ErrorScope - conecaonline.org...When one compare’s the other modern coins with class VIII...

ErrorScopeVolume 29 Number 5 | September - October 2020Combined Organizations Of Numismatic Error Collectors Of America

An “Altered” Viewpoint on Collecting Some Fake U.S. Mint Errors

In this issue:1961 Franklin Double Die Half Dollar.Cause of Thin, Tapered Peripheral Lettering Explained.2017D Class VIII Double Die Lincoln or Not.Are They Errors if All the Coins Have the Same Problem?And More...

A Henning Nickel

www.fredweinberg.com

In This Issue5 Membership Application7 President’s Message 8 Membership News

Features6 CONECA State Representatives Update9 James Motley - Hall of Fame 2020 Inductee10 1930-S Standing Liberty Quarter “Disappearing Date” Variety Revisited11 Treasures Among Treasure. New Discovery 2017D Class VIII Double Die Lincoln or Not?14 2020 CONECA Election Platforms18 Cause of Thin Tapered Peripheral Lettering Explained21 CONECA Awards22 Are They Errors If All the Coins Have the Same Problem?24 An “Altered” Viewpoint on Collecting Some Fake U.S. Mint Errors29 Young Numismatists Program30 1961 Franklin Double Die Half Dollar31 Cuve’s Error-Variety-Clash Round Up 11

CONECA Services2 CONECA Examination & Attribution Services3 CONECA Contacts4 Guidelines and Advertising Rates

AdvertisersIFC Fred Weinberg & Co.IBC Jon SullivanBC Jim’s Coins

September | October 2020

On The Cover


ErrorScopeErrorScope

Volume 29 Number 5 | September - October 2020Combined Organizations Of Numismatic Error Collectors Of America


In this issue:1961 Franklin Double Die Half Dollar.Cause of Thin, Tapered Peripheral Lettering Explained.2017D Class VIII Double Die Lincoln or Not.Are They Errors if All the Coins Have the Same Problem?And More...

A Henning Nickel

Club Officers

Administration

Board of Directors

Errorscope I September/October 2020 1

President James MotleyVice President Mark LightermanTreasurer James ZimmermanSecretary Jason Cuvelier

Membership Maria Rickert-KittellPublications Allan AndersonYouth Director Logan WostynPublic Relations and Ken PotterElectionsWebmaster Peter LukicAttributions and James “Rick” EmeryExaminationsHistorian J C StevensErrorama/ANA Liaison Bob Mellor

CONECAonline.org Peter LukicCONECA James MotleyError/Variety ForumErrorscope Editor Allan AndersonAd Manager Allan AndersonLibrarian John Miller Jr.Membership Maria Rickert-KittellVarietyVista.com James Wiles

PostmasterSend all address changes to:CONECA, c/o Maria Rickert-KittellPO Box 223Armada, MI 48005

Visit the CONECA website atwww.conecaonline.org

conecaonline.org

CONECA Examination Services

CONECA Attribution Services

2 Errorscope I September/October 2020

Error ExaminationsCONECA offers an examination service. This service enables members and non-members to send coins to an

authorized CONECA examiner who will return an opinion of each coin’s error classification.

Examination Only$4 per coin for CONECA members, $5 for non-members. Must also include return postage & insurance.

Examiners by NameUS Errors — Mark Lighterman / striking & planchet errors only

US Errors — Ronn FernUS & World Errors — Mike Diamond

World Errors — Mike Ellis

Variety AttributionsCONECA offers an attribution service. This service enables members and non-members

to send their coins directly to an authorized CONECA attributer.

Attribution Only$4 per coin for CONECA members, (Non-members contact attributer for current prices).

Must also include return postage & insurance.

Attributers by NameFlying Eagle & Indian Cents — Rick SnowTwo Cents & Three Cents — Frank Leone

Shield & Liberty Nickels — Ken HillSeated Liberty & Barber Coinage — Chris Pilliod

Trade, Morgan, & Peace Dollars — Mike FeyType, Commemorative, Bullion, and Gold — *Mike Ellis (pre-screener) **James Wiles

United States 20th Century Die Varieties Attributer — *Mike Ellis (pre-screener) **James WilesClashed Dies Attribution — Jason Cuvelier

* Mike Ellis prescreens 20th/21st Century U.S. Die Varieties to determine if they are already listed by consulting existing books and other published reports and then supplies the submitter with the correct number if he can find it. If he cannot determine the CONECA number or it is new, he will refer you to James Wiles.

** James Wiles offers the same service as Mike Ellis except that only he can assign CONECA numbers to new varieties not previously reported. It should be noted that James Wiles’ attribution fees are significantly higher than those of Mike Ellis (consult with either Ellis or Wiles or both to help determine which service would suit your needs best).

