Celebrating Our 28th Anniversary!

1983 - 2011

Welcome to the CONECA Web Site!  CONECA (pronounced: CŌ´NECA) is a national numismatic organization devoted to the education of error and variety coin collectors. CONECA focuses on many error and variety specialties, including doubled dies, Repunched mintmarks, multiple errors, clips, double strikes, off-metals and off-centers -- just to name a few.   In addition to its website, CONECA publishes an educational  journal, The Errorscope, which is printed and mailed to members bimonthly. CONECA offers a lending library, examination, listing and attribution services; it holds annual meetings at major conventions (referred to as Errorama) around the country.  Please visit our site and enjoy!

Homepage updated 10/09/2011 

In The News ... 

Die Clashes Dominate At SDCS

Images © Ken Potter / Coin courtesy of Bill Gladden

    October 09, 2011 -- The 52nd Suburban Detroit Coin Show held in Livonia, Michigan September 29-30-Oct 1 has come and gone.  As was the case at the last show, the Combined Organizations of Numismatic Error Collectors of America was offered a table for me to act as the “answer man” on error-variety coins and to shoot images for my articles. 
    Two coins that I felt were very interesting and of a timely nature were a 2011-P Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential dollar and a 2011-P ATB Olympic quarter both of which boast strong Clashed Dies. Both coins also represent the latest and last designs to be released for this year for their respective series.
    The Rutherford dollar displays spectacularly strong clash marks on both the obverse and reverse.  This is one of those coins where there is no reason for me to add arrows to the images to point out the anomalies – they just reach out and grab you on both the obverse and reverse.
    I'd like to thanks Chuck Sharp, the promoter of the show for giving CONECA four tables this year, not only for my work but so that CONECA members, Mike Howard and James Motley could exhibit several cases of error coins along with giving seven PowerPoint presentations spanning two days on an introduction to error-variety coins.  

See The Numismaster Story

CONECA Members Share ... 

More CONECA's Errorama Photos Posted

 

  
A great shot of Bill Fivaz and his better half Marilyn Fivaz who we were honored
to have attend the banquet not only for their presence but so that Bill could
receive his Kenny Knapp Grand Slam Award in person.

 

    October 06, 2011 -- I promised there would be many more images of this year's Errrorama posted on the Errorama page and now they are there.  To see them all>> See The Continuing Story Here

 

In The News ... 

CONECA Member Finds 2nd '66 DDR Cent

Image © Ken Potter 2011 / Coin courtesy of Rick Carlson

    October 03, 2011 -- According to a story in the current issue of Numismatic News, longtime Illinois variety coin specialist Rick Carlson has found what appears to be one of the strongest and perhaps one of the rarest Class I doubled die reverse cents known in the Lincoln Memorial cent series. He found an earlier die state specimen of a 1966 doubled die reverse in a high circulated grade while searching through change. It’s listed by the Combined Organizations of Numismatic Error Collectors of America as DDR-001 (1-R-I-CW) and represents only the second specimen reported in 12 years since it was first publicized in CONECA's Errorscope in 1999.

See Rest Of Story On Numismaster

See Rest Of Story On Numismatic News Website

More images can be seen in the hard-copy version of Numismatic News

CONECA Members Share ... 

CONECA's Errorama a Smashing Success!
by Mark Lighterman - LM

 

Image courtesy of Dave Harper / Krause Publications
CONECA President Mark Lighterman (center) holds the CONECA Hall Of Fame award of which this

year's inductee, James Wiles, could not attend to receive formally.  From left are previous inductees:
Ken Potter, Alan Herbert, Bill Fivaz and Mike Ellis.  We all wished that James could have been there!

    September 29, 2011 -- As a writer who usually goes straight to the subject matter I have decided to try something different in how I will present my report on this year’s Errorama held in Chicago, IL. This time I am presenting it in more of a diary story format then a formal report style. So now I present Errorama 2011.

 

See The Story Here

Whitman Publishing Releases New
Cherrypickers’ Guide: 5th Edition, Volume II

    September 28, 2011 -- Whitman Publishing is releasing a new, expanded, and updated volume of the award-winning Cherrypickers’ Guide to Rare Die Varieties of United States Coins. The fifth edition, volume II, covers half dimes to silver and modern dollars, plus gold dollars through double eagles, commemoratives, and bullion. It will be available in November 2011, online (including at www.Whitman.com), and from booksellers, hobby shops, and coin dealers nationwide, for $39.95. 
    Longtime die-variety specialist Ken Potter has joined the Cherrypickers’ team as editor of the new volume, working with the book’s original creators, Bill Fivaz and J.T. Stanton.
    “Cherrypicking” involves examining coins that look normal at first glance, but have unusual characteristics (like doubled and tripled dies, overdates, and repunched mintmarks) that can reveal a common coin to be a rare and valuable variety. The Cherrypickers’ Guide includes close-up photographs and descriptions to guide the reader, plus market information and values in multiple grades, for more than 780 varieties. Appendices include essays on types of doubling, how to examine your coins, Proof set varieties, collector clubs, recommended reading, and other beginner and advanced topics.
    Accurate pricing was an important goal for editor Ken Potter. “We coordinated our pricing with input from dealers, collectors, and other hobby experts and specialists,” said Potter. “For each variety we studied retail prices, coin-show activity, and real-world auction results, in detail, in order to report the most accurate values possible.”
    The new volume is 32 pages longer than the fourth edition, with more than 100 new varieties. “Most of the additions are within the popular modern series,” said Whitman publisher Dennis Tucker. “We have new Mercury dimes, more than a dozen each of new Roosevelt dimes and Kennedy half dollars, two dozen new Washington quarters, including State and National Park varieties, and new modern dollars. The entire bullion section is new, covering silver, gold, and platinum coins. And we’ve included additional varieties in the older coinage series, as well.”
    The Cherrypickers’ Guide can be pre-ordered online before its November rollout, including at www.Whitman.com.
Submitted by Whitman Publishing, LLC

In The News ...
Herbert Details P.D.S. Cataloging System

Image © Ken Potter 2011 / Coin Courtesy of Frank Danna / Shot at Michigan State Numismatic Society Spring Convention
Shown here is an 1980 Indent Strike that falls in the Striking Error-Variety Division.
It was struck through an Off Center cent that was uniface on the reverse.  
Thus the unusual spread of the indented area.

    September 26, 2011 -- The P.D.S. cataloging system used here to list minting varieties was originally compiled by Alan Herbert in 1971. PDS stands for the three main divisions of the minting process, “planchet,” “die” and “striking.” Two more divisions cover collectible modifications after the strike, as well as non-collectible alterations, counterfeits and damaged coins.

