadian cent (the
face struck by the anvil die, in this case). He also displays a two-tailed 1980
"mule" cent from Canada, one of several two-tailed mules known from that
country.
In his "Split Image" column, James Wiles features a 1909
doubled die cent (DDR-005), and a 1971-S doubled die proof nickel (DDO-008). In Wiles'
"RPM Report", we are treated to photomicrographs of a 1944-P, 1970-S proof, and
1971-S proof nickel, and a 1911-D, 1971-S proof, and 1971-S proof dime.
James Wiles continues his ongoing column devoted to defining terms used
in the error/variety hobby. In this installment of "The Dictionary" he explains
the difference between a brockage and a late-stage capped die strike. Right next to it, in
a companion column called "The Survey Asks", Wiles directs readers to helpful
resources that members may consult in understanding hobby acronyms and definitions.
In "Rare Coin Tales" Jim Checkovich fantasizes about our
lawsuit-averse culture infiltrating the hobby in the form of ridiculous warning labels
that already festoon many of our products and appliances. Don't be surprised if some of
the new designs replace familiar mottos with warnings not to ingest, ignite, throw, or
step on our coins and currency.
In "Metallurgy 118", Chris Pilliod shows that appearances can
be deceiving when it comes to Indian cents. An 1864 Indian cent that looked broadstruck
wasn't anything of the sort. Poorly defined denticles that merge with the rim can create
the appearance of a wider-than-normal coin.
Brian Raines continues "counting coup" as he takes trophies
from unsuspecting coin dealers. At several shows he visited in October, he acquired an
astonishing number of varieties. They were almost too numerous to fit on one page in
tightly spaced, triple column format.
To join CONECA and receive the club's bimonthly journal, Errorscope,
click on the link below.
Review submitted courtesy of Mike Diamond -- CONECA
Publicity Chairperson
Taylor Reviews Counterfeit '44 5c
Vol. 12 No. 6 Nov/Dec 2003 Review
Image Courtesy Of Jason Taylor
Dec. 12, 2003 -- The latest issue of the Errorscope is now in
member's hands and chock full of information you won’t find anywhere else!
Jason Taylor provides a useful history of the infamous 1944
"Henning nickel". This was a well-executed counterfeit that was produced in
large quantities. Problem was, the counterfeiter failed to use an appropriate reverse die,
which should have had a large mintmark over Monticello’s dome. Sort of like trying to
palm off a fake Rolex watch with the name spelled Rollex.
A new column debuted in this issue: Cherrypicker’s Report.
Submitted by ace cherrypicker Brian Raines, we marvel at his luck and acumen in managing
to find 50 different gems in a single weekend.
Mike Diamond presents a comprehensive survey of die damage, covering
die gouges, die dents, die scrapes and damage that is difficult to classify.
He also has a short article concerning implications arising from an
off-center "invisible strike" nickel. According to Diamond, "Invisible
strikes" occur when the minimum clearance between the dies exceeds the thickness of a
planchet. In such circumstances, the only way design can be left on a coin is if another
coin, planchet, or object intrudes into the striking chamber and takes up the excess
space. In this case, Diamond theorizes that a nickel was struck off-center, (under
apparently normal conditions), stuck to the obverse die, and was then struck into the next
planchet. There was a sudden increase in minimum clearance between the first and second
strikes.
Ken Potter provides his usual interesting roundup of international die
varieties and errors in his World Goodies column. Perhaps the most interesting specimen is
a 1988 Mexico commemorative 5000 Pesos which exhibits a series of concentric lathe marks
on both the obverse and reverse dies. Potter indicates that the US Mint theorized a
possible cause as being the result of the conical-shaped "face" of an unhubbed
working die not being adequately polished (to remove lathe lines) prior to hubbing.
The US Mint examined a 1996 US cent for Potter with a similar lathe pattern (also shown in
the article).
James Wiles continues to provide assistance to the novice and
reinforcement to hobby veterans in his "Dictionary" column. In this issue he
clarifies the difference between laminations and die cracks. Many people confuse long
straight lamination cracks (a planchet error), with die cracks, so there is certainly a
need for such refreshers.
Wiles' also introduces a new column entitled "The Survey
Asks". In it he addresses some of the results our recent member survey. In this issue
he provides some help to those who ask "Could you provide a year to year rarity
factor for each error type"? A Herculean task, to be sure!
In his "Split Image" column, James profiles 1954-D half
dollar DDO-001 and 1966 half dollar DDO-034.
In his "RPM Report", James profiles three nickels from the
year 1945 and three proof 1971-S nickels.
Jim Checkovich regales us with the further (mis)adventures of Eddie
Fastbuck and his long suffering friend. In this episode, Eddie’s hearing impaired
father pays a visit.
