Die Break Coins

[Jarl]

Hello everyone,

I have a few unc. die break Washington quarters. I have received conflicting views on what die break coins are valued at. Some say nothing, others say that it depends on the severity or position of the die break. I know that they aren't worth(if anything above face or unc. value) more than double dies, but I need more input still and maybe some suggestions on what to do with them, or the best method of moving them. Otherwise, i'm throwing them in my change jar.

Thanks in advance.

 

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[cudamark]

The more dramatic the break, the more it's worth as a general rule. We'd have to see some photos to hazard a guess as to value.

 

[Jarl]

Ok, it'll be awhile, but I can get something posted. Thanks.

 

[gravityrules]

Well I quickly sold a circulation find modern Jefferson nickel with a large Cud (die break) through Ebay for a buy it now price of $59 and that was after having a number of dealers at coin shows saying it was worth $5 to $20 "to the right buyer" (not them). The Ebay buyer was a dealer and he was quite pleased to get the coin. The point is you have to find someone who actually collects errors and that is a small subset of collectors/dealers. You can look at realized prices (not asking prices) on Ebay for similar errors to get a ballpark idea.

Some of these die breaks are well known and there is a progression as the die deteriorates; the number of coins is very limited but so are the number of interested collectors.

 

[HappyTrails55]

Good info, I recently found a 1994 P Dime in my change, obverse has a incomplete curved clip running from Franklin's Forehead and around to the back of his head, on the reverse is a dramatic Full Laminated Die Break that runs across the entire back of the coin from reed to reed, blotting out the UN in United all the way across and blocking out the "I" in America, it actually looks like 2 bars of it but the crack is so elongated, there's the splash of metal in the center where it crosses the Torch and the clusters, below that the E Pluribus Unum can be read although the metal covers the "ribus u, the side of the coin or reed has a apparent Tilted Partial Collar Strike. Some of the reverse could show a Mint Luster but only a expert could determine that, while I'm certainly no expert, most of my info comes from The Official Guide to Mint Errors, 7th edition by Alan Herbert...I need help in posting pic's of this dime, I'll see if a buddy of mine can do it for me....Darrell

 

[DesertRat]

Here you go Darrell, pics of that unique dime.

 

[DesertRat]

Another pic of the dime.

 

[DesertRat]

Last pic.

 

[cudamark]

Now THAT is a dramatic die break error! Nice!

 

[gravityrules]

Can someone explain why this is a die break and not Post Mint Damage or maybe a delamination error? I'm not saying it is or isn't, just like to understand what the clues are that distinguish it one way or the other.

 

[HappyTrails55]

Actually I don't know myself, I was just going by Alan Herbert's Book, it's always tough to figure out what is what. On another Forum which is a Coin Forum, the Moderator over there told me that it was a counter wheel error and then somebody came along afterwards and had nothing to do and soldered it cause he could see that the alloys were different. MMMMMMMMMMMMM, hee,hee...So, there are 3 mistakes on 3 sides, there's 3 illustrations in Herbert's Book of the same thing, I know, I'm going have to join the PCGS and get the coin graded and they will grade mint error coins....Darrell

 

[Jarl]

Die Crack Mint Error Images - US Mint Error Coins Here is a good list with pictures from 'Coin Help' site.

 

[Jarl]

To follow up on my original post: What I have on hand isn't actually 'die breaks'...or the anomalies that follow the die actually fragmenting...but rather 'die cracks'. So they are faint but discernible cracks on both sides in the classic alignment that usually occurs when the dies start to fracture. I also found a site that had a lot of these, all the years and mintages that I have. So to me, what I concluded was that my specimens may not really be THAT rare or special(they were easy to find elsewhere(or close to it). Then again, as someone said here...finding the right interested collector would make a difference. They were all 90s quarters, and were intended to be put in windowed Dansco albums(as they are mostly unc.) But those few, the person I initially bought them from had kept them out of the book for reason of their 'cracks'. I am undecided at this point how to deal with them.