See The Rest Of Article

See Division I: Planchet Varieties Article

See Division IV - Official Mint Modifications

In The News ...
Errors Range From Cents Through Gold At ANA/Errorama

Image © Ken Potter 2011
Here's an 1862 3c Silver Piece that boasts a rotationally misaligned die clash submitted by Dennis Mize.

    September 26, 2011 -- From hard to buy gold errors to errors on popular collector coins, this year I had the privilege of seeing many of them at the American Numismatic Association World’s Fair Of Money Aug. 16-20 in suburban Chicago. For a greater part of each day, I spent considerable time sitting behind the Combined Organizations Of Numismatic Error Collectors of America’s club table explaining to folks what kind of errors and varieties they brought for review. I also scrounged the floor to find a few neat errors and varieties to shoot photographs of.

See Rest Of Numismaster Story (more images shown in hard-copy of the current issue of Numismatic News)

Recent Finds ...
Rotated Reverse Proof JFK Found In Bank 

    September 26, 2011 -- James Obler of Fresno, CA reports finding a 1983-S Proof Kennedy half dollar while searching through coins he obtained from the bank.   Now if you think finding a proof half dollar mixed in a roll of other mixed date business strike half dollars is unusual, well, you are correct.  However it does occur from time to time for most folks that search half dollar rolls regularly, (mainly searching for silver halves).  But even more unusual about this find is that it has a massive rotated rotated reverse die!  The images he provided of it in the ANACS holder show the obverse positioned straight up and down while flipping it over to view the reverse clearly displays just far out of proper position these dies were when this coin was struck.  The variety is not listed as being known on the Rotated  Die Coin Census web site, (http://www.rotateddies.com), which makes it even more interesting.  Nice find James!

CONECA At The ANA
Benefits of CONECA's Website Video
Video by David Lisot

 

    September 26, 2011 -- Ken Potter is well known in the numismatic industry for his many talents and areas of expertise. His involvement and knowledge with error coins and varieties includes functioning as the webmaster for CONECA. Hear him explain what is involved... read more »

See More David Lisot Videos Here

In The News ...
E-Sylum Features Article On Coin Presses
& History Of Janvier Pantograph

    August 12, 2011 -- This week's E-Sylum features articles by  Dick Johnson on the History of Coinage Presses and The Janvier Die-Engraving Pantograph. Both of these are reprints from 2004 issues of the E-Sylum, an electronic publication the Numismatic Bibliomania Society.  The two stories can be found here:  http://www.coinbooks.org/club_nbs_esylum_v14n32.html#article19

Membership News ...
Sept/Oct ErrorScope Features New DD Cent,
Dbl Struck JFK & More

Image © Ken Potter 2011
1988 Doubled Ear cent listed as CONECA DDO-003

    August 07, 2011 -- The upcoming September/October issue of the ErrorScope, the bimonthly journal of the Combined Organizations of Numismatic Error Collectors of America, features new finds ranging from a new 1988 Doubled Die Obverse cent to a Double Struck 1972-D Kennedy half-dollar.  Sandwiched in between are articles on subjects as diverse as who hobby pioneer James G. Johnson Jr. was to an article on a foreign doubled die, a Standing Liberty quarter cud, Ike dollar “Peg Leg” varieties and miscellaneous errors on US coins.
    Ken Potter writes about a 1988 Doubled Die cent that was first reported by Christopher Beck of FL and sent in by Billy Crawford that features a strong double earlobe that he contends should vie for the same attention given to the 1984 and 1997 double ear cents.  Potter points out that the later two varieties are in the Guide Book To United States Coins, edited by Kenneth Bressett and the Professional edition of the same book respectively.  He compares the features on all three varieties and details the probable causes of the doubling.
    Rick Emery writes about a spectacular Double Struck 1972-D Kennedy half-dollar that he found while looking through a batch of common-date coins that he purchased from an estate. In the hoard was a mint-sewn bag of 1972-D Kennedy halves that he said he almost returned to the bank without checking, only to change his mind and find the double struck coin.
    Oscar Ernesto Tiznado Moya, a young numismatist (YN) details why he got started collecting coins and describes some of the early numismatic additions to his collection, searching through wheat cents, his interest in the 1955 cent and his purchase of a book on error-variety coins that peeked his interest is this area.
    In his article, When It Comes To Split Dies, Things Aren’t Always What They Seem, CONECA President, Mike Diamond suggests that many of the coins now cataloged as Split Die Strikes and believed to be fully spit across the face of the die may not be so.  He shows compelling evidence with a series of images that this is an area that needs more research.
   In his article, Neenah Double Struck Inlet - ‘Curb Box’, ErrorScope editor, Jeff Ylitalo writes about a Neenah Foundry Co. drainage grate frame that he noticed had the name of the firm double stuck into its curb cover.  He photographed the doubling and tied it into numismatics by noting that while taking a walk he found a dime wedged into one of these covers and continued to look as he walked on, saying "dimes add up."
    Robert H. Knauss continues his look at Standing Liberty quarter varieties featuring a progression of photos detailing different stages of a 1930-S quarter ranging from a die crack to the eventual failure of the die culminating in a major die break or what many refer to as a "Cud."  
    Roger W. Beckner shares a German States - Baden 1912-G 3 Mark coin bearing a strong doubled die reverse that Potter has listed in his Variety Coin Register as VCR#1/DDR#1.
    Coin World editor, Beth Deisher contributes a biography on error-variety pioneer, James G. Johnson Jr. who joined Coin World as an associate editor in 1960 and in the same year launched two columns, Collectors' Clearinghouse and Fair to Very Fine.  Collectors' Clearinghouse continues to be a popular feature today.  Deisher also sent the 1992 Coin World Obituary on Johnson and a photograph of him examining a coin.  A form of CONECA YN Membership named after Johnson for YNs sponsored and paid for by adults. 
    Andrew J. Oskam, provides a profusely illustrated article on 1972-D Eisenhower dollars featuring to the so-called Peg Leg R of LIBERTY.  He theorizes that unlike conventional theory that suggests they were produced though die abrasion that in fact many appear to be from dies that were hubbed in that manner to start.
    CONECA Youth Director, Jon P. Sullivan's, What’s The Error? column features a 1968-D Kennedy half-dollar error.  He asks YNs what type of error it is, offering a free cent planchet to any YN that can correctly identify it.
    Rachel Irish's, Membership News indicates that the club brought in 32 new members in the past two months and that a number of members sent in donations.
    The September/October ErrorScope will be mailed to members on or about September 1 and will be uploaded to the CONECA website's Member's Only area on the same date.
    CONECA's website is located at: www.concecaonline.org and contains many educational articles, an interactive error-variety coin forum , an index to all books and other literature the club has for loan, and a member's only area featuring digital copies of many back issues of the ErrorScope. 
    Anybody wanting to join CONECA should contact the Rachel Irish at mrirish5@roadrunner.com for an application or may download a copy from http://conecaonline.org/content/join.html or pay from that page via Paypal. She may also be contacted directly at 101 W. Prairie #323, Hayden, ID 83835 for a membership application by sending a self addressed stamped envelope.
    Annual dues are as follows: Adult Member $25.00, Adult Member (foreign) $37.50, Young Numismatist (18 or younger) $7.50, YN (foreign) $20.00.  Add $12.50 to domestic memberships if First Class Mail is desired.       