Note Regarding Submissions

• An Examiner diagnoses and describes mint errors. He’s a diagnostician.

• An Attributer compares a submitted variety to the list of known varieties and tries to find a match. If there’s no match, he assigns it a new CONECA number or if it’s a world variety, a new number in the Variety Coin Register.

• Potential submitters should first contact their chosen expert by phone or e-mail to make sure they can accept your coins and are not struggling with a backlog. You may also contact your attributer by SASE.

CONECA Contacts


Allan Anderson2340 Soar DriveSparks, NV [email protected]

Jason CuvelierPO Box 1093Syosset, NY [email protected]

Mike [email protected]

Mike Ellis320 Campbell Drive, Apt 213Camilla, GA [email protected]

Rick EmeryPO Box 3171Williamsport, PA [email protected]

Ronn FernPO Box 704Placentia, CA [email protected]

Mike Fey/RCIP.O. Box CIronia, NJ 07845(973) [email protected]

Ken HillP.O. Box 18943Seattle, WA [email protected]

Maria Rickert-KittellPO Box 223Armada, MI [email protected]

Frank LeonePO Box 170Glen Oaks, NY [email protected]

Mark Lighterman5224 West SR 46, #408Sanford, FL [email protected]

Peter LukicPO Box 121Rutherford, NJ [email protected]

Bob Mellor6105 N. Wickham Rd.Unit #410344Melbourne, FL [email protected]

John H. Miller Jr.4490 SE 145th st Summerfield Fl. 34491

James MotleyPO Box 1471Highland, MI. [email protected]

Chris Pilliod19 Colorado AvenueSinking Spring, PA [email protected]

Ken PotterP.O. Box 33,Pinckney, MI [email protected]

Jon P. SullivanPO Box 579Land O Lakes, FL [email protected]

Rick SnowP.O. Box 32891Tucson, AZ 85751(866) [email protected]

JC StevensColorado Springs, Co [email protected]

James Wiles1490 Trail View LaneFrisco, TX [email protected]

Logan [email protected]

James Zimmerman472 Cherry Lane RdFriedens, PA [email protected]

View The Color Version of ErrorScopeIn The Members Only Area of Our Website

Log In Through Our Home Page athttps://conecaonline.org

https://conecaonline.org


Guidelines for Submitting Errorscope Material

• Submissions should be original works for which you own the copyright. Otherwise, written permission from the owner is required.

• By submitting material for Errorscope, you also grant permission to CONECA to reproduce the same material in any other fashion that may benefit CONECA.

• Send your material via email to [email protected]. You may type the material directly in an email or send it as an attached document.

• If you need to send a paper copy of your article, please try to type the article so that it is readable or you can submit a legible hand written copy. Mail to:

Allan Anderson2340 Soar Drive

Sparks, NV 89441

Or Fax to: (775) 964-4624

• Send scanned photos by email or actual photos with your material to the address above. Do not send a printout or photocopy of a photo as these cannot be used.

Copyright 2020, Numismatic Error Collectors of America (CONECA) inc. The Errorscope is an official publication of the Numismatic Error Collectors of America (CONECA) Inc. Any individual is encouraged to submit articles, opinions, or any other material beneficial to the numismatic community. Contributions should not be libelous or slanderous; ethics and good taste shall be adhered to.

Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the official CONECA policy or those of its officers.

The act of submitting material shall constitute an expressed warranty by the contributor that the material is original. If not, source and permission must be provided.

Advertising RatesClassified Ads

The ErrorScope accepts buy, sell and trade ads for all coinage and numismatic related items. 4¢ per word is charged, limited to 75 words, with name and address being free. CONECA assumes no responsibility for content of ads. Advertisers selling items must extend a 14 day return privilege. Send all advertising copy with a check or money order made out to CONECA to:

James Zimmerman472 Cherry Lane RdFriedens, PA 15541.

All copy and payments must be sent by the 15th of the month, two months prior to the month in which the ad will appear. CONECA reserves the right to reject any ads that are controversial, contain counterfeit or altered coins, or are submitted by any dealer who does not adhere to good business practices.

Display Ads

The following rates are for camera-ready copy.

Full page $142.00 1/2 page $ 75.00 1/4 page $ 45.00 Business Card Size $ 25.00*

*Six issues of Business Card ads for $150.00

Make all checks or money orders out to CONECA and send to:

James Zimmerman472 Cherry Lane RdFriedens, PA 15541.

Camera ready ads should be emailed to: [email protected]

• Full page no bleed ads: live area 7.25” wide x 9.75” tall• Full page bleed ads: 8.75” wide x 11.25” tall Live area 7.25” wide x 9.75” tall• Half page ad 7.25” wide x 4.75” tall• Quarter page ad 3.5” wide x 4.75” tall• Business card ads -- 2” tall x 3.5” wide

Display ads must be sent as a pdf or jpg at 300dpi.Contact us if you need help creating your ad.


