I honestly do pray that you guys and your loved ones stay healthy and safe. Many of you by name. Forgive my laziness, but you keep telling me to ask questions and I trust your answers far more than my faulty and confusing research. So........., I keep seeing coin after coin after coin (mostly recent cents) with little or no collar. Usually they don't look like the strike is off center, but the collar is goobered. Sometimes one side of the collar (N, S, E, W) is missing, then on the next coin it's the opposite side. Sometimes it's only on the obverse or reverse, sometimes it's both. Sometimes the collar is noticeably fatter, deeper, rounder, or missing entirely but the coin is the same size as one with a full collar. Conversely, I have a 1995 D dime with no collar. It's smaller than other dimes, the planchet is perfectly round and centered, the rim is smoothly cut, and there's no reeding on its edge (please tell me I got some of the terminology right). I know a coin needs to be severiously off center before they become more than a curiosity, and that's fine. I don't think any of the ones I'm looking at show any signs of being struck wrong it's just the collar/edge/rim. There's so much going on with this part of the coin from one to another I would like to understand it better. I'm trying to get better at photos and I could post some that would show what I'm asking, but I'm still struggling getting the lighting correct. Stay safe and healthy, and thanks for any input.
I believe you mean the rim not collar. The collar is a heavy piece of steel that is the third die in the press and it creates the edge of the coin. The dies are supposed to centered in the collar but if they are misaligned one or both will be closer to the collar on one side than the other with the result being uneven rims, thin or almost missing on one side and extra wide on the other. The anvil die, because it in contained within the collar, can never be very far misaligned, but the hammer die can vary form almost perfectly centered to so far off that part of the design is off the edge of the planchet and the die is smacking into the collar with every cycling of the press. It takes a little time for the die setter to get the adjustments perfect to have the die centered so if he is a little rushed one or the other die is misaligned often enough that misaligned die coins are considered common and don't bring a premium unless they are far enough off that part of the design in missing.
I didn't expect them to hold much value unless, as you said, they're considerably off center. I've never heard of anvil or hammer dies so I'll try to remember that. Thanks for giving me so much of your time.