In The News ...
One Of Only Two Known '75 No S 10c Up For Auction!

Image courtesy of Stack's Bowers Galleries

    August 07, 2011-- According to a recent email that came in, Stack's Bowers Galleries will be offering one of the two known 1975 No S proof dimes in their ANA World's Fair of Money Auction.  Offered as Lot #7297, it will cross the block on August 18 and is described by the auction firm as: "A fully brilliant and highly reflective specimen with all the eye appeal and surface quality one would expect at the lofty Proof-68 level. One of just two examples thought to exist! The present coin is one of just a very few rarities listed in A Guide Book of United States Coins that have never been sold at public auction, at least until today. The proof set that contained the coin was first purchased in February 1979 by Fred Vollmer, a coin dealer who specialized in proof coins and sets, and who recognized a great opportunity when he saw one. In 1980 the six-piece set was sold to a savvy collector and held until today; this coin has been out of the numismatic marketplace for 31 years! Despite publicity and collector attention since the 1979 discovery, just one other example of this great rarity has ever surfaced. Considering the attention paid to modern issues in recent decades, it is nothing short of amazing that no more than two pieces can be accounted for. The San Francisco Mint produced 2,845,450 proof sets in 1975; the two known specimens of the No S dime make up an infinitesimal percentage of that production run. The dies for proof coins were manufactured in Philadelphia during the era, the production of which included the addition of mintmarks, and then sent to the various branch mints. Evidently one obverse die was shipped to San Francisco without a mintmark. Though San Francisco Mint officials have been uniformly tight-lipped regarding the release of the several "S-less" varieties obtained by the public over the years, we can surmise the present error die was found soon after it went into production and all the pieces on hand from the die destroyed--except for two!

See The Catalog Here

See The 1975 No S Auction Lot

See The Coin Word Article On The Resurfacing Of The Second 1975 No S 10c

Recent Finds ...
Centralized Double Die Found On 1964 Canadian Cent

August 06, 2011 -- Robert Wilharm sent in this image of a Canadian 1964 cent with a centralized doubled die evident as an extra stem within the Maple Leaf sprig motif that dominates the reverse of this coin.  Our black arrow shows the displaced extra stem and the red arrow shows the primary stem.  While many folks feel that centralized doubled dies are the exclusive result of the single-squeeze hubbing process, this is one of many centralized doubled dies known on Canadian coins struck prior to the introduction of the single-squeeze process.  It represents one of a new era of finds that are piling up now that folks are becoming increasingly aware of these varieties and taking a closer look at their coins.  Nice find Robert!

Recent Finds ...
Wide AM's, Wheats & More Circulation Finds

Photo © Ken Potter 2000
Here is a closer look at the 'Wide AM' variety looks like. Also notice that Frank Gasparro's 
designer's initials, FG, are closer to the Memorial building than they are on the Close AM

  August 01, 2011--  Ken Carter of WV sent the following to me: "I read your article in Numismatic News about Wide AM cents so I went to the bank and picked up 400 rolls to search. while I was at it , I saved all the cents from 1981 and older. This took awhile but it was somewhat fun. Here is what I found: one 1998 Wide AM, three 2000 Wide AMs, one coin with a clip, one blank, one 2003-S Proof, one 2009 Barbados cent, one dime, 66 wheat cents with a 1936 being the oldest. Out of the 400 rolls, 5036 cents were dated 1981 or older. I hope these facts are helpful. 
    I thought you might also want to know, while I was at it I also picked up 20 rolls of Kennedy halves. My finds: one 1964, 10 40% silver and one 1993-S Proof. Now this was more fun than pennies and only a few hours to go through them." KP

In The News ...
Another Clad 1973-S Ike Found
Found in a bank at face-value!

Image courtesy of NGC
This is an image of the first one that was found in 2008 and graded by NGC as MS-67

    July 30, 2011 -- Coin World editor, Paul Gilkes reported upon an Eisenhower dollar recently found in a California bank that has been authenticated as a 1973-S dollar struck on a copper-nickel clad planchet instead of the intended silver-copper clad planchet. The finder, Lee Lydston submitted the coin to Numismatic Guaranty Corp., which certified the coin as a wrong planchet error and graded it About Uncirculated 58.  This is the second of these wrong planchet errors found since 2008 and suggests that there may be more of them to be found.

See The Coin World Story

See Ken Potter's Story On The 2008 Find

See NGC Story On the 2008 Find

In The News ...
NGC Certifies 2010-P Yellowstone
5 Ounce Error

Image courtesy of NGC

    July 29, 2011 -- NGC has discovered what may be the first mint error in the America the Beautiful five ounce series. The coin, a 2010-P Yellowstone, has a matte Specimen finish on the Washington side and a brilliant, lustrous finish on the other. This mint error appears to be unique at present, but it is possible that others await discovery.

See The Rest Of Story

See Related Story

In The News ...
11th Quarter Dollar/Dollar Mule Reported

Image courtesy of NGC
This is an example of one of the earlier reported mules that was handled by Fred Weinberg

    July 29, 2011 -- An 11th example of the undated double-denominated Sacagawea dollar/Washington quarter dollar mule error coin has surfaced, 11 years after the first example was found in Arkansas in 2000.