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Six bimonthly issues of ErrorScope magazine per year Date of birth _____________ and online access to current and back issues Youth (under 18) Membership (Foreign)

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Donations to CONECA are graciously accepted. Donations to CONECA may be tax deductible. Check with your accountant.

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Please make your check or money order payable to “CONECA” and send to:

CONECA Membership Coordinator - P.O. Box 223, Armada, MI 48005-0223 Additional membership applications and PayPal payment options are available at https://conecaonline.org/join-or-renew/ If you have questions about CONECA membership, email CONECA’s Membership Coordinator at [email protected].

Your membership is subject to the rules and regulations set forth in the CONECA Constitution and By-Laws.


W e are off and running! 23 States have one CONECA State Representative and several have more. We also have two Representatives in Canada from the provinces of Alberta, and Ontario. If you would like to become a State Representative please email me, James Motley at [email protected] and

request consideration. We have set up a web page on which you can see updates at https://conecaonline.org/state-representative-program/

We also have a Facebook presence, https://www.facebook.com/ConecaStateRep. Come check us out and LIKE the Facebook page. Even if you don’t. : )

Here are the Representatives as they stand on 09-01-2020

USA

Arkansas: David Smock - [email protected]: Ron Brown - [email protected]: JC Stevens - [email protected]:1. Mark Lighterman - [email protected]. Robert Mellor - [email protected]. John H. Miller Jr. - [email protected]: Joe Au-Franz - [email protected]: Gerald Higgs - [email protected]: Steven Mills - [email protected]: Mira Para - [email protected]:1. Bob Eisemann - [email protected]. Troy Moxley - [email protected]:1. James Motley - [email protected]. Logan Wostyn - [email protected]. Ken Potter - [email protected]. Michael Howard - [email protected]: Lee DeBevoise - [email protected]: Allan Anderson - [email protected] Jersey: Peter Lukic - [email protected] York:1. Jason Cuvelier - [email protected]. Joe Cronin - [email protected] Carolina: Joseph Ceravone - [email protected]: Jeff Ylitalo - [email protected]: Jimmy Krozel - [email protected]:1. Rick Emery - [email protected]. James Zimmerman - [email protected]: Raymond Munoz - [email protected]: Denny Polly - [email protected]

Virginia: Gary Kozera - [email protected]: Greg Bennick - [email protected]: Paul Hanan - [email protected]

Canada

Alberta: Randy Ash - [email protected]: Roger Paulen- [email protected]

CONECA State RepresentativesProgram UpdateBy James Motley


W hat a changing world we are seeing! Covid, riots and protest, it all seems like a terrible B movie from Hol-lywood.

Sure seems weird knowing that the ANA convention was a no go. I am located in Michigan and we haven’t had a coin show in what seems like forever. The Michigan State Convention for November over Thanksgiving weekend is up in the air. I know dealers here are searching for product because they have hung their hats on the internet to make sales. Big Shout out to Allan Anderson our ErrorScope Editor. We have won 3rd place in the ANA annual Awards for best written publications. We were in the Specialty Clubs section. Great job Allan! We appreciate you being a part of CONECA. Update on the CONECA awards situation. Since we could not meet and hand them out at the banquet, board mem-ber JC Stevens will be mailing out all the awards soon. Thank you, JC for your perseverance in getting this done and being a fantastic person to work with on the CONECA board. Even in the midst of the pandemic, it’s still an exciting time at CONECA. We are ready to close out our annual meeting via email. A few changes are coming. We now have a climate controlled storage unit to house the CONECA donations because it’s getting cumbersome housing this stuff in our homes. We are making some adjustments to the Hall of Fame voting and requirements and we are also looking at the officer/board election process. Once again Young Numismatists keep watching the Errorscope for ways to earn prizes. Participation is growing so get your stuff to Logan quick! I know Logan has a nice stash of things waiting for new owners. (Including Silver varieties that may end up in your mailbox.) Her activities are not hard things to do. If you adults have some ideas for the Kids please email Logan with them [email protected]. Don’t forget about your State Representatives folks. They are in place to help with questions, concerns or just to swap tales. The State Rep. program is continuing to grow and the results are being seen in the membership num-bers. The comments I get from members about having a state rep have been very positive. If you don’t know who your state rep is or if you even have one visit the CONECA website and navigate to the Rep Page. Check the website as new ones are being added all the time. https://conecaonline.org/state-representative-program/ This is an election year at CONECA. All of the bios should be in this issue of your Errorscope. It’s great to serve this awesome portion of the hobby. It is all volunteer so make sure you want to help for the right reasons. If you have a few extra moments I would suggest that you look at our advertising members websites here in the journal. If you find something you cannot live without mention that you seen their ad here. There are some re-markable deals to be had and even if you can’t afford to shop right now, just seeing some of the items is worth the time spent viewing them. I would like to thank the following for their generous monetary donations to CONECA:. Paul L. Beer, Donald Gallimore, Will Brooks and Lawrence Nakata Stay Safe, Stay Healthy and Enjoy our hobby. Keep up the hunt! James Motley

