Reply to Thread

Message:: [QUOTE="Conder101, post: 266095, member: 66"]I'm sure it is NOT an error.  What it probably is, is a textured surface that has been applied to the surface of the edge die to try and prevent the slipping errors that have been occurring on the earlier dollars. Because of the wide space between the mintmark and the E  of E PLURIBUS UNUM the coin had a tendency to slip in that area resulting in a narrowed spacing at that point and a wide gap on the other side of the coin.  In other areas around the coin one or more of the letters of the die will be dug into the coin and provide "traction" like a tooth on a gear and stop slipping.  On some of the GW dollars there were errors where the coin DID stop turning at another point and the edge would show a scooped out area where letters from the die came past and gouged material out of the edge.  When the coin would start turning again traces of the last letter would be seen in the gouge.  Many of these errors were discarded as post mint damage because people did not recognize what was happening.  In the early days of the GW dollars I saw a lot of these errors pictured on forums and people telling them they were just damage. The textured surface allows the die to grip the coin better and prevent slipping.[/QUOTE]