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Struck Through Wire

PART VI. Striking Errors:

“Struck-Through” Errors:

Struck Through Miscellaneous Foreign Matter:

Struck through wire

Definition: Metal wires are sometimes struck into planchets, leaving thin incuse impressions that can be straight, kinked, curved, worm-like, or sinuous.

This 1988(P) Lincoln cent shows a thin impression from a wire that extends from the L of LIBERTY down towards Lincoln’s shoulder. The width and depth of the impression makes it unlikely that this was a wire from a cleaning brush. It may be a filament from a piece of steel wool.

Struck Through A Split Die Cap

PART VI. Striking Errors:

Struck Through Errors:

Struck Through a Die Cap:

Struck Through a Split or Torn Die Cap

Definition: As the floor of a late-stage die cap gets increasingly thin, it can develop tears or can split like the skin of an overripe tomato. The result is a coin with part of the design blurred (a ghost image) and part of the design unobstructed. Tears can also develop in the wall of a cap.

Shown below is a 1983-? quarter dollar struck through a dislodged, laterally-shifted, torn die cap. After falling off the obverse die, the cap moved northward. At some point a triangular tear developed in the wall of the cap. The formerly vertical wall was flattened by the strike and simultaneously generated a semicircular “zone of collapse” on the obverse face of the coin. A triangle of weakly-struck die-struck design protrudes through the gap. The reverse face is featureless and puckered. This is one type of “extrusion strike“.

Struck Through Emery Disc

PART VI. Striking Errors:

Silver Eagle Struck on Emery Disc

Definition: For a time the Mint produced a matte finish on silver eagle dies by applying a rough-surfaced emery disc to the die face and having the die strike a planchet. The planchet was then supposed to be discarded and the emery disc peeled off the die face. A few Silver Eagle coins have been found struck through the emery disc. These either represent planchets that were not discarded or cases in which the emery disc was not peeled off the die face. Coins struck through an emery disc show a very blurred, rough design.

The 1986 Silver Eagle pictured below had its reverse struck through an emery disc.

Images are courtesy of Heritage Auctions.

The emery disc that is pictured below was struck by a 1986 silver eagle reverse die

Images are courtesy of Heritage Auctions.

The 1986 silver eagle pictured below had its obverse struck through an emery disc.

Images are courtesy of Heritage Auctions.

The emery disc that is pictured below was struck by a 1986 silver eagle obverse die.

Struck Through Cloth

PART VI. Striking Errors:

“Struck-Through” Errors:

Struck Through Miscellaneous Foreign Matter:

Struck through cloth

Definition: Different obstructions can find their way into the striking chamber. Cloth material is one and it will leave a very distinct weave pattern.

Error coins can be found having full or partial coverage on either face of the coin.

1776-1976 Washington bicentennial quarter ‘struck-through’ by a weaved cloth with 100% coverage on the obverse face

Roosevelt dime with the cloth weave pattern being very clear and distinct.

Struck Through Errors

Part VI: Striking Errors:

“Struck-Through”Errors:

Retained Struck-Through Errors

Definition: A retained struck-through error is a piece of foreign matter that is struck into a coin and that remains embedded in its surface. Such errors can be difficult to distinguish from rolled-in errors.

A retained, struck-through error (otherwise known as a “struck-in” error or an “embedded struck-through”) will usually be demarcated from the rest of the coin by a narrow fissure. If it is a sizable piece of debris, it will push the coin’s weight beyond normal tolerances.

Almost everything imaginable has been found struck into coins. The most common subjects are pieces of scrap coin metal.

Stutter Strike Type I

Part VI: Striking Errors:

Stutter Strikes:

Stutter Strike Type I

Definition: A stutter strike occurs when the hammer die makes transient contact with a planchet without there being any resistance provided by the anvil die. Resistance is provided by other means. After the initial light contact, the hammer die completes its downstroke in a position medial to the site of original contact. The stutter strike is restricted to a thin outlying crescent that is sharply demarcated from the adjacent complete design. Directly opposite the stutter strike, on the face struck by the anvil die, the original surface of the planchet persists unaltered.