President’s MessageJames Motley, CONECA President


Membership News By Maria Rickert-Kittell

CONECA would like to thank the following members for their generous contributions to our organization:

Paul L. Beer - $10.00 Youth Fund Will Brooks - $25.00 General Fund Donald Gallimore - $25.00 General Fund Lawrence Nakata - $10.00 General Fund

If you would like to join CONECA, or have any questions concerning your membership, please contact:Maria Rickert-Kittell • P.O. Box 223 • Armada, MI 48005-0223 or by email: [email protected]

A copy of the membership application form may be downloaded at https://conecaonline.org/join-or-renew/ or you may pay using PayPal from this same page.

Adult one-year membership - $25.00 YN one-year membership - $10.00 Foreign Adult one-year membership - $37.50 Foreign one-year Online Only membership - $25.00

Foreign YN one-year membership - $20.00Contact Maria for Life, Family, and Organization Memberships.

A warm welcome is extended to all of our new CONECA members! Total Membership — 789

Recipient of the Romeo A. Maynard Scholarship for Young NumismatistsEvie Vineyard – Recommended by Daniel.

CONECA has one additional Young Numismatists.Djuna Pace – He found out about CONECA through an Internet search.

New Members Recommended by New Members Recommended by Candace Alley Self Kevin Murphy Paul HananAshley Bean Internet Tom Murphy Mega Red 6th EditionRaul Berumen Cherrypickers’ Guide Jason Mutchler Vernon PetersonCesar Bojorquez-Gonzalez Self Michelle Nichols CoinHelpUBill Clem Internet Cory Nogle Rick & James EmeryMark de la Bretonne Internet Marc Pelletier SelfHarold Drody Self Rebecca Picken Lincoln Cent ForumDavid Felpel Internet Jenipher Posner InternetDenise Gali Jon Sullivan Todd Quintero InternetJami Grace Internet Jon Rhodes Will BrooksRandy Hagen Internet Daniel Sheeks SelfAlbert Hall Internet Kevin Small Variety VistaKenneth Hurd Cherrypickers’ Guide Lori Smith Amy WolfL. Glenn Johnston Self Mary Walsh SelfCraig Marten Tyrone Kemp Brian Waugh InternetDenis McGinity has rejoined CONECA.


James MotleyHall of Fame 2020 InducteeBy Logan Wostyn

CONECA is a 501 (c) (3) tax - exempt charity and public supported organization as defined insections 170 (b) (1) (A) (vi) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Donations to CONECA are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Federal ID #46-0343568.

Mail Donations To:CONECA Treasurer - 472 Cherry Lane Rd., Friedens, PA 15541

Donations to CONECA

I t is my honor to be able to write this article. James Motley (Jim to most) has been involved with

CONECA for the last 10 years. He attends coin shows in Michigan all the time setting up a CONECA table to answer questions and look at coins. He also attends the ANA Worlds Fair of Money and sits at the CONECA table most of the show an-swering questions. He is currently our esteemed President. He has been our Vice President, Webmas-ter and Membership Chairman. He has won the Kenny Knapp award 3 times, was voted to receive the Dr King award twice, 2013, 2016 as the most outstanding CONECA mem-ber. He has also won 8 Literary awards and was responsible for reinstating the State Representa-tive Program in January of 2014. He has basically donated the last 10 years of his numismatic life to CONECA in one way or another.

He is my mentor and the reason I joined CONECA. He is always willing to teach someone what to look for in error coins. He has a ton of patience. Trust me I know I have asked some really dumb questions looking back. Jim is what I would call an Expert. There doesn’t seem

to be anything that he doesn’t know when it comes to error and varieties.

Jim started collecting when he was 9 years old. I remember a story he once told me. He had his mom take him to a local coin shop so he could go in and look. He came out with a smile on his face and said

He is always willing to teach someone what to look for in error coins.

“Look what I got mom.”. Now you have to keep in mind his mother knew nothing about coins. So, her response was “You paid $5.00 for a $%(@# penny”, I had to laugh.

At the age of 11 his collecting interests took him on a new jour-ney. One day he was reading a book written by Frank Spadone on Varieties and Oddities and it had BIE cents listed. This caught his eye as he had seen some of these anomalies and had some set aside wondering what they were. From then on, he seemed to have an addiction to searching for oddities. He later in life joined CONECA and became highly motivated to edu-cate others in the search for errors (or oddities) and varieties.

