Double Edge Lettering Dollars - Hundreds Being Found in Michigan

I wonder if we are seeing the tip of the iceberg of another error coin explosion here... I have confirmed reports of several hundred Adams Presidential Dollars with double edge lettering on them. The epicenter seems to be in the suburbs west of Detroit, Michigan. But they're not all being found there. Dozens are reported from locations as diverse as Pensacola, Florida, and Buffalo, NY, too. Most of the coins have the two inscriptions going in the same direction, but about 25% (1 in 4 specimens) of those which have surfaced so far have the inscriptions going in opposite directions, which means that the coin entered the edge lettering machine upside down the second time (in relation to the first edge inscription.)

This error is wonderfully ironic to the most well-known Washington Dollar error (the first of the two coins so far released in the Presidential Dollar series. The John Adams Dollar is the second.) With the Washington Dollar coin, the U.S. Mint had a problem getting the edge lettering onto the coins at all, producing the famous "Godless Dollar" error type, where the coins are missing the edge lettering entirely! Perhaps now the Mint is making up for that by putting two sets of lettering on many of the coins!

Well, okay, I don't really believe that the U.S. Mint makes errors on purpose, but it is still an ironic turn of events. The only remaining question seems to be, "How many coins were affected?" Do we have a whole bin (up to 140,000) of these double edge lettering dollars floating around, or did the problem affect a much smaller number than this? So far, every single reported specimen of the Adams Dollar with double edge lettering has come from the Philadelphia Mint. Ebay action has been hot, with nearly a dozen specimens drawing as many as 40 bids each, with closing at prices ranging from about $375 to $450.

I've put up some photos of two specimens, one with edge lettering going the same direction both times, and one with edge lettering going in opposite directions (please click past the ad, it only comes up for the first image.) If you find any Adams Dollars with two sets of edge lettering, please let me know! You can send me an email at coins.guide@about.com, or report your finds via the Comments link (below.)

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More Information About Presidential Dollar Error Coins:

• Presidential Dollar Error Coins Photo Gallery



• How to Detect a Fake Plain Edge Presidential Dollar



• Listing of Confirmed John Adams Presidential Dollar Error Coins

Photo of Adams Dollars with 2 edge inscriptions courtesy of Alfred and Sarah Figureid of Pensacola, Florida.