Joe, thank you for sharing your errors with us. It would also be nice if you shared with us how you found these errors. Did you find them while CRHing? Were they found in purchase orders from the Mint or did you just find them listed on eBay or some other venue? We get a lot of newbies here just beginning to hunt for errors, so I thought it might be helpful to them. Chris
In all my years of searching loose or rolled coins, I have never found a significant error with a value that would buy a six pack of beer. I think it's great that people search for them. I would never discourage them from doing it. I still do it myself. HOWEVER... it is important for new collectors to understand your chances of finding something extremely valuable are very, very, very slim. Don't count on finding something major and keep your expectations realistic. But then again, SOMEONE had to first find them, right? That's what makes searching fun, just don't get your hopes up. Die clashes are actually one type you might find coin roll hunting, most likely on Lincoln Memorial and Shield cents. (To this day, I have never seen a Washington quarter die clash that was significant.) Die clashes are also common on non-silver three cent nickels. If your local dealer has these in tubes or flips, I bet there is one in there. I bought all of these as I am building a denomination set, some for under $15. The Shield cent is very significant and is about as good an error you're going to see on current coinage. Here is a Mercury dime I just acquired (a little hard to see with the toning), as well as a counterfeit Liberty nickel with a decent die obverse clash.
This is exactly the sort of response that I was hoping to get from you. As I'm sure you know, we get a bunch of newcomers here hoping that they will find the pot o' gold at the end of the rainbow in their pocket change. The odds of it happening are about as good as hitting the Powerball. I hope a lot of our members, especially the newcomers, will read this. Thanks, Joe! Chris
Some newer collectors are actually smart enough to know this BUT it is so nice to read experienced collectors saying it. Its reassuring. It makes the "hunt" more fun because its sets a true expectation. I have read posts here over the last 3 years or so that have made me feel sorry for people. They watch the YT videos and read stuff that gets them all worked up only to be let down. Knowing and accepting the facts and "odds" keeps expectation real. Everyone wants the big one but when you read that guys of 40 and 50 years of hunting and collecting (and are actually good at reading a coin and can identify just about anything) dont find stuff mixed in with pocket lint daily, you can relax and have fun. I learned quick that it wasnt the quick $$ at all...once I accepted the chances, I began to appreciate others aspects of the hobby which is why Im still around in it. Funny, those people who thought they had retirement money in one coin disappear quick. They dont last. Another thing happens over time too if you last in the hobby...you start respecting coins differently and the people who have dedicated their lives to it.
Same here.. Most of my finds in the past almost 35 years have been Laminations, BIE breaks, Misaligned Die Strikes, Floating Roofs and minor Cuds. Believe it or not I have never found a Die Clash. Eveything else I own I have purchased at coin shows, coin shops, ebay, Fred Weinberg, John Sullivan and Great Collections.
As I often say to folks : "If they're so easy to find, they wouldn't be worth much". Most of the genuine errors or minor die varieties found in circulation by folks are common enough TO BE FOUND in pocket change or rolls, even older rolls of coins. If you can find 'em, so can others - and they do, and that's why they're not worth too much of a premium, most of the time.
@Fred Weinberg Have you often seen die clashes on counterfeits, such as the Liberty nickel posted above? I don't ever remember seeing one on a fake before.
Joe, I believe I've seen clash marks on a very very few counterfeits over the decades, but as you say, they are the 'rare' exception to most non-clashed counterfeit strikes.