The first coin club he ever be-longed to was Pontiac Coin Club. He was just a teenager then. He told me once his mentor was Albert Salfi from that very club. His first collection was put together in the Whitman blue folders and you guessed it, he started with Lincoln Cents.

I cannot think of anyone more de-serving to have won this year’s Hall of Fame. Congratulations James Motley and thank you for every-thing you have done. n


1930-S Standing Liberty Quarter“Disappearing Date” Variety RevisitedBy Robert H. Knauss and Gary Hamm

Ihave always been fascinated with what I refer to as the 1930-S “disappearing date” variety. It is listed in my book Standing Liberty Quarter Varieties & Errors

(2d. ed.) as K-0020. It is one of my favorite varieties because it involves an interesting die break progres-sion that can be found in several different die stages. Assembling a complete set offers collectors a nice challenge that may take years to complete. I began assembling my collection of disappearing dates twenty years ago. I first reported it in an article that appeared in ES, July/August 2002. At that time, I had located two examples, an early and late die stage. I wrote about it again almost a decade later in ES, September/October 2011. By that time, I had located four different die stages. I submitted my collection of 30-S cuds to Sam Thurman, a co-author of The Cud Book, and he listed them as SLQC-30S-1A through D. I thought I had com-pleted a full set and was pretty much ready to move on.

As you can see from the images below, the die break started as a pre-cud die crack. As the die break pro-gressed, the digits of the date began to disappear from left to right until the date was gone. Well, not com-pletely. There was still a hint of the zero that could be seen. I have been looking for the final die stage that would at long last complete the disappearing act. My efforts were at long last rewarded when I ran across what I consider to be the elusive final die stage. This late die stage was discovered by Devin Anderson, a young numismatist.

Gary Hamm, a friend and fellow SLQ variety and error collector, has also assembled an excellent collection of this variety and was kind enough to send me images of

it. Two of his coins are of particular interest because they shed some additional light on the progression of this die break. Images of them have been included in the die progression shown below. The first is Gary’s uncirculated early retained cud. Gary notes that the die break on the left side of the pedestal on his piece is raised, which he believes resulted in the digits of the dates on the coins being eliminated by wear from left to right. The second piece is a later example SLQC-30S-1A Ret.

Rim-to-Rim Pre-Cud Die Crack(Knauss Collection)

Early Retained Cud(Hamm Collection)


SLQC-30S-1A Ret.(Knauss Collection)

SLQC-30S-1A Ret. (Hamm Collection)

SLQC-30S-1C(Knauss Collection)

SLQC-30S-1D(Knauss Collection)

SLQC-30S-1E(Devin Anderson’s Terminal Die Stage)

Visit the CONECA Websiteat




Treasures Among TreasureNew Discovery 2017 D Class VIII Double Die Lincoln Or Not?By Dr. Ron Brown

Are these modern class VIII’s a different type of class VIII double die?

2-28-2020 Submitted to Dr. Wiles. Doubled Ear seen without magnification submitted by Author

Now it is fair game, to argue if this type of double die should be consider among Double Dies coins altogeth-er, but the “cat is out of the bag”, given all the other type VIII double dies listed on CONECA files and in Cherrypickers. Are these modern class VIII’s a different type of class VIII double die? They are certainly differ-ent than the class VIII double dies seen with the 1964 DDO-010, 10-O-VIII or 1965 DDO-002, 2-O-V-C+VIII as an example - BUT the real issue here these days is what is too minor?

When one compare’s the other modern coins with class VIII doubling, you will see many coins with very minor

Close-up of doubling

doubling listed. This new 2017 D DDO class VIII tells us that the bar is very movable and arbitrary for inclusion. For example, look at this listing for the 2009-P 25c Puerto Rico DDR-006, 6-R-VIII, seen on the next page.

Blow up – see position at the right

There seems to be a surge recently of type VIII double die coins (off set hub doubling) since the introduction of the single squeeze method of die

creation. Recently I discovered a new class VIII off set hub doubled 2017 D Lincoln cent that was verified by Dr. Wiles. No other 2017 D Lincoln Cent Class VIII dou-ble die heretofore has surfaced that I’m aware of.


As a percentage of overall coin surface, I think the 2017 D Lincoln cent has a larger area of doubling. This makes a clear case for what is and is not listable as a Class VIII double die - Or does it? For that matter, what should be classified as a double die altogether. A Grad-er and variety attributor that I have talked with feels these double dies diminishes the value of the other classes of double dies due to their minor nature and odd creation. I’ll let the reader make that decision but it is certainly worth considering.

I’d have to agree that these new Class VIII alienate me yet at the same time, I’m enamored by the chance of a new discovery. Enjoy the Hunt. n

See Arrow for position of doubling


2020 CONECA Election Platforms

On the following pages you will find the 2020 election platforms for CONECA Board candidates.

