I bougt some magnifiers and for the first time I'm seeing my coins I've collected over the years up close and personal. This 1876 Seated Liberty Dime is missing part of S in State. I don't know much about coins though, I am quite interested in learning more about my collection. Is this an error and what caused this during the minting process? http://s1118.photobucket.com/albums/k617/TheHoiPoloi/?action=view¤t=seatedlib002.jpg http://s1118.photobucket.com/albums/k617/TheHoiPoloi/?action=view¤t=seatedlib003.jpg
The broken S is the result of a broken hub, probably a broken working hub. On the hub everything is raised just as on a coin. If part of the leeter breaks off, the dies made from it will lack that void in the die and coins struck from it will be missing that part of the letter as well, just as on the hub. Value is probably very minimal because every coin struck from that die will hve the broken letter, and every die made by that hub after it breaks will also produce coins with the broken letter. That means there will be a lot of those broken letters coins.
