Hi all! For all I know, these could be normal scratches, but when I look at them they look like indentations, so I thought that I'd ask the experts! There are too many examples to list, but here are a few: On the word DOLLAR - the "O" has a couple of steps The "G" & "O" in God appear to have a step The "E" in ONE has an indention The "O" in One seems a bit odd shaped The "A" & "T" in STATES has the same indentations that are in various places The "A" & "M" in AMERICA has the indentations The left side of the Eagle's branch/leaf has an indentation One side of the coin side is flattened in a small area The other side of the coin side looks like the ridges go off to the side instead of straight up/down Most of the issues appear to be on the reverse of the coin, but there are a couple on the front that I noticed as well. Please let me know if you think this is an error coin and any guesses that you might have on it's value. I can post a pic of the entire coin if you'd like or center in on any specific parts that you think would be of importance. Lastly, if it is an error coin, should I send it to be graded or does being an error lower it's value? Thanks in advance!
Most of what you have shown appears to be post mint damage (PMD) and the "steps" on the lettering may be machine doubling. Machine doubling, also known as mechanical doubling or strike doubling, is very common and does not warrant a premium. Errors do not decrease the value of a coin. In some cases, they are not significant enough to warrant a premium, but you do not have to worry about an error decreasing the value of a coin. Where Morgan and Peace dollars are concerned, varieties are referred to as VAM's. This is an acronym for the authors of the book, Comprehensive Catalog and Encyclopedia of Morgan & Peace Dollars, Leroy Van Allen and A. George Mallis. Chris