CONECA PresidentJames MotleyI hereby announce my candidacy for re-election to President of CONECA.

I have been on the board for 10 years now and have enjoyed my decade immensely.

I was Vice President under Mark Lighterman for 2 years.

I have served as Membership Chairman for 6 years, Over my tenure as Membership Chair I re-introduced the CONECA State Representative Program and have seen it grow to now cover 21 states and 2 Canadian Provence’s, making sure that the REPS have tools that they need to represent CONECA in their locale.

I have helped maintain the CONECA website when the webmaster needed assistance.

I assisted in what is now a recruiting tool for YN’s for CONECA with the ANA.

I handled all sales of silver and bronze bars last year and continue to receive and return checks for orders to this day. Also was able through several means sell out the overage of 30th Anniversary Silver Eagle Over-strikes and challenge coins.

I handled the production and distribution of all awards in 2014, 2015 and 2016

I am the Admin on the CONECA forum and answer questions and take all request for getting approved for the forum.

I have been extremely active in promoting member-ship by assisting at two three-day shows a year and two one-day shows a year at our CONECA tables.

Over the past few years for my contributions to the hobby I have received:

From CONECA

• 8 Literary Awards• 2 Dr. Lyndon King outstanding member awards• 3 Kenny Knapp recruiter Awards

From the ANA:

• 2014 ANA Presidential Award.

Also, too many awards from local clubs to list for in-volvements in different areas.

I ask for your support in this election for reelection as the next President of CONECA and will give my word that I will continue on my quest to make CONECA an even better organization then it is now moving for-ward.

CONECA Vice-PresidentMark Lighterman My name is Mark Lighterman and I have served as CONECA’s Vice President, for the last two years and as your President before that. I welcome the opportunity to serve both the club and its membership again in this position for the next two years. For those who do not know my background, I have been a member of CONECA (and NECA before that) for more than 45 years. I have extensive experience serving on the board of other clubs both locally and nationally for more than 25 years. I have served as a board member and President (1993 to 2007) of the Florida United Numismatists, a coin club with more than 3000 members and a 500+ table show. I am a current officer of the Token and Medal Society having held the position of Secretary (with duties that included membership and banquet planning for the club’s annual meeting, 1997-2005) and Treasurer (2005 to present). I am also a National Volunteer (1996 to present) acting as the National Exhibit Coordinator for the American Numismatic Association and for the last 5 years, I have served as a Special Officer to the ANA board. Along the way I have been Chief Judge, Membership Chairman, Officer and a Founder of many clubs throughout my years in the hobby. What does this mean to CONECA? It means I will bring the knowledge of what has both succeeded and failed in these clubs to a club that is stagnant. The clubs I have been a part of in the past have suffered the same problems CONECA has. But we all must remember


that the membership is the driving force behind all clubs. Both I and the board will remain open to all suggestions from its members and we as a board must be on the same page and communicate with one another on all decisions made on behalf of the club. I and the current board have done this since I have taken office. Holding a title in any club is not just a title given to a board member but a ‘responsibility’ with certain duties. I fully understand what is required of the position and what would be required of me if elected again.

CONECA TreasurerJames Zimmerman

My name is James Zimmerman and I am running for re-election for the Office of Treasurer.

As I near retirement, I have been committed to giving more of my time to our error club and assisting in managing the club’s finances. In addition to my trea-surer duties, I am a State Representative for PA and have been very active over the past 7 years recruiting new members and in staffing CONECA’s table at major coin shows. I have written many articles for our club’s Errorscope receiving CONECA’s Literary Awards in 2018 and 2019. I am a member of the A.N.A. and the Florida United Numismatists.

I am currently Senior Vice President of Commercial Lending for a large regional bank and hold various local board positions for economic development and charitable organizations in my area such as the United Way. I graduated from Juniata College with a B.S. de-gree in Business Administration and received my MBA from Frostburg State University.

I started collecting coins at age 8 and was “bitten” by the error bug in my early twenties when a local dealer sold me an off-center nickel. I especially enjoy collect-ing Canadian wrong planchet errors and U.S. cuds. I am a multiple winner of the club’s annual Cherry Pick-er’s Award and am credited with the discovery of the 1921-P Morgan Reverse Cud VAM-19B.

I feel my experience in the error hobby combined with my energy, education and banking experience qualifies me for re-election to the Treasurer’s position. I look forward to the opportunity to continue to serve our great club. Thank you.