In a Type I stutter strike resistance is provided at one pole by a stiff but still somewhat mobile collar. It’s surmised that the die, die assembly, or collar has to be loose as well because stiff collar errors are common but stutter strikes are not. After the collar gives way, the hammer die completes its descent in a position slightly medial to the original point of contact. The thin outlying crescent will be abruptly demarcated from the adjacent complete design. The die-struck crescent will, at best, contain the tips of peripheral letters.

This 1998-P quarter shows a Type I stutter strike on its reverse face. The coin was struck by inverted dies, meaning that the reverse die was the hammer die. The planchet was fed into the striking chamber in a slightly off-center position, with the southern pole of the obverse face resting on the lip of the collar or against its beveled entrance. The collar resisted being depressed for a split second, allowing some die-struck letters to form at the periphery of the planchet. This also produced a weak, sloping shoulder on the obverse face. The collar then collapsed, allowing the hammer die to complete its downstroke without further warping the planchet. The coin shows a partial collar error next to the stutter strike.

Stutter Strike Type III

Part VI. Striking Errors:

Stutter Strikes:

Type III Stutter Strike

The rarest form of stutter strike is the Type III stutter strike. It occurs when a bent, folded, or crumpled planchet or coin is present in the striking chamber. The deformation of the disc can occur before, during, or between strikes. If the bent disc is rendered unstable while sitting on a flat surface, it can tilt and slide sideways during initial contact with the hammer die. A Type III stutter strike can occur on either face.

A Type III stutter strike can form on the face struck by the hammer die when a severely bent planchet enters the striking chamber or when a bend forms in a coin during an initial strike. The descending hammer die contacts the apex of the bend while the planchet rests on two points at opposite poles. This makes for a very unstable situation. After initial contact, the wobbly planchet slides out of the way, carrying the initial point of contact out beyond the boundaries of the striking chamber. A Type III stutter strike can form on the face struck by the anvil die if an unstable point of contact lies near the margin of the die face.

More information on this error type can be found in the December 28, 2009 and August 26, 2013 Coin World.

This 1998 cent started out as an edge strike. In other words, the planchet was struck while standing or spinning on-edge. The initial impact bent the planchet in the middle, but the planchet slipped before it could be folded over completely to form a foldover strike. As the hammer die’s downstroke continued, the bent planchet was supported at two points located at opposite poles on the planchet’s edge while the convex surface of the bend faced toward the hammer die. As the hammer die continued its descent, it contacted the apex of the bend, generating the upper parts of the letters “ST” (of TRUST). This brief impact caused the planchet to shift sideways, carrying these partial letters beyond the die face. The completion of the hammer die’s downstroke produced an off-center strike with an edge strike at 10:00 and a paraxial foldover strike at 4:00. That highly asymmetrical foldover strike takes the form of a flap of metal embedded in the reverse face.

This dime planchet entered the striking chamber with a long tear or fissure in it. One edge of the fissure rode over the other edge. The overlapping edges of the fissure were pressed against each other when the planchet was struck off-center. The initial impact of the reverse (anvil) die generated a partial set of letters (“ONE”) on the lower of the two telescoped surfaces. Increasing striking pressure caused the edges to flatten out and separate, carrying the partial letters beyond the edge of the anvil die. Completion of the strike generated a normal off-center strike above the partial letters. This off-center strike is also a chain strike.

Stutter Strike Type II

PART VI. Striking Errors:

Stutter Strikes:

Stutter Strikes due to planchet flexion (Type II):

Definition: A stutter strike is a rare error that can be thought of as the polar opposite of machine doubling. While the extra impressions of machine doubling occur after the downstroke of the hammer die reaches its lowest point, a stutter strike occurs before the downstroke has completed its downward trajectory. In a stutter strike, the hammer die makes initial light contact with the surface of the coin, but completes its descent in a slightly different position relative to the original point of contact. The result is a thin crescent of design at the outer margin of coin, distinctly separate from the definitive strike.

