Presidential Dollar Edge Lettering - Errors Already?!
Wednesday February 21, 2007
I have been getting a lot of email regarding the orientation of the edge lettering on the Presidential Dollars. People are finding that the coins have the lettering oriented head-ups and tails-up, and we even have people on eBay already claiming that one orientation or the other is an error.
Here are the facts, quoted from my article about the new Presidential Dollar Coins:
"The edge lettering is being applied randomly with regard to whether it faces up or down on the business strike coins, after the coins are struck. The business strike coins are fed through a vaccuum-like device that sucks them up into the edge lettering prep machine, which lines them up in whichever way the coins happen to enter the process (heads up or down.) Then the coins roll through a device that inscribes the edge lettering. It is expected that in the end, heads-up edge lettering should be about equal in number to coins which receive "tails-up" edge lettering."
So, the edge lettering orientation is not an error if it is upside down, BUT... I really do expect us coin collectors to be finding a lot of interesting error coins in the new Presidential Dollar series as the Mint adjusts to this new coinage type with edge lettering. In fact, just about every time the Mint has issued a new coin design, or made a major change (such as copper to zinc pennies,) there have been plentiful errors to be found by those who are alert and familiar with what the normal coin should look like.
I am anxious to hear of any errors that you might find among these coins. Please post a comment below, or email me if you find a bona-fide Presidential Dollar error so we can give you public "discovery coin" credit (pending verification, of course) and also share your find with others.
Here are the facts, quoted from my article about the new Presidential Dollar Coins:
"The edge lettering is being applied randomly with regard to whether it faces up or down on the business strike coins, after the coins are struck. The business strike coins are fed through a vaccuum-like device that sucks them up into the edge lettering prep machine, which lines them up in whichever way the coins happen to enter the process (heads up or down.) Then the coins roll through a device that inscribes the edge lettering. It is expected that in the end, heads-up edge lettering should be about equal in number to coins which receive "tails-up" edge lettering."
So, the edge lettering orientation is not an error if it is upside down, BUT... I really do expect us coin collectors to be finding a lot of interesting error coins in the new Presidential Dollar series as the Mint adjusts to this new coinage type with edge lettering. In fact, just about every time the Mint has issued a new coin design, or made a major change (such as copper to zinc pennies,) there have been plentiful errors to be found by those who are alert and familiar with what the normal coin should look like.
I am anxious to hear of any errors that you might find among these coins. Please post a comment below, or email me if you find a bona-fide Presidential Dollar error so we can give you public "discovery coin" credit (pending verification, of course) and also share your find with others.
Comments
Well while searching for what we thought were the upside down lettering errors we came across a blank planchet. Unsure how to prove it’s a Washington since it’s the same blank as Saskawega, but it must be woth something!
Linda,
Congratulations on your blank planchet find, and thank you for sharing your find! Does the planchet have the edge lettering for the GW coin? Since the edge lettering is added AFTER the coins are struck, and the coins presumably follow a certain flow process through the mint, a GW planchet without edge lettering raises some very interesting questions about the process. If, however, your planchet DOES have the edge lettering but just no struck devices, it would probably be worth a good bit right now (unless people start finding them left and right.)
Can you tell us more abour your planchet? Was it in a roll or bag? Was it a GW only group, or mixed GW’s and Sacs?
Susan
Ebay has GW dollars with NO edge lettering, one is at $500! Any idea of value right now? Thx.
Jon,
This is a very hot subject right now. I have several reports of finds of “no edge lettering” GWs so far, but some of them MIGHT be duplicate reports. I will know more late tonight after conferring with some other experts and journalists, and will post an update on this and other emerging errors by morning. I hope to have photos of some or all of them, too!
As far as the rumors of eBay sales of “no edge lettering” GWs in the $500 range, there is ONE auction running at this price, and 8 or 9 more currently at a max bid of about ~$25 (as of the time and date of this post.)
Susan
P.S. I’d be careful how much you pay for ANY GW error at this point. Until we have some kind of counts of how commonly these things are showing up, you are taking a big risk with your money. Look at the poor fools who paid ~$25 for “upside down edge lettering.”