CONECA SecretaryJason Cuvelier

Greetings CONECA members. As a collector for 40 years and your secretary for the past 10 years I continue on with my goal to disseminate valuable information about Errors and Varieties to other collectors. My back-ground is an artist and a teacher; I have taught high school in various parts of Westchester County New York and as well as a Assistant professor at the Yale School of Art and currently at an arts high school on Long Is-land. My classes have included drawing, painting, dig-ital art, art history, AP art and photography. For those who do not know me, some of the membership may know me as a Moderator at the Lincoln Cent forums. Or you might recognize me from attributing for trail dies, clashed dies, error coins or coinage with lathe lines for: Mad-DieClashes.com, Error-Ref.com, ErrorVariety.com as well as a period with Coppercoins.com. If you don’t know me, I can assure the membership I am honest, thorough, and great at photographing and illustrating Errors and Varieties.

CONECA Board Seat #1MembershipMaria Rickert-Kittell

I was a late starter, a few years away from retirement, when I found my interest in numismatics. As I watched gold and silver prices climb in 2010, I taught myself the basics, starting with simply learning how to identify sil-ver coins so that I could look for them in my change. It wasn’t long before I found my first silver coin, a Wash-ington quarter, in my change at a Taco Bell drive-thru. I was so excited as I drove away that I had to pull off the road into a parking lot to avoid an accident as I whooped and hollered, and called my brother (who was helping me with silver coins) to tell him of my find. From there, no coin landed in my hands without taking a closer look.

I remember well the day that I was introduced to error/variety collecting. In 20I4 I had recently joined a local coin club. At one of our meetings, a gentleman named Al Raddi sat next to me and introduced himself. As with many conversations at coin club meetings, he asked me what I collected. I explained to him that I was a newbie, and that I didn’t collect anything specific. I knew that I wasn’t going to be the type to collect whole sets of anything. Once I bought two or three of a coin that interested me, I was ready to move on to another coin. Also, whenever I bought a coin, I took it home, and then thought, “What now?” There was no organi-zation to what I was doing, and I needed to have some focus.


I was quite fortunate that day to meet Al Raddi. He was on the CONECA Board of Directors in the Membership Seat. He suggested that I sounded like somebody who would like error/variety collecting. As I did some research on CONECA I had to agree. That Taco Bell silver quarter I found was more exciting than any more expensive coin I ever bought. I realized that any coin/bill had the potential to be an error. The search - find-ing something on my own - was what I was looking for to help me get focused.

I accepted the CONECA Membership Coordinator posi-tion that Al offered me in July 2017. He taught me well. I couldn’t have had a better teacher. CONECA’s Vice Pres-ident at the time, James Motley, was invaluable also. He told me something a few months into my position that changed how I worked. I was often asking him ques-tions about my job, and asking him for the thumbs up to change some aspect of it that I thought would work better. He told me something that changed everything. He said, to paraphrase, “You have good instincts. Make this position your own. Change things if something works better.”

I am interested in CONECA’s Board Seat #1 - Membership because I did exactly what James Motley suggested – I made the Membership Coordinator position my own. I set up new CONECA members, and work with renewing members nearly every day. If there is any aspect in the process that needs to be strengthened, I am the one that sees it. Interacting with the members through our emails back and forth gives me a good grasp of what works well, and what could possibly be tweaked. As a Board member, I will be in a position to present to the Board what I learn in my daily interactions with mem-bers.

This is the area of numismatics that I chose after my conversation with Al Raddi in 2014 at my coin club meeting. Thus, I have the same interest as “my” mem-bers. I want them to enjoy CONECA as much as I do, and also to know that they are in good hands. I have three years as Membership Coordinator that has prepared me well to serve as CONECA’s Board Seat #1 – Membership.

CONECA Board Seat #2PublicationsAllan Anderson

My name is Allan Anderson and I am running for re-election for the Publications Board seat. I became the Errorscope Editor in 2014, working on the publication in a non Board position. Since 2018 I have also served on Board Seat #2 to take the ErrorScope to the next level.

I have been a graphic designer and technical illustrator since 1971. I was also involved with advertising and corporate communications for some of the companies I worked for. I have worked for most high tech firms in the San Francisco Bay area and also developed my own graphic design business with clients from high tech to government including Apple, NASA and the USAF. My strengths are in publications and printing having been editor of three magazines. One magazine, Casino Collectible News, won 6 first place awards from the ANA for outstanding publication during the 8 years I was the editor and layout artist. I have also won numerous awards for articles written for various magazines. I have written one book on Hard Rock properties and a second book on all the Hard Rock casino chips.