See The Rest Of The Coin World Story

Members Share ...
Giant Die Crack on Franklin 50c

Image courtesy of Bill Fivaz

    July 29, 2011 -- Bill Fivaz sent in this photo of a mint state 1952 Franklin half-dollar that sports a large die crack on Franklin's face and down into the collar of his jacket.  This is the largest die crack I've ever seen in this area of a Franklin. KP

Recent Finds ...
Frosting Error Found on $50 Platinum
All images courtesy of NGC/David Camire

July 26, 2011 -- Back in a February issue of Numismatic News I wrote a feature entitled:  Do You Have Third Platinum Error?  Based mainly on this report, which a reader found on the CONECA web site that eventually linked him to the full report on the Numismaster website, I can now state that the third “Error” has finally been found!
     A collector who purchased three of the sets directly from the Mint when the offering was first made to collectors found it.  He said it was the only coin out of the three sets that had the word FREEDOM (on the banner draped over the eagle) fully frosted and that it was the elusive Half-Eagle that had yet to be reported.  It is only one of 21 pieces produced!  KP

See Numismatic News Story

See Coin World Story

See Another Related Story

See The NGC Story On The 1/4 oz $25 Platinum Variety

See The NGC Story On The 1 oz $100 Platinum Variety

CONECA Members Share ...
CONECA Member Jeff Oxman & Ash Harrison
PCGS Interview on VAMs

See more videos here: CONECA Video Page

Members Share ...
Miscellaneous VAM Dollars Reviewed
All images © 2011 Ken Potter  / Coins Courtesy of Bill Ewald
by Ken Potter -- NLG

      July 12, 2011 -- One of the first individuals who tutored me in the area of errors and varieties back in the late 1970s was Bill Ewald who is a past member both NECA and CONE (who most of you know later combined to form CONECA).  While Bill eventually strayed away from specializing in error-variety coins to numismatics in general, the error-variety bug never left him completely.  As such I always have to stop by his table at local shows to see what he may have found.  A few months ago, he handed me a batch of Morgan dollars and said, pull out all the VAM varieties and take them with you and shoot what you'd like. Yep, Bill couldn't help himself and just had to look through a batch of Morgans and catalog all the VAM dollars!  While none of the ones I show here are Top 100 VAMs (though he did have one in the group) I found them interesting nonetheless so I thought I'd share a few of the coins I shot with readers.  They are shown here with their descriptions.

1878 7TF VAM-132 "Broken Nose" Abraded Die Variety

1883-O VAM-5 Repunched Mintmark O/O West (Listed in the Wexler/Miller RPM Book 
as RPM#5 and is presumably listed as such in the CONECA files)

1902-O VAM-79 Near Date/Extra Berry -- One of many known for this date/Mint

A closer look at the 1902-O VAM-79 Near Date/Extra Berry

This thin thread-like raised area next to the cotton leaf (on obverse) is a marker for the 1902-O VAM-79 
To learn more about this variety go here:
VAMworld - 1902-O VAM-79

Members Share ...
1956 Proof Franklin Sports Nice DDR

Photo courtesy of Bill Fivaz

     July 12, 2011 -- CONECA Member, Bill Fivaz of Cherrypickers' Guide fame sent in this photograph of a nice tripled die reverse that is one of a number of new listings slated for inclusion in Cherrypickers' Guide To Rare Die Varieties Fifth Edition Vol. 2 by Bill Fivaz and JT Stanton.  It is listed by CONECA as DDR-002 - 2-R-II (3).  Originally reported to CONECA by Ed Raser, the variety boasts strong doubling to tripling on the Eagle's left wing feathers (viewer's right), tail feathers and a slight to moderate spread on  HALF DOLLAR and AMERICA, with tripling on the  F of HALF and last A of AMERICA.  Other doubling can be seen on the eagle's claws, the perch upon which the eagle rests, etc.

In The News ...
1936-D 1c RPM Virtually Totally Separated
by Ken Potter - NLG

Image © Ken Potter 2011

    June 24, 2011 -- Gerald Fishman sent in this beautiful RPM on a 1936-D cent that is virtually a D & D (or some might argue is two separate Ds).  At first glance, I couldn't see the secondary D. Nonetheless after titling it in just the right position, I found it to be a beauty of an RPM. 
    When looking at it from the west, all I could see was a vertical bar that is wider than any of the die scratches in the area, which seemed promising, but there didn't seem to be any detectable serifs and there seemed to be an incuse area where the belly of the D should have been.  If I wouldn't have looked any further, I would have wrote it off as tiny gouge blended in with a bunch of die scratches and missed it completely.
    However, when looked at it from the east with the top of the coin tilted slightly downward in moderate lighting, (too much light blasted it out of view), the entire D complete with rudimentary serifs popped out at me.
    There are a number of essentially vertical die scratches on this coin in the area of the date. They are the result of  fine-grit aluminum oxide cloth,  a lapping stone or other fine-grit abrasive that has nothing in common with the secondary D but tends to hide the D until you get it in the right position.
    Due to its extreme separation, Bill Fivaz and I have slated it for inclusion in the Cherrypickers' Guide To Rare Die Varieties 6th Edition Vol.1 by Fivaz and JT Stanton as FS-501 for the date/Mint/denomination.

In The News ...
Crawford Reports New 2011 DDR 1c

Images © Billy Crawford 2011

    June 24, 2011 00 Billy Crawfords latest DVN e-Newsletter reports upon a new 2011 Lincoln cent with a rather significant Doubled Die Reverse.  According to Crawford: "Well it was only just a few day ago we reported on a very nice doubled die obverse (DDO) found on a 2011 Lincoln Shield cent (see Post #57 below). Now collectors have the very first documented doubled die discovered on a Lincoln Shield series reverse. While searching circulated rolls obtained from my local bank I was very fortunate in coming across this variety that is now officially assigned in the "C" registry files as 2011 1¢ CDDR-001.
    This variety exhibits very significant doubling on most of the Shield reverse design and lettering from a Class IV and VIII offset and tilted hub doubling. The primary pick-up point (PUP) for quickly spotting this DDR is on the "LB" designer's initials. The top photo provides readers with a side-by-side comparison of the massive "tootsie-roll" extra thickness easily visible on the letters while the right photo is of the normal "LB" letters illustrating a stark contrast of difference between the two sets of initials." 
    Crawford's article is profusely illustrated with many other areas of doubling; the balance of the eNewsletter is filled with many other newer finds and sold older goodies.

See The Rest Of The Story (Please note: Crawford's e-Newletters do not stay posted permanently as they are replaced with new ones so if you do not see the balance of the story, just enjoy what is new. 

In Memoriam ...
Long-time Error Dealer &
CONECA Member Allen Levy Passes!

    June 22, 2011 -- Allan Levy was a specialist in Mint and Currency Errors for over 25 years. His website featured a diverse group of type errors, modern errors and major currency errors as well as regular U.S. and World coins. Allan Levy was a member of CONECA and the American Numismatic Association. He was well known at the major coin shows he attended. He was always friendly to customers and dealers and was happy to discuss the minting process with collectors. He is survived by his wife, Kathi, who continues to collect coins and may attend future shows.
    Allan was a major contributor to Mint Error News and put together comprehensive charts documenting auction sales for various mint error types. His hard work and dedication helped Mint Error News grow to be the largest website and magazine for mint errors. He will be greatly missed.
    Submitted by Mike Byers

See More Images Here

In The News ...
1853 Arrows Half-Dime Dot Variety Resurfaces!

