Error Coin Collecting Blog Series

[Jon P. Sullivan]

 

I'll be posting a series of 6 short articles on how to build an error coin collection. The first one is up, and I'll have another written and posted every tuesday for the next 5 or 6 weeks. It's free, so feel free to check it out if you've an interest in starting a collection of error coins. Thanks, Jon

 

https://sullivannumismatics.com/blog/building-error-coin-collection-part-1

 

[CaptHenway]

Nice start!

 

The date and mint set of cent struck on struck dimes is amazing, but I notice that it ends in 2003. Is that the year that the Philadelphia Mint set up the cent production line wherein the blanks are fed in directly from the 4,000 (or so) pound hopper of planchets received directly from the planchet manufacturer? That could certainly put an end to cents on dimes or dime planchets, unless somebody at the cent planchet manufacturer were to toss in a dime just to be cute.

 

TD

[Jon P. Sullivan]

Thanks!

 

You seem to know something I don't about the cent production feeding change, as I wasn't aware they'd done that. I do know that 1c, 5c, 10c, 50c and $1 errors after 2002 are particularly rare, and cents on dime planchets are virtually unknown after 2003, as are off-metals for most of the other denominations of coins except here and there where unique examples are known. For example most of the Sacagawea on quarter planchet off-metals after 2001 are unique for the year (I have a 2009 Sacagawea on 25c clad planchet that is unique for the year.)

[CaptHenway]

I got a floor tour of the Philadelphia Mint in 2009. At that time they had one area that struck nickels thru dollars, and another section that struck only cents.

 

The cent machines had an overhead feeder system that brought planchets to each press. The feeder system was filled from giant hoppers (roughly 4,000 pounds IIRC) that came straight from the planchet manufacturer(s) and were lifted up by a large hoist and positioned over a receptacle that had a blunt point in the center. The hopper was lowered onto the blunt point which pushed up a trap door in the bottom of the hopper, spilling the planchets into the receptacle for distribution. The empty hoppers were sent back to the manufacturer(s).

 

It would be very difficult to introduce a dime planchet or a struck dime into this system, since it is raised quite a bit and no standard tote bins from the other part of the Mint are ever used. I do not know when it was introduced. I do not know if Denver uses the same system. I should take the catwalk tour up there and bring my binoculars.

 

TD

[cpm9ball]

I got a floor tour of the Philadelphia Mint in 2009. At that time they had one area that struck nickels thru dollars, and another section that struck only cents.

 

The cent machines had an overhead feeder system that brought planchets to each press. The feeder system was filled from giant hoppers (roughly 4,000 pounds IIRC) that came straight from the planchet manufacturer(s) and were lifted up by a large hoist and positioned over a receptacle that had a blunt point in the center. The hopper was lowered onto the blunt point which pushed up a trap door in the bottom of the hopper, spilling the planchets into the receptacle for distribution. The empty hoppers were sent back to the manufacturer(s).

 

It would be very difficult to introduce a dime planchet or a struck dime into this system, since it is raised quite a bit and no standard tote bins from the other part of the Mint are ever used. I do not know when it was introduced. I do not know if Denver uses the same system. I should take the catwalk tour up there and bring my binoculars.

 

TD

 

That's very interesting, Tom! Thanks!

 

Chris

[Jon P. Sullivan]

They've automated everything at all the mint to a large degree since 2000. One thing that happily can throw a monkey wrench into the system is that sometimes in the process of automating, there have been "exceptions", so you can sometimes get that error that was believed to be eliminated because something was done at a later date one one of the presses, or on a certain system in the mints.

 

But unfortunately, off-metals, double-denominations, even the lowly off-center strike are extremely rare after 2002. A 2009 50% off-center cent is very rare, and almost unheard of, as are most other major striking and planchet errors after 2002. You still see strike throughs, and planchet errors that do not change the shape of the planchet, but the other error types are very rare.

 

 

[Jon P. Sullivan]

Just an update, parts #2 and #3 of the blog series on building an error coin collection have been posted. Thanks.

 

Part #2

https://sullivannumismatics.com/blog/building-error-coin-collection-part-2

 

Part #3

https://sullivannumismatics.com/blog/building-error-collection-part-3