Do die cracks increase the value of coins? I have a 1886 Morgan with 3 on it , one on the front that runs from the first star to the E , one on the back that runs from the 0 in dollar up to the end of the feathers on the arrows and one that runs from the U in United to the S in States, any thoughts on this?
Die cracks, no. Die breaks, sometimes. As far as I know, there are no 1886 Morgan dollars with premiums for die breaks. If you post a picture, we can check your coin. Not sure how much you know about Morgan varieties. Two guys wrote a book and identified each die pair used. They gave these die pairs "VAM" numbers (for the two authors - Van Allen and Mallis). Some states of each die pair also get unique VAM numbers. For example, during production a large die break occurs. Part of the die falls away and it results in a large break on the coin. There could be a VAM number for the coin before the break and another for the coin after the break. Here's an example. The 1887-P Donkey Tail. Large break under the D in DOLLAR. http://vamworld.wikispaces.com/1887-P+VAM-1A
Interesting thread! I'm always amazed at the numerous auctions on eBay for coins with die-cracks. I am plagued by die-cracks! They occur late in almost every press run (or did until recently) and in my mind they degrade the value and beauty of the coin. How many examples exist is merely a function of how atentive the press operator is being... and sometimes how critical the production quotas are. Some issues (Mexican coins for instance) are known in which the coins continue to be made until the dies literally fall to pieces and become completely unusable.
