Possible errors? 1 1

[Creepus]

So I have begun dabbling in the world of coin collecting but don't want to waste money and time by submitting things that aren't... Real 😁. So this is kind of a two-parter - 

Do coins that aren't "Pristine" benefit from grading if errors are identified? So a heavy circulated 1963-D Jefferson nickel with a possible DDR error on the Mint mark and United States. The coin won't win beauty pageants but are errors still worth the time and money? 

Question 2 - are these errors? Lol

 

Thanks! 

[Creepus]

Posting additional photos of 1963-D and 1964-D Jefferson nickels for review. I believe these are from a 1964-D Jefferson but again, definitely circulated. And has the additional look of doubling around the building

[J P M]

I think you are seeing Mechanical doubling on this coin. It is not an easy thing to start out as a new collector looking for error coins. There is a lot to learn in that area you can look for many years without finding any. There is always a lot of hype to get people to look for error coins, and RPM's but the truth is there are not a lot of true error coins out there.

[VKurtB]

Very, VERY few. And using a microscope will lead you down a VERY bad rathole.

[powermad5000]

Hello and welcome!

Once again, I will state DDO, DDR, RPM, and RPD are NOT errors. They are varieties.

True errors can be worth premiums if the error is significant enough. As an example, a Lincoln cent struck 10% off center is not going to gain much premium. But, a Lincoln cent struck 60% off center on a dime planchet is going to get a very high premium. Generally speaking, the more "wild" the error is, the more premium it will get.

Your coins exhibit what is known as Erosion doubling or Die Erosion Doubling. It is a condition created by overused dies that should have been retired from service, but the Mint was known to overuse dies literally to the point that they failed in an effort to save money.

As a new collector, I suggest you become familiar with the basics of coin collecting, and avail yourself of some available resources such as online (but stay away from YouTube click bait videos not made by either NGC, PCGS, ANACS, or the US Mint or US Treasury). I recommend getting a current Redbook of US Coins as well as a book titled ANA Grading Standards for US Coins, 7th Edition (the 6th edition can still be obtained for little money on eBay and still has pertinent information for a new collector).

I would stay away from error collecting until you are familiar with what is and is not of value, as error collecting is another area of the hobby and is another different avenue with more specialized research in the hobby.

Should you come across anything you think may be an error, you should look into the site error-ref.com and become familiar with what are actual errors. As a final word of my response, I will state that there are not very many error coins in circulation. VERY few. I have only come across three in 45+ years of collecting and none of them were considered "major" and thus not valued at any high premiums.

 

[Creepus]

Hello and thank you everyone for your responses. I do apologize for using errors - I meant varieties but simply misspoke. I was typing out my question while also getting kiddos ready for bed. 

I was actually looking at the NGC variety listing while looking at the coins and then trying to identify things that looked similar in order to get my question correct. But obviously I messed up the subject of the post

Again, I appreciate all is the replies and information provided. This is a very VERY casual thing I'm doing at the moment, just to fill some time. And I'd never use clickbait for resources! 

Thanks! 

 

 

On 12/16/2023 at 9:30 PM, powermad5000 said:

 

[Sandon]

      Welcome to the NGC chat board.  

      I agree with what @powermad5000 wrote, except I think that your photos show "strike doubling", a.k.a. machine or mechanical doubling rather than die erosion (deterioration) doubling. See Double Dies vs. Machine Doubling | NGC (ngccoin.com). In either case, such forms of doubling are not worth any premium to knowledgeable collectors. Minor doubled dies that would require the level of magnification that you used to discern aren't worth much either. Generally, a die variety that requires more than 5-7x magnification to see won't attract much attention to collectors, and NGC will generally only attribute varieties that are listed on NGC VarietyPlus. See What is a Variety? | NGC (ngccoin.com).

    I have been collecting coins and checking change for over 52 years and have never found any die variety, mint error, or other coin of any significant value in circulation.   I only know one person who ever has, another longtime collector who received an uncirculated Lincoln cent that had been overstruck by Jefferson nickel dies in change at a grocery store--a once in a lifetime event, if ever.  You shouldn't need any magnification to recognize such a major mint error, should you ever be so fortunate as to find one.   

On 12/16/2023 at 8:19 PM, Creepus said:

Do coins that aren't "Pristine" benefit from grading if errors are identified?

       All coins that you want to collect "benefit from grading", not by a third-party grading service, but by you, once you know how. A coin should be worth at least several hundred dollars to be worth the cost of third-party certification, and you would need to grade and otherwise evaluate it yourself before you could make a reasonable decision that it is likely to have such value. Please see the following forum topics for print and online resources from which you may obtain the knowledge you will need to become a successful collector:

 

[EagleRJO]

I agree with JPM that the coins appear to have "worthless" machine or mechanical doubling, as it has the appearance of being step or shelf like.  It does not appear to be the result of deteriorated dies as it does not have a mushy appearance or present on more than one side.

See the attached infographic to help identify true hub doubling, and the following webpage which discusses the various types of doubling and how dies are made.

https://doubleddie.com/

Also, I think you should put away the scope and just use a 10x loupe or mag glass for now, at least until you get into more advanced coin collecting issues down the road.  And any errors or varieties you find that may be worth some premium should not need a scope to see.

[powermad5000]

I appreciate the correction @Sandon and @EagleRJO. I understand the difference better now. Thank you!

[JKK]

In case it's of interest to you, it shows that you have done some homework. Nicely done; you have accelerated your path out of the Usual Questions Everyone Asks That We Don't Mind Answering But Are Eager To Move On From And Start Talking About More Interesting Numismatic Aspects. It's fun to watch when someone sees the passing lane, uses it, puts the hammer down, and skips some of the dull steps.

Short version: As you seem to have sussed out already, finding modern coins that are rare and valuable is very uncommon. The whole striking it rich through pocket change thing is bunkum. It's all much more difficult than that. You can see examples all over: That which looks too good to be true looks that way for a clear reason.

Welcome. If you ever decide that ancients are your thing, bong a gong or something to get my attention, and we'll start you down that specialized path. Otherwise, most people here know more than me, and since you're open to actual learning, will teach you all you want to learn.