    Back in March I took at look at an 1853 Seated Liberty, With Arrows half dime variety that has proven elusive since the time it was first publicized in 1999. It is owned by Linda Hagopian of Michigan who apparently first reported the variety.  I hadn’t seen the coin since 1995 and was pleased to see it reappear while I was shooting photos at the 51st Suburban Detroit Coin Show held Jan. 27 to 29 in Livonia, Mich. While the coin sports an insignificant 8/8 in the date, its most enigmatic feature is a very clear “dot” below the 5 of the date.

See The Rest Of Story

CONECA History ...
Who was E-V Hobby Pioneer, James G. Johnson?
By Beth Deisher - Coin World Editor
6/10/2011

    James G. Johnson Jr. joined Coin World as associate editor in the fall of 1960. Various new regular columns were added during the first year, including "Fair to Very Fine" and "Collectors' Clearinghouse," both written by Mr. Johnson, coin collector and former teacher from Colorado. For both columns, readers submitted questions about unusual coins they had found in circulation, many of them errors, die varieties, altered coins and damaged pieces. In studying these finds and reporting on them to readers, Mr. Johnson would become a pioneer in the error coin community. While the level of knowledge about such pieces was well below where it is today, he helped to lead the way to a better understanding of the minting process, what could happen to a coin during minting, and what could not happen. He retired from Coin World in 1974 but continued to write and research for a number of years. At one time he owned an 1894-S dime.

    Editors Note:  We'd like to thanks Beth Deisher for taking the time from her busy schedule to provide us with this information.  It was prompted by the fact that in CONECA's Constitution we have a type membership described as "J.G.J. Members" of which most folks no longer have any idea of what it represents.  A "J.G.J. Membership was a Young Numismatist (YN), who's membership in CONECA was sponsored and paid for by Jim Johnson.  Fred Weinberg and I decided to revive this form of membership by sponsoring hand-selected YNs and paying their first year's dues at the adult rate (so that the club loses no money) to keep the memory of one of the hobbies true pioneers alive and to bring in new YNs at the same time.  KP

    See an old letter to the editor from Fred Weinberg to Coin World on Johnson's passing, and the official CW in-depth obituary for Johnson (provided by Deisher) by clicking here: More On Jim Johnson.

In The News ...
James Wiles Releases New EBook
What Are Die Varieties?

    How long have you been waiting, longing, for a simple, yet elegant way to explain die varieties? Your wait is over. This new E-Book by Dr. James Wiles provides a clear explanation of die varieties, including their definitions, classifications, history, and pricing schemes. Over 6000 photos tell the story, making this E-Book the most comprehensive work on die varieties to date.
What will you find in the What Are Die Varieties? E-book?
· An overview of the entire die variety field, including design changes, mintmark styles, doubled dies, and repunched mintmarks. Such a complete work has never before been available to collectors. 
· Exhaustive lists of many known die variety categories, such as over-mintmarks, inverted RPMs, Class III doubled dies, and many more. Each variety is not only listed, but is given detailed photographic coverage.
· All known U.S. mint set varieties. This feature is sure to be popular with collectors because nowhere else can you find such a thorough, comprehensive list. Each mint set variety has been meticulously photographed to reveal every detail. 
· A cherrypicker's playbook. In other words, all the categories to look for and many of the most significant twentieth century varieties are included. With 6000+ photographs and 400+ varieties, there is something here for every collector! 
· A complete and easily referenced introduction to all of the Variety Vista die variety attribution guides. Thus if you want an overview of the field, this is the place to start. Or if you need to brush up on the technical language or refresh your mind on the minting process, it is all here ready for your review. 
    If you have friends, colleagues, even customers who want to learn about die varieties, What Are Die Varieties? will get them started and will continue to educate them as they grow in the hobby. We have taken the breadth of an overview and added the depth of research to produce a must have volume. You will find many extensive lists, most exhaustive, and all fully illustrated. You will find new varieties never before published as well as fresh presentations of your old favorites. There is something here for everyone. No matter what your level of expertise, you will find yourself referring back to this book over and over. 
    And best of all, its still just $30 + $4 shipping and handling. At that price why not buy two, one for you and one for a friend.
    Check out the Book Store on www.varietyvista.com for additional E-Books and discounts.
    You can send check or MO (payable to James Wiles) to 1490 Trail View Lane, Frisco, TX 75034 or you can Paypal the monies to me at jameswiles@sbcglobal.net.

"Oh, No It Ain't ...!" #32
Fake Silver Dime Blanks Still Plague Hobby
by Ken Potter -- NLG

Click On Picture To See Larger View
Photo © Ken Potter 2004

     Back in the late 1980s, the marketplace became flooded with hundreds of alleged silver dime blanks and planchets that boasted major errors. The bulk of the pieces turned up virtually overnight and were implied to have escaped from the U.S. Mint.  In The Error Shuttle Coin Magazine #15, (issued in the summer of 1989), this author exposed these pieces as being of a silver content lower than that of a 90% silver dime blank and thus as being something far less significant than what they were being touted as.  In terms of dollars and cents the fraud was rather insignificant but it terms of the number of dealers who were deceived by the supplier of the blanks and the number of pieces involved, it was large!  It was also a major embarrassment to an entire industry that had been so blinded by greed that it failed to heed the old axiom: if it sounds too good to be true -- it probably is. 

See The Rest Of The Story Here

CONECA Quiz #1 ...

 

1. Other than the few transitional error coins known, when was the last year the United States Mint produced 90% silver coinage for circulation?

2. When was the last year the United States Mint produced a Peace Dollar?

3. What types of Transitional Planchet errors were most possible for circulation coinage in 2009 but have yet to be found?

4. On which Presidential dollar are “smooth edge” (no edge inscription) errors most commonly found?

5. On which Presidential dollar are “double edge inscription” errors most commonly found?

6. Which type of “Clip” error may occur during the striking of a coin?

7. Is a Major Die Break (Cud) a Striking Error or a Die Variety?

8. In what year was CONECA formed?

9. A Blank is a disk of metal freshly punched out of coinage strip that exhibits a raw edge and cut bands.  What is it properly referred to after if has been run through the upset mill and is ready for striking?

10. Edge inscriptions on United States coins have been applied to planchets (or coins) after, during or before striking?

11. What does the acronym VAM stand for in reference to Morgan and Peace dollar varieties?

12. The most commonly accepted slang term used by knowledgeable variety coin specialists for hub doubling is “double die” or “doubled die?”
    