A stutter strike can result from movement of the die, movement of the coin, or expansion of the coin during the downstroke. It always occurs together with at least one other press malfunction or error. Associated errors include an off-center strike or broadstrike atop a stiff collar, an indent or partial brockage, or a loose die in combination with any of the aforementioned errors.

The Indian 1998 5 rupees below features a double row of denticles opposite a large indent on the reverse face. As with most Indian coins, the reverse face was struck by the hammer die. While the double row of denticles may appear to be a double-strike, closer inspection shows that it is, instead, a stutter strike.

In the case of this 5 rupees coin, the factors underlying the production of a double row of denticles appears to be the indent, in combination with a loose hammer die or die carriage. The presence of an intrusive planchet caused uneven pressure to be applied to the planchet represented by this coin. The area overlain by the intrusive planchet received the initial force of the strike, which tipped up the part of the planchet lying beyond the indent. The elevated outer portion of the planchet contacted the perimeter of the descending hammer die so that the former picked up an initial row of denticles. Simultaneous with that contact, the hammer die shifted medially and completed its downstroke, producing the second row of denticles along with the main strike. The main strike is misaligned relative to the obverse design, which was struck by the anvil die.

The stutter strike shown below is associated with an indent on the left side of the obverse face. The intrusive planchet was contacted first by the descending hammer die. This caused the right side of the underlying planchet to angle up and meet the hammer die on its way down. That light initial contact left a weakly-struck crescent on the right side of the coin that contains the TY of LIBERTY and the date. As the hammer die continued its descent, it compressed both planchets. This caused both planchets to expand in all directions. The expansion of the underlying planchet carried the lightly-struck crescent on the right side beyond the edge of the striking chamber. The hammer die then completed its descent, producing the definitive design.

The stutter strike lies lateral to the definitive design on both the obverse and reverse face. It is opposed on the reverse face by the original unstruck surface of the planchet.

Stutter Strike

Part VI. Striking Errors:

Stutter Strikes

Definition: A stutter strike occurs when the hammer die makes transient contact with a planchet without there being any resistance provided by the hammer die. Resistance is provided by other means. After the initial light contact, the hammer die completes its downstroke in a position medial to the site of original contact. The stutter strike is restricted to a thin outlying crescent that is sharply demarcated from the adjacent complete design. Directly opposite the stutter strike, on the face struck by the anvil die, the original surface of the planchet is persists unaltered.

There are three types of stutter strikes which are not closely related to each other except with respect to the final outcome:

Type I. Here the resistance is provided at one pole by a stiff but still somewhat mobile collar. It’s surmised that the die or die assembly has to be loose as well because stiff collar errors are common but stutter strikes are not.

Type II. In this form of stutter strike, one pole of a planchet is tipped up into the path of the descending hammer die by an intrusive object at the opposite pole (typically a coin or a planchet). The upwardly-tilted portion of the planchet makes brief contact with the hammer die before it is pushed laterally beyond the boundaries of the striking chamber by the prematurely expanding metal at the opposite pole. The hammer die completes its descent in a position medial to the point of initial contact.

Type III. In this, the rarest form of stutter strike, the resistance is provided by the planchet itself, when that planchet is significantly bent or warped. Initial contact is made at the apex of the bend at which point the unstable planchet slides to one side. The hammer die completes its downstroke in a position just medial to the initial point of contact.

Super Clash: 2000 P Jefferson Nickel

PART V: Annealing Errors:

Abnormal Hard Planchet:

Super Clash; 2000-P Jefferson nickel

This 2000P Jefferson nickel more than likely has the strongest clashed dies that left both the obverse and reverse dies intact.

Virtually every design element has been crossed transferred to the opposing die face. Only the obverse center has no traces of clash marks.

Although the dies are aligned correctly for the strike. The clash has a 5° offset from the horizontal plane. It is not known which die has offset during the clash.

We have David Dukette to thank for finding this gem and it is encapsulated by PCGS with a grade of AU-58.

For more pictures of this die clash click HERE