Hi all: I'm not a coin collector but I was so curious about this 2001 D (NY State) quarter I found one day. I've never seen something like this before and didn't know if it was a real error or if somebody is did it on purpose. There is a well-defined, deep #4 stamped into the face of george washington. Thanks for you help. Here is photo:
No, it is not an error. Someone punched a 4 into the obverse of your coin. Why? I don't know. But that did not happen during the minting process. (If you look at the corresponding spot on the reverse the coin is probably flattened somewhat.)
Yes, someone clearly punched this into the coin with a tool. This is a "damaged" coin, not an "error" coin, so it doesn't have additional value. (Some people do collect coins that were stamped like this long ago. They refer to these marks as "counterstamps"; Googling that term will give you more info.) Welcome to CoinTalk!
Wow, that's crazy. People got too much time on their hands. Thanks for the information. Spot on with the small damage mark on the backside of the quarter.
It appears that the reason your coin has a number '4' punched into George's head is because number '3' had been stamped onto a previous quarter and the person doing the punching had not yet gotten to quarter number '5'. (Sorry, I couldn't resist. :devil
I got one! A person new to this country and it's monetary system accidently spent his reminder of how many of that size coin equal a dollar! :rollling: Wah Wah Waaaaahhhhhh!
The reason the number 4 was stamped into this coin is because it is much more efficient than stamping the word "FOUR". 4x's more efficient to be exact.