13. What is an MPD?

14. What is a MAD Clash?

15. What is an OMM?

Rules:  Anybody may participate in the quiz but you must be a CONECA member to win a prize. Some questions may have more than one correct answer (including some that I may have overlooked).  The more correct answers you give the more points you will score.  All persons giving the most correct answers by April 15, 2011, will have their names placed in a hat and five names will be picked and each will receive a prize. In some cases terms used in this quiz may be interpreted a bit differently by some specialists than others depending on their philosophy.  For example some may consider a variation on a coin to be an error and others may consider it a variety.  These are not intended to be trick questions but are a true reflection of my personal philosophy.  If I consider something a variety and you consider it an error – don’t worry about it; you will not lose points in this regard (in fact it may be both an error and a variety).  Answers to the questions and who won will be given in the next Errorscope and will be posted on the CONECA website along with the names of the winners at the time the next issue of E/S goes online. Send all entries along with your name and Membership Number (if applies) to: 

Ken Potter
P.O. Box 760232
Lathrup Village, MI 48076
or to:
kpotter256@aol.com
If sending by email, include the message “CONECA Quiz #1” in the subject line.

Members Share ...
1882-O/S Morgan Dollar EDS vs. LDS?
by Leroy Van Allen
(Originally published in Vol. 19 No. 5, September/October 2010 CONECA Errorscope)

Image courtesy of Leroy Van Allen

    March 04, 20010 -- There has recently been some discussion (May 2010) about the early and late die states of the 1882 O over S Morgan dollar and the possibility that their die sequences were actually reversed. For over thirty years it has been documented that the die state of the three known 1882 O/S varieties, VAMs 3, 4 & 5 with only a partial recessed diagonal bar showing inside the O mint mark were the earlier die states.

See Rest Of Article

In The News ...
Tiny Mintage of 2007-W Platinum Varieties
Inadvertently Released

Image courtesy of Numismatic Guarantee Corporation

    March 04, 2011 -- If you happened to buy a proof 2007-W half-ounce platinum American Eagle, now is the time to dig it out and see if it exhibits a die polishing error as the quarter-ounce and ounce coins do.
    The word “Freedom” on the ribbon of the obverse is not properly polished and it looks frosted rather than brilliant as it should be on the errors.

See Rest Of Story

See The NGC Story On The 1/4 oz $25 Platinum Variety

See The NGC Story On The 1 oz $100 Platinum Variety

In The News ...
Counterfeiters Expand Their Wares to Varieties

Image courtesy of Numismatic Guarantee Corporation

    March 04, 2011 -- The list of known counterfeit USA coins continues to grow, but with a new twist. Not content to produce simply every possible date/mint combination, the fakers have now added a unique Indian Cent variety. This coin appears to be an 1869 with a boldly repunched 9 in its date, yet there is no genuine cent of that date having such a spectacular spread between the first and second numerals. 

See Rest Of Story

Members Share ...
Two More Recent Counterfeit Varieties Revealed

Image © Ken Potter 2011 / Coin Courtesy of Ken Potter

Image © Ken Potter 2011 / Coin Courtesy of Ken Potter

      March 04, 2011 -- In addition to the 1869/9 counterfeit Indian Head cent highlighted above by NGC, I have also seen the two above counterfeit varieties of recent Chinese vintage (or so I assume they are of Chinese origin).  These were within a group of eight counterfeit cents that a local collector purchased through a vendor on eBay. He held on to them too long to get a refund so he gave the entire group to me for "educational purposes."  The coins included in the lot of Lincoln cents were: (2) 1909-S, (2) 1909-S VDB, (2) 1914-D, (1) 1922 No D, (1) 1931-S and (1) 1955 Doubled Die.  All except the 1955/55 had been toned to make them look like Red & Brown AUs or UNCs but were not particularly deceptive under magnification to any seasoned collector.  Nonetheless, the collector who purchased the group for somewhere around $2,000.00 was new to the hobby and did not suspect anything was wrong until months after he purchased them.  The scary part is that there are better fakes out there than these!  KP

Questions & Answers ...
Denver Mint Quarter Struck In Silver?
by Ken Potter - NLG
02/03/11

    Q: Would you please help with a Delaware State quarter I listed on e-bay [that appears to be a Denver Mint specimen struck in pure silver]. To the best of your knowledge, is this a fake or possible pattern?
Thank you in advance. TK of Washington.

    A: Tens of thousands (if not more) States Quarters were plated with a very thin layer of platinum and sold through television promotions and other direct marketing in sets of ten coins encompassing each year's State Quarters output from both the Philadelphia and Denver Mints. These coins were sold in privately produced packaging very similar to the packaging the United States Mint used to assemble their San Francisco "S" Mintmarked proof sets.
    The privately plated platinum sets were very heavily promoted as "limited editions" and with implications that they could be a great investment. Eventually many buyers went to sell their "investments" and found that the numismatic market for such items is non-existent and that in fact anybody can take quarters to a plater and have unlimited numbers of them plated in this manner with gold, silver, rhodium, platinum or whatever metal they wanted. 
    In effect, they learned that the coins in these sets were not officially released by the US Mint in this manner and were simply aftermarket alterations.
    Because of this and because collectors considered them to have no particular value over face, and dealers would not buy them, the response of many buyers was to simply break the coins out of their holders and spend them.
    There are now many thousands of these coins that have been dumped into circulation. This is now one of the most common questions error specialists get. I see that the one you refer to actually sold for $8, which means that as P. T. Barnum put it, "there's a sucker is born every minute." If it was a real "pattern" or an "experimental" piece it would have brought out the true die-hard specialists and sold for thousands. 
    Nonetheless, I must say that sight unseen I cannot be 100% sure of what you have.

YouTube Videos ...
On The Minting Process

Royal Canadian Mint's Proof Coin Minting Process As Shown In Discovery Channel.

 

Processing of Gold Maple Leafs at the Royal Canadian Mint (narrated in French).

More Videos Can Be Found At The Bottom Of This Page

   

Questions & Answers ...
What's The Cause Of Split Serif RPMs?
by Ken Potter - NLG
Updated 9/15/10

This 1915-D/D/D 1c listed by CONECA as RPM-001 and by Cherrypickers' Guide as
new FS-501.  It shows a clearly tripled Mintmark Tilted Clockwise & South. In addition
to other obvious doubling, it shows a nice triple serif as pointed out by the arrows.

Images © Ken Potter 2010
Another shot from angle to better show the CW rotation of one of the punchings.

