Question about wrong planchet coins.

[BC1969]

Okay, I've searched online quite a bit for this anomaly. Too much information out there.

How do you suppose that wrong planchet coins come about?
Loading the wrong stock?
Or intentionally done?
Being the suspicious type of person that I am, I'd think in yesteryear, before modern security features like metal detectors and such, maybe not so honest coin collectors secured a career within the Mint.
Opps.. Sorry boss, I loaded the wrong stock!!
We retrieved most of the errors, but some inadvertently escaped. Sorry.
Yeah... Escaped into his/her pockets!

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Diving for Pleasure and Treasure - Grab it through Amazon!

[Icewing]

I've always been suspicious of those too.

We have a local on Craigslist trying to sell these PMD's as dime planchet errors for $50. I have no doubt some fool will eventually bite.

 

[galenrog]

If you take the time to learn the procedures used to manufacture coins you will find that incorrect planchette errors are accidental. It only occurs when a few planchettes from a previous production run are not removed from a feed hopper or other equipment.

The idea that an employee would have the capability to control the production of a few planchette errors when most of the production is automated is, in my opinion, a bit silly.

Time for more coffee.

 

[BC1969]

Silly or not, completely plausible. To think otherwise is.. I don't know what I'd call that.
I remember a survey that I read about.
Some firm asked several hundred random bank tellers (anonymously supposedly) if they had the chance to steal 10 grand with zero chances of being caught,.. It was like 1 out of 3 that would take the money.
Pretty silly if you ask me.

 

[PetesPockets55]

Like most things, probably not absolute one way or the other but, a combination. Especially in past years. Quite a few examples of the estates of mint employees having exotic varieties, pattern coins, and unique errors. And errors that are completely explainable.

The 1970 US proof quarter, San Fran mint, on a 1941 Canadian quarter comes to mind for "how could this be accidental?"
Canadian silver was still fairly common in 1970. But not in a US mint facility, unless brought in by an employee. And it was auctioned as abandoned property from safe deposit box in Cal.

1970 US proof quarter, San Fran mint, on a 1941 Canadian quarter LINK .
Probably can't find out who owned the SD box, but I wouldn't be surprised to find out it was a former mint employee.

Accidental errors are out there as well.
Coins getting stuck in the big hoppers they move the coins around in. Or if you ever watch a video from the mint about coin minting you will see coins all over the top of the collection area. I'm sure some of these end up in little obscure hiding places that eventually get cleaned up and possibly added to what ever coins are being produced, by inattentive or "playful" employees who get a kick out of thinking about the look on a collectors face when they come across it in change.