I am a new collector and my recently purchased a few proofs from the mint. One of these is a Lewis and Clark proof dollar. Well the one I received has some kind of error on the back of the coin. I am wondering if this is the kind of error that is/could be valuable or is it no big deal. It looks like there is metal missing and also a few lines in the coin. I have scanned in a image and attached it. This is the first coin I have scanned so it is not the best image, also I had to crop it since the file was so large. Any help is greatly appreciated! Brian
Welcome. It seems like every day someone has a question about the imperfections of their modern Mint products. That's OK, folks here don't mind sharing what they have learned. Looks like your proof has a scratch and scuff marks on it. Hard to tell from a picture, but that would be my guess. Unfortunately, the quality controll measures at the Mint leave much to be desired. If you're not happy with it, I believe you can return it for a replacement. No gaurantee that the next one will be any better, though.
Thanks for the reply! The reason I posted the pic is because I showed the coin to two local dealers and they both told me that the coin has a planchet error (the metal around the word "of" is indented for lack of a better word - easier to see in person). But, one said it was worthless and to return it or sell it and the other said since it was a proof it might be valuable and I should keep it. Kind of confusing Brian
It could indeed have a planchet error. A lamination perhaps, or the planchet may have had a gouge in it to start with. If you find it interesting, then you should keep it and enjoy it. You can always look at it like this; you probably have the only one exactly like it.