    Question: Why/how do [many] mint marks wind up with split serifs?  I suppose the secondary question is "do split serif mint-marks always qualify as RPM's?
    Answer: There are two distinct causes of RPMs.  The most common answer to this question is that RPM's (including those with minor split serifs -- with few exceptions) occur due to an attempt to strengthen or correct a Mintmark with a second or a series of secondary blows of the mallet to the punch. If any of these attempts are off-register from the first then an RPM occurs. The result can range from split serifs (many of which are considered by me and others in CONECA to be too minor to list) to wide-spread, even fully separated RPMs.
    The second, less publicized cause, is what I call "punch bounce."  This can occur during an apparent single blow of the Mintmark punch with a bit of bounce occurring. Most error-variety specialists do not mention this cause simply because they do not have a background in metal stamping or related operations to be aware of it, however, after decades of seeing doubling occur on metal stamping from scores of different presses ranging from Schuler to Bliss presses of all sizes that required a part number that were single struck into the part but resulted in doubling, I am of the opinion that the larger majority of RPMs are due to this cause. In fact, during an experiment I conducted several years ago to see if a number punch could be hand-punched into a hardened die, I was not only able to easily sink the character into the die a number of times (before the punch began to mushroom) but on one attempt the impression was actually doubled due to punch bounce.
    When I worked in quality control, whenever a press began to impart doubled part numbers into a workpiece, I'd shut down the press, inspect the tooling that held the numbers in place and always found loose, broken or missing bolt(s) to be the concern.  While the doubling itself was of little concern to me, if the bolt heads were allowed to work their way out too far, the assembly and/or bolt head could begin damaging the parts or the bolt head would break off and cause extensive down-time (which explains why I'd take the time to watch for this and then make sure that preventive maintenance measures were taken).
    A couple of exceptions of coins that appear to have split serifs from repunching that are not RPMs that come to mind are some of those for 1952-D and 1979-D. Many of these are from damaged punches. There are surely other dates for which this is a factor. Since these are not true RPMs and we do not list them as such.

In The News ...
Video exclusive!
Watch The Mint Make Yosemite Quarters
&
Hub Lincoln Cent Dies, etc.

Image courtesy of John Wexler
A Hubbing Press Operator at the Philadelphia Mint installing the  collar
that surrounds the die/hub assembly into the press in 1998.

    July 17, 2010 -- Ever wonder how many quarters can be minted per minute or how the Mint makes dies?  Jason Cochran's exclusive videos can be viewed on WalletPop by going here:  Jason Cochran's Philadelphia Mint Videos (or see above).  Now, since you know that videos on the web are rather ephemeral, I suggest you go in now and view it about a dozen times and store it into the memory of your brain before it disappears.  I found this tidbit of information in the latest eNewletter from the E-Sylum where they also provide a link for their Featured Website: A Brief History of Coins and Coin production. Anybody interested in getting signed up for the weekly newsletter from E-Sylum can request to get on here: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum. The E-Sylum is a weekly electronic newsletter published by the Numismatic Bibliomania Society for numismatic bibliophiles, researchers, and just plain numismatists around the world. For more information about NBS, see their web site: http://www.coinbooks.org. KP  

In The News ...
NN Interview With John Mercanti
Reminisces On Mintmark Punching & More

Image courtesy of the US Mint
John Mercanti, Chief Engraver of the United States Mint

    July 07, 20010 -- In a recent interview by Numismatic News editorial director, Debbie Bradley, of the Chief Engraver of the United States Mint, John M. Mercanti, he discusses new technology and new designs at the Mint.  While the entire article is very revealing, of particular interest to some will be his recollections of starting out each day with the engraving staff punching Mintmarks into individual dies (a practice that was phased out two decades ago).  He also describes how today's cutting-edge technology used to create dies has been the cause of an increase in dies cracking in recent years and what the engraving staff is doing about it.
    See the July 18 issue of Numismatic News for many more photos and descriptive cutlines than are shown in the digital version accessible below.

See The Article Here 

In The News ...
Another 1969-S DDO Found!

Strong hub doubling shows on the date.  The slight doubling on the east side of the 'S' Mintmark is
Strike Doubling -- all 1969-S doubled dies I have seen in the past three years showed some strike
doubling of the 'S' Mintmark to a greater or lesser degree (one showed massive strike doubling
on the 'S'. This should not be confused with the hub doubling all over the rest of the coin. KP

Images courtesy of CONECA Member Charles Clark
Click On Picture To See More Images 

    July 02, 2010 -- First there was one, then three and now there are four 1969-S Doubled Die Obverse No.1 cents that have been found by collectors within just the past three years. Such a find is financially rewarding. One of them sold for $126,500. The valuable variety shows strong hub doubling on the date, LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST. 

See The Numismaster Story 

See The Numismatic News Story

See The July 12 Coin World Story
(You must be a current CW Subscriber)

Note to authors/publishers:  CONECA is interested in publishing news releases highlighting current stories published elsewhere that are associated with error-variety coins and/or the minting process.  Interested authors/publishers are encouraged to send an abstract along with a photo or more and details of when and where the article was published to the CONECA webmaster at: conecawebsite@koinpro.com  (please -- only email submissions).

Recent Finds ...
Father & Daughter Strike Gold!
by Roger and Heidi Biller

Here is the 1982 Flip-Over Double Strike found by the father and daughter team.

    July 01, 2010 -- The following is a list of Lincoln cents found from May 1, 2008 to present day. We have searched 1,500,000 cents. 

13,000 Wheat cents including 5 1909-VDB's.
Doubled Dies:
1972 DDO-001
1972 DDO-002
1972 DDO-003 (3)
1972 DDO-004 (featured in Coppercoins.com)
1972 DDO-007
1972 DDO-008 (3)
1997 DDO-001
1995 DDO-001
1994 DDR-001
1994 DDR-002
1992 1DO-001 (3)
50+ RPMs
200+ Wheats with BIE die breaks and die breaks in letters/numbers.
1983/1985 reverse die clashes
1994 reverse rotation 165 degrees
200 Steel cents - found in seven hand wrapped rolls.
1982 Flip Over Double Struck
1988 RDV-006 Die #1 (3)
1988 RDV-006 Die #2
1988 RDV-006 Die #4
Platchets/Blanks (3)
Brass  plated strike cents (all known dates)
Cuds (10) - 2 Major 1998 Wide AM (64)
1999 Wide AM (2)
2000 Wide AM (117)
Over 2000+ error cents - grease, die breaks, etc.
1 Die Cap Strike (obverse)

Questions & Answers ...
What Determines The Final Diameter Of A
"Golden" Dollar?  

     June 12, 2010 -- For the heck of it I decided to check some of my 2007-P Adams dollars including those with a smooth edge, normal edge lettering, double edge lettering and extremely strong edge lettering to see what their diameters were and if they differed from variety to variety.  I measured a dozen of each at random with digital calipers and found the averages to be as follows:  

Missing Inscriptions (smooth edge) 26.4875 mm
 Normal Edge Inscription 26.4841 mm
Double Edge Inscription 26.4783 mm
Heavy Edge Inscription 26.3208 mm

Image © Ken Potter 2008
Here is a 2007-P Adams Dollar w/Heavy Inscription caused by a Schuler Edge Lettering Machine that was adjusted too tight.
While they range in diameter, my latest measurements of a dozen examples found that the average diameter of these coins is 26.3208 mm, which is actually just a tad larger than an unstruck planchet. A planchet that I have here found  in a roll of Adams dollars measures 26.22 mm.