I bought one of the Presendential Dollar coins that do not have the edge lettering just last night…a guy I know here in Massachusetts who is an extreme collector has claimed the coin to be worth quite a bundle…(he claims to have some sort of “contact” within the mint) I tend to believe him since he has scheduled a trip to Florida (the only place they are showing up) with plans to purchase as many rolls as he can…I am guessing it may be worth the risk to buy early rather than to wait for some vague comment from the mint which will only drive the prices up even higher. If you can find one for $75.00 or under in MS60 or better I’d say scoop it up. Just so you know when the Wisconsin Leaf errors came out this friend of mine went to Tuscon and purchased over $10000.00 He ended up with slightly over 100 extra leaf varieties and experienced no loss on the others as he simply cashed them in… since he is acting on this one I’d say this new error is a keeper as well.
Well Tim, 2 thoughts.
1. In today’s internet society, news travels fast. Don’t you think shortly after this “news” broke, many beat your friend to the banks there?
2. A lot went west to strike it rich in gold, few did.
Think I’ll sit this one out until the dust settles and we get a true picture of the magitude, but everyone has their own perceived risk/reward level.
You’ve got to be kidding me! The UPSIDEDOWN incused edge lettering is not an error? Are we to believe this because some sanctimonious nuts expect us to take a gaff like this as though we are sleepwalking? Beam me up Scotty! The MINT can’t get it right by making a simple coin the right way? Oh it’s OK for the business strikes but not for the proofs! What a bunch of hooey. The MINT screwed up big time and is now trying for the PR campaign to “cover it up”. Yes, I guess it’s “close enough for Government work”! Frankly it shakes my faith in the MINT and the US Government that has resorted to issuing Monopoly money coins that some here are saying it’s OK to do. Balderdash! Can’t the Government do anything right? Hang on to ‘em kids, I think this is the tip of the iceberg. Upsidedown indeed! Maybe in Iraq or Vietnam but hell this is the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, it’s suppose to have meaning.
Missing edge lettering on many EBAY coins appear to be sanded or ground down so not only the lettering but the GOLD color has disappeared, leaving the COPPER.Seems pretty obvious that there are scams abrewin on EBAY.EBAY has been alerted; lets see what EBAY does..or will they sit on their hands over this as they sometimes do.Another SNAFU by the coin designers at The Fed!!!
The very first GW dollar I took in I kept of course. The second I saw a difference between the two. The first one the liberty side is stamped noticably off center. Is it worth anything?
John,
For your coin to be worth any extra money at all, the off-center side must be so far off center that letters or part of the coin images have gone “over the edge.” This type of error, where only one side of the coin is off center, is called a “mis-aligned die” strike error. If you think it might be significant, please email me a photo and I’ll have a look.
purchased a roll of $s and thier is a liberty on each end but both look different on the one $ there appears to be a shadow like stamp mark next to the liberty arm almost like it was double stamped ????
Robert,
You might have a number of things affecting your coin: a die clash error, extreme “strike” or “ejection” doubling, a struck-through-something error, etc. If you could please email me a clear photo or scan of your coin, I might be able to tell you more. You don’t need to remove it from the roll if you don’t want to, just get a picture of what you can.
Susan Headley
About.com Coins Guide
“Upside-down inscription” Presidential dollars may, or may not, be an error, but they are definitely a numismatic variety; as such, they command a premium. Future coins in this series will probably have uniform (in terms of direction) inscriptions — unless, of course, they were made in error.
Susan Headley,
Can you tell me what the edge of a GW with no edge lettering should look like? I don’t mean the obvious, (the lettering that’s missing), but the rim’s color and general appearance without the lettering. How can you tell a real “no edge lettering coin” to one that’s been doctored?
I’ve read in a few posts here and there about people buffing the lettering off the rim…so what should a real error coin look like? Is the edge copper or gold in color on the real error coin?
Having purchased one over a week ago I’d like to have detailed descriptions or better yet, pics, to compare mine to.
Last question–if you had one, would you send it in to NGC/PCGS to have it graded/slabbed?
I’ve noticed that there’s another minor not being talked about. The edge inscription is off on some of the coins. There is an extra space and in some cases, multiple spaces causing the lettering to misalign from normal edge lettering. What makes this more interesting is that in most cases the lettering becomes realigned to compensate as if the spacer was placed in the wrong spot. These coins arent popping up too often and are extremely difficult to spot as you have to align the lettering as if you were working on a combination lock. I’ve seen about 7 in 2000 that I have looked at.
we have managed to find 100 of the smooth rim coins. Not sure what to do with them. Should we have them certified and keep them? How much do you think they are worth now? Also, found a dollar with a clear “u” mark (the one that is on the edge) right on George’s cheek bone. You can see it with the naked eye…very clearly. Is that valuable? Thanks for your help.