About a month ago, I got part of my father's coin collection. One roll of pennies were all steel pennies from 1943. I came across this one when looking for the mint marks. I know it is steel, because a magnet sticks to it. Anyone see anything like this before?
I have one that is 19 3! I have checked it with my microscope and cannot see the faintest impression of a 4! What is your thoughts on it? Error or filled die?
A filled die IS an error...it is called a "struck through" error. 1943 cents are well-known for missing 1 or more digits...there are many theories as to why this is, including weakly-engraved dates, die abrasion, and a lot of struck through grease errors.
Mike Diamond w/CONECA may disagree with you that a filled die is an error. He has made that point clear to me on a couple of Wheaties by saying they were struck through grease and as such did not qualify as a true mint error such as Double Dies,Cuds,Capped Die,Laminations etc. I have a number of coins that have been struck through tape,struck through grease etc and I throw them in a box rather than trying to get them certified as Mint Errors,but hey,if you want to designate them as errors you want get an argument out of me.
Nowhere did I say I wanted to get an argument out of you...I'm just stating what I have learned over my time studying die varieties and errors. Mike is the senior editor and author of error-ref.com, a database which lists pretty much every error known to occur, and that site includes filled dies (struck through grease errors). Grease-filled dies create struck through grease errors. Are they common? Yes. Are they minor? Yes, some of them can be, although there definitely are major struck through grease errors. Just because a TPG won't label a coin as a mint error doesn't mean it isn't one. There was grease stuck in the die that prevented a full strike of the design...that is a true mint error.
I agree with non cents that struck thru coins are errors because this is something that happened to the die after it was put into use. things that were done to a coin die while the die was in process of being made would create variety coins like doubled dies amd re punched mint marks. all of this can be very confusing.
Okay I will accept your point of view but tell me is a coin with a die crack an error ? We all know that some are major errors like the Peace dollar with a crack across Lady Liberty Cheek. I think we are splitting hairs here. I have sent in coins,like the silver Roosevelt Dime that had a die break starting in the back of his head and going all the way to the rim,not just a small line but a major break and the TPGs sent it back saying they didn't recognize that as a true error because it was common on that type coin! However your point is well taken and I respect it.
die cracks are not errors, they are die states. Just a natural step in the wearing/deteriorating of the die.
But if the crack is along the edge of the die, and breaks off (resulting in a cud on the struck coin), isn't that considered an error and not a die state?
I will say this, I had almost forgotten about it . I sent a Statehood Quarter in that has the word Sequicentenial on it and it was missing the first 5 letters and PCGS graded it MS64 and noted on the label Struck Through Grease. Didn't call it an error but did make that notation on the label.
