To date this is my only $1 American Silver Eagle error. It has the most significant die clashing I have ever seen on any ASE or any bullion coin. More prominent on the obverse, notice you can see the upside-down "BUS" in PLURIBUS in the fields to the left of where Liberty's knee is. (E PLURIBUS UNUM is found on the reverse.) Clashing on the reverse is visible on each side of the Eagle's head. I found out there are also some die clashes on 2017 ASE's, but this 2016 is much more prominent. I love this coin! ~Joe C.
Rare clash variety, but not an error. Should be at least hundreds more like it before it was noticed and the dies removed.
I'm either blind or stupid (probably both), but I have no idea what you are talking about. The coins looks beautiful and perfect. I guess I don't know what a "clash" mark is.
Clashes are the result of a striking mishap, thus are rightfully considered a Mint error. A Die variety is the result of a flaw on a die that is there before it strikes one coin. Thus this is an error, not a die variety.
Look to the right behind Liberty's knee and to the left of IGWT and also to the left of the L in LIBERTY, in the rays. The longest ray on the right has the backwards letters BUS. These are all from the reverse of the coin. It's called a clash or a die clash. There is no blank in the coining chamber and both obverse and reverse dies strike each other. In this case the reverse is on the obverse and it's very strong. Hope this helps you.
Is this a generally-accepted definition, or just yours? I'm thinking specifically of the 1937-D Buffalo variety FS-901.
The difference between a mint error or variety is a mint error occurs during the planchet or striking division of the minting process and a variety happens during the die division of the minting process. ... A mint error is different from this because it is unqiue and does not involve a change to the die design itself. In the 1937-D FS-901 you mentioned it is the missing leg, a result of an over polished Die, therefore this changes the Die design.
A die variety happens at first strike an error happens after the die strikes many coins and sometimes failure happens on first strikes.
A die variety is an unintentional flaw on a die that is on there before a single planchet is struck. For example, the 1955 Doubled Die cent had a flaw engraved into the die. It had not yet struck a single planchet yet the flaw is there. That is a die variety. A mint error occurs because the planchet is defective, a die is defective (split, shatter, cud, clash, crack, chip), a striking error occurs, the wrong planchet or coining metal was struck, or other mechanical mishaps. This the 3 Legs Buffalo nickel is a Mint Error. Was the die like that before one planchet was struck like the 1955 DDO? No. It was polished off to repair a die clash after striking started. Thus it is not a die variety.
There was no striking mishap - the dies hit each other without a planchet between them. I (and the TPGs) don't consider Morgan Dollars struck from clashed dies errors. They are different die states - just like die cracks and polishing lines. Errors pertain to the coin itself, and each is unique, which is why they are errors.