Recent Finds ...
A VERY Special Susan B. Anthony dollar!
by Rick Emery - CONECA Assistant Webmaster
Images by Mike Diamond

 Audie Higareda is a Vietnam veteran who was severely wounded in 1970. His wounds would get aggravated and put him in the hospital for extended periods of time and during one of those periods his kind wife brought coins and a 10x magnifier to see what he could find.

    As part of his initial recovery back in 1970, Audie bought a metal detector to help him walk and get about with out the aid of crutches. He was introduced to coins and treasure and studying his finds kindled an interest in rarities and unusual coins. From that experience his graduation to errors was just another step away (no pun intended).

    Audie found this SBA,  with extra metal.  It was just one of the prizes for honing his skills to watch for the unusual. The coin came from a bank re-rolled from circulated dollars after all the new ones had been sold out. He was just checking the bright copper edges to get the newest ones to add to his collection and putting the not-so- bright  to the side. This Susan B. Anthony dollar has a semi-bright edge and was only picked out on the second round because he remembered to follow the error seekers # 1 rule, to check ALL coins. At first glance he thought he was looking at a strike thru on its rim only and placed it aside to examine later. The find really happened only after trying to photograph it with a stronger close-up micro lens. Surprise, surprise.

    A lamination error it is not. “By definition, a lamination error involves the peeling up of metal that was always intrinsic to the planchet and, before that, the coin metal strip.  A lamination error can remain attached to the coin or it can separate entirely,” explains Mike Diamond president of CONECA. He continues to explain, “Your coin shows an extrinsic piece of metal that was rolled in at a later stage.  I believe it was rolled in, rather than struck in, because of the poor development of the fissure and because it stretches from edge to edge.  Now, usually rolled-in foreign matter splits the clad layer, but because this is also apparently clad material, and because it was thin, I wouldn't necessarily expect it to have the same effect.”

Rolled in at back neck

Rollin in on face

Rolled in on neck

Rolled in field

Rolled in over Y

Rolled in at lower left rim

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