I saw in the red book that there's a "Filled S" variety...I have what I call a "Filled P variety"...anyway I didn't saw that one on the book...so, could it be a variety or an error...another question, why "Filled S" is a variety and not an error... how can an error be called a variety? Ivan
Ivan,a coin with a filled date like this is both an error coin & a variety,as a number of coins have been struck from the dies,which have had a small piece of metal catching in one of those small areas,such as the hooks of 'S' & the inner part of 'P'. Aidan.
Here is the filled "S": Here is the clear "S"...which is more valuable: More reading: 1979-S Type-1 -- This is the Mint Mark some suggest was placed in use as early as 1968. It was also used for all business strike 1979-S Susan B. Anthony dollars and the majority of the proof coin mintages for all denominations in 1979. It is characterized by an indistinct to almost blob-like appearance (extremely blob-like on the later stages). It may come with or without clear fields or "attachments" within the center loops depending on the amount of punching pressure utilized to sink the image into the die and/or the amount of polishing the die receives. This is the more common variety for the year. 1979-S "Type-2" This Mint mark was introduced in the later part of 1979 for proof coinage production (and referred to as Ty-2 for this year). It exhibits large bulbous serifs and rounder center loops than found on the Ty-1. In spite of the fact that this variety is frequently and inaccurately referred to as "Clear S," it may come with or without clear fields or "attachments" within the center loops depending on the amount of punching pressure utilized to sink the image into the die and/or the amount of polishing the die receives. It does, however, have a greater tendency to be found with "clearer fields" within the loops than the Ty-1 but this is not a determining factor of type.
The problem you are having Ivan is a misunderstanding of the use of the term "filled". When talking about an error coin "filled" is used to describe something that happened by accident like a die being filled with grease or dirt which results in a coin not having all the elements of its intended design. But in this case "filled is being used as an adjective to describe the particular mint mark. You see - this mint mark was just made this way, it was intentional - not an accident. Many people become confused over the use of the terms error & variety often mistakenly calling a variety an error or an error a variety. There has even been some rather heated debates among experts as to which term correctly applies to a given coin. I suppose this will always be the case. But if it helps, here are some standard definitions - error A numismatic item that unintentionally varies from the norm. Ordinarily, overdates are not errors since they were done intentionally while other die-cutting “mistakes” are considered errors. Double dies, planchet clips, off-metal strikings, etc. also are errors. variety A coin of the same date and basic design as another but with slight differences. There are thousands of minor varieties, most of which have significance only to specialists of the particular series. After hubbed dies, introduced in the 1840s, varieties are mainly variations in date and mintmark size and placement.
Thanks guys and thanks GD for clearing it all...I have a 1979 P with a very boldly mint mark...which I assumed it can be named as a "filled P" I will post some pics tomorrow Thanks!!! Ivan