Frank Leone introduces us to new CONECA member Rocky Sorrentino. Rocky
runs an antiques and collectibles store in New Jersey. A colorful and friendly bloke,
Rocky’s main interest is antique toys.
For those of us who were unable to travel there, James Wiles provides
us with some photos from the ANA summer seminar, most of which are from the Creative
Errors session, run by Ron Landis of the Gallery Mint.
Finally, Frank Leone offers a short tribute to the late Pete Bishal,
who livened up the hobby in a memorable way.
Shield Nickel Varieties
Featured In Errorscope
Vol. 12 No. 5 Sept/Oct 2003 Review
Oct 22, 2003 -- The current issue of
CONECA's Official Publication, Errorscope, is now in the hands of
members. It features regular columns from James Wiles (The RPM Report and Split
Image), Jim Checkovich (Rare Coin Tales), Joe Rizdy (Give-Away #24), Paul F. Funaiole
(Membership News), Ken Potter (World Goodies), and Frank Leone (Wowsers).
Additionally, it contains feature articles from Robert H. Knauss
(Standing Liberty Quarter Die and Collar Clashes), Mike Diamond (More Vertical Die
Misalignments), Frank Leone (Errorama 1983), Christian Merlo (BUSTED! Or, How
Cherrypicking Benifits Everyone) and Ken Hill (Shield Nickel
Varieties).
Striking Errors, Doubled Dies,
RPMs & More
Featured In Errorscope
Vol. 12 No. 4 July/August 2003 Review
July 14, 2003 -- The current issue of
CONECA's Official Publication, Errorscope, is now in the mail and being
received by members. It features regular columns from James Wiles (The RPM Report
and Split Image), Jim Checkovich (Rare Coin Tales), Joe Rizdy (Give-Away #23), Paul F.
Funaiole (Membership News), Chris Pilliod (Metallurgy 117), Ken Potter (World Goodies),
and Frank Leone (2 Times).
Additionally, it contains feature articles from Mike Diamond
("One-Sided" Multi-Strikes: An Update, and an editorial on terminology), William
"Ed" Eubanks (The 2002 Kennedy Half Collar Cud), Tom DeLorey (Unprecedented U.S.
Doubled Die Error Discovered [on an 1872 Dime]), Frank Leone (First Recorded Sale of the
1872 Doubled Die Reverse Dime Occurs on Ebay, and A Brockaged Barber Dime), Jason Taylor
(A Star Is Born), Christian Merlo (Learning From Lemonpicks, and Obverse Half Dime
Cherrypick). Other features included an announcement of this and last year's CONECA
Literary Award Winners and CONECA's Errorama Schedule of events for this year's upcoming
ANA Convention.
Photo courtesy of Ken Hill
Pilliod's Metallurgy column focuses on "The Struck Through Error" and is illustrated by photos taken by Ken Hill. It features a look at an undated Indian Head cent and a 1944 Lincoln cent that are struck thru struck fragments.
Photo courtesy of James Wiles
Wiles' RPM Report features six new listings including two on United States commemorative half dollars reported by Tim Wissert. The 1938-D Texas commemorative half dollar RPM is featured here.
New In the ErrorScope:
Doubled Dies, Cuds, RPMs &
More
Featured In Errorscope
Vol 12 No 3 May/June 2003 Review
May 21, 2003 -- The current issue of
CONECA's Official Publication, Errorscope, is now in the
mail and being received by members. It features regular columns from James Wiles
(The RPM Report and Split Image), Jim Checkovich (Rare Coin Tales), Joe Rizdy (Give-Away
#22), Paul F. Funaiole (Membership News) and Frank Leone (2 Times).
Additionally, it contains feature articles from Lane J. Brunner, Ph.D.
(Mint Mark Varieties of the 1875-S Twenty-Cent Piece), Bill Fivaz (An Early (I Mean
Early!) Mint Error), Frank Leone (About The Cover Coin), Robert H. Knauss (Standing
Liberty Quarter Laminations), Christian Merlo (Flying Eagle Cherrypick) and Ken Hill (More
on Shield [Nickel] Varieties).
Mike Diamond takes a look at some unusual cuds in his Four Unusual Cuds
article and Ken Potter's World Goodies column features three world varieties with
perhaps the most interesting of the trio being a German 1939-D 2 Reichspfennig
bearing a doubled die obverse and reverse.
Opinions expressed in articles or other features
posted on the CONECA web site do not necessarily represent official CONECA policy or those
of it's officers. The act of submitting material shall constitute an expressed
warranty by the contributor that the material is original; if not, the source and
permission must be provided.