     While one would think that the striking of the coin would be what determines the final diameter of the coin, these measurements clearly suggest that the Schuler Edge Lettering Machine is often what determines the final diameter of a coin processed as such. KP

See related story below.

Editor's Note ...
Why Your Submission May
Not Have Been Used Yet

    September 5, 2009 -- For those of you who know me well, you know that my wife and I have had some difficult health issues that started over three years ago for me and her issues starting at about the time mine were getting better late last year.  At this point in time I believe she has gotten past the most difficult hurtles and that things will begin running much smoother for both of us all around.  If you have submitted something for this page in the past that I suggested I'd use and it hasn't shown up yet, (or at least not in the next week or two), please contact me to make sure it didn't fall between the cracks.  Thanks! Ken Potter - CONECA Webmaster/Editor.  Click here to send an email: conecawebmaster.

 Oh, No It Ain't ...!! #35
Wrong Planchet or Acid Coin?

Photo © Ken Potter 2008

    November 15, 2008 -- One of the most frequent questions that error-variety coin examiners receive revolves around what we call "acid coins."  These are coins that for one reason or another were soaked in acid and as a result had their diameter, thickness and weight reduced.  Many are less than half of their original weight yet because the acid erodes the surface somewhat evenly, many retain enough of their original design to be recognizable.  They are often presented as great rarities that the finders are fairly certain represent some sort of off-metal or wrong-planchet error; a coin that was perhaps minted on a foreign planchet.

See The Rest Of Story

See More "Oh, No It Ain't...!" Columns    

 
    
How To Get "Your" Story Told/Images Shared
by Ken Potter - CONECA Webmaster

    November 05, 2005 -- If you have a story or just images to share you may have already tried sending them only to notice later that they never got posted.  You  probably wondered what happened.  In actuality, there are a lot of good reasons for a story and/or images to NOT get posted on the web site but there are many things you can do to help get them up.

    Let me backtrack just a bit to make note of the fact that this website is edited 100% on a voluntary basis.  Thus, it is is updated on an "as time permits basis."  However, the fact is, I simply do not have enough time to tend to my own affairs, (which includes administering my own website, filling orders and penning my columns/feature articles for Coin World, Numismatic News, World Coin News and Canadian Coin News), to add much more time to the CONECA site than I already am.  What that means is the more complicated the information is that you send for me to edit the greater the chances are it will get pushed to the back burner or  will get lost in the cracks.

    I should also point out that many articles or images that needed extensive editing were on my old computer and are no longer assessable to me.  In most cases they were stories that needed to have images worked in.  Often the images were sent in formats that needed to be resized, edited or cropped to remove extraneous backgrounds.  Some are sent in formats not suitable for the web and need to be converted from one format to another before they can be used.  I have not found all formats easy or even possible for me to convert.

    My suggestion is the make sure images are saved in standard formats used on most web sites.  The CONECA website uses the jpeg format most and it is preferred.  I also recommend cropping images to show the subject only.  Images with large backgrounds need to be cropped by me to remove excess background so that the coin does not appear as a small dot lost in a sea of background after the image is resized to the format we use on the website.  In general you can figure that we will show our images on the homepage at 500 pixels in width and on a feature page at 800 pixels wide.  In effect send them cropped down to the subject with narrow borders for a background at 800 pixels in width and I will resize from there to fit the homepage.  Additionally, please keep clutter out of the images.

    The #1 reason for an image not getting used is the coin being shot in a 2x2 holder.  Ugly staples and handwriting do not add eye appeal to a coin and are distracting.  To make matters worse, the Mylar plastic in the window of a cardboard 2x2 or plastic of a flip often causes less than desirable reflections.  These can sometimes be minimizes through some image editing but can never be eliminated completely and takes time to get to an acceptable level.  I often set these to the side for processing later with the hopes I can find the time to rework the image(s) to remover the unsightly holders and/or reflections from view.  Others images have less than desirable objects in the same view that need to be cropped or cloned out.  All to often I just never get to images like this.  If you take a half a second to remove the coin from the holder before shooting the image it will save me a lot of time editing and increase the odds that it will be usable.   If you send your material at least almost ready to post the chances are much better I will get to it.  If it has been awhile and you did not see your material posted you might consider resubmitting it.  Things do get past me.  I hope these suggestions help!  

New To The Web Site
Two-Headed Coins Unlucky For Some
by Ken Potter -- NLG

Above is an image of a so-called two-headed nickel
still sealed in the blister-pack card that it was marketed in.
Photo courtesy of  Ken Potter

    October 26, 2003 -- Without a doubt the most frequent question that we receive is about two-headed or two-tailed coins.  There are occasional variations to the theme such as a Kennedy half dollar mated with a Mexican 20-centavos reverse or a Lincoln cent mated with a Roosevelt ten-cent reverse or a dime mated with a foreign coin reverse, etc., that are all related.  What we say here will most often apply to them also ...

Read The Rest Of The Story

Interesting Coin Facts ...
Not All Silver Dated 1964
Was Struck In 1964!

Photo © Ken Potter 2005
This 1964 Curved Clip Dime Could Have Been Minted
Anytime Between Jan 1964 and April of 1966

   While most collectors believe that 1964 was the last year that the United States Mints struck 90% silver coins for circulation -- 1966 was actually the last year of the 90% silver coinage output for circulation!   Specifically, 1964 dated 90% silver coins were produced from January 1964 through April of 1966!

Read More

Free Classified Ads!

    April 02, 2004 -- It Official! The CONECA BOD/Officers has approved free classified advertising as another club benefit of CONECA membership!  To view the ads already up or to submit your ad click on the link below! 

Click Here To View Or Place Ads

 

Celebrating Our 28th Anniversary!

1983 - 2011

    CONECA was formed through a merger of CONE and NECA in early 1983.  In what seems to have been such a short time -- we are now celebrating our 27th Anniversary!   To learn more about the fascinating HISTORY OF THE ERROR HOBBY and THE HISTORY OF CONECA, we encourage you to visit those pages on our site!  We thank everybody who has helped make CONECA the great success that it is today!

CONECA Webmaster Activity Report to Membership of 04/23/04

Persons with items of interest to the CONECA Web site or with questions relating to it may contact the webmaster,  Ken Potter at:  conecawebmaster

Since 03/24/07
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