CONECA Board Seat #3Young NumismaticsLogan Wostyn

Hello My name is Logan Wostyn. I’m 30 years old and started collecting at six and have been collecting ever since. I setup a table at the Michigan State Numismatic Society (MSNS) Conventions for the Young Numismatists (YNs) twice a year and am always positioned next to the CONECA table. After being mentored by Jim Motley and Ken Potter on error-variety coins and watching them work with collectors and looking at many of the coins they see, I knew I had to get involved with CONECA – a club that I enjoy immensely. I have served one full term on the MSNS Board and am looking forward to serving another term as Director. I ask the CONECA Membership for your support as your next YN Director so that I can continue helping get more YNs involved in our hobby and support their needs. Michigan State Numismatic Society (MSNS):• Current Bourse Chairwoman Currently on Board at MSNS• Volunteered for creating Badges for Dealers at

several of MSNS Conventions• Currently on the YN committee for MSNS and oversee the YN activities at the conventions• Currently on the Executive Committee.• Setup Table for YNs for several years at MSNS conventions• Life Member of MSNS• Member of the ANA

Marysville Coin Club:• Served four years as President, I was elected when I was 24. Youngest President ever.• Was the Youngest Treasurer voted in at Marysville at 16 years old.


CONECA Board Seat #4Public Relations & ElectionsJohn H. Miller Jr.

My name is John H. Miller Jr. and I would like to run for the Public Relations & Elections CONECA board seat.

I began collecting coins in Tampa, Florida in 1981 at the age of 12. In 1999, while trying to locate a 1909 S VDB cent, I was introduced to the Cherrypickers Guide and a 1909 DDO-001 cent at a Jacksonville Coin Show. From that day on I have studied everything I could about varieties and errors.

I joined CONECA in 2006. I am a CONECA Florida State Representative, the ANA (Florida State Representative), The Ocala Coin Club (Recording Secretary 2016-2021), and a member of FUN, Lincoln Cent Forum, and many Facebook groups.

I have won awards from FUN. and the ANA for my error exhibits. From CONECA, I have received awards for ar-ticles I wrote in 2016 and 2018. I have also helped with working at the CONECA table at the FUN Show for the last 5 years.

I want to try and increase the information given from CONECA to other collectors and clubs. From sending CONECA updates to Facebook groups and Coin World, to reaching out to my connections at the ANA and coin shows around the country, I will try to send informa-tion out to everyone. I think if the collecting world knew more about the club we could get more informa-tion coming into our club from new joining members.

Thank you for your consideration and your vote for the CONECA Public Relations & Elections Board seat.

CONECA Board Seat #5WebmasterPeter Lukic

I am seeking reelection to the seat I now hold, Board Seat 5, webmaster. I have worked with CONECA in that position since 2014. During that time I spearheaded the redesign of the CONECA website and transitioned our information onto a database driven platform. I have enjoyed working with the CONECA Board to make our members area and entire site more easily accessible and secure. In May of 2020 I managed a major upgrade to our CONECA Forum to help make it a better tool for member information and to post questions to the community and Board. If you haven’t been on it lately, take a look at it today! I’m seeking reelection to continue that work while adding additional information to expand the site.

I’m an accomplished art director, designer and photographer specializing in print, web and marketing. As co-owner of the Lincoln Cent Forum I specialize in collecting Lincoln varieties and errors while helping to do outreach and expand the hobby to a younger generation of potential hobbyists.

CONECA Board Seat #6AttributionsThis seat will reman open and we will not be accepting applications at this time.

CONECA Board Seat #7HistorianDr. Ron Brown

I am retired from the medical profession and have a doctorate in zoology which is one of my passions. During my career, he realized that the animal route might have been preferential as “Animals bite – Not sue!

I started collecting coins as a kid in Wisconsin and be-came a serious collector in 1970 while in the Air Force. I am a Viet Nam era service connected disabled veteran.

I became interested in variety coins from the very beginning realizing that there were treasures within my treasure upon finding a 1955 double die cent in the mid-sixties in pocket change. I am presently an active life member of ANA and Fun and a dedicated mem-ber of CONECA. I am an ANA District Rep for Northern California and Nevada. Aside from the enjoyment of writing “Treasure’s among Treasure” for ErrorScope, I also write a Variety column for the FUN publication. I firmly believe that CONECA is uniquely positioned to influence collectors, young and old alike, to grow the hobby. I looks forward to assisting in that regard.

I currently lives in California with my wife Francine of 37 years and we have one married son, Dallas.

CONECA Board Seat #8Errorama/ANA


Cause of Thin, Tapered Peripheral Lettering ExplainedBy Will Brooks

Since they all appeared to have been struck by the same die, he believed he had found a new variety. However, this wasn’t the first time I had seen such an occurrence and I immediately rejected that idea. I asked to see the coin in-hand. Even under

Picture 1 - 1996D cent from uncirculated Mint set with tapered lettering toward the periphery. The bottom is a normal cent for comparison.

Images by Ray Parkhurst, www.macrocoins.com

Picture 2 - Same 1996D showing the severe reduction in the field caused by overzealous polishing of the die. The bottom is a normal cent for comparison.

Images by Ray Parkhurst, www.macrocoins.com

Iwas recently approached by a collector who had discovered something unusual as he was search-ing through 1996 uncirculated mint sets. He found

numerous sets whose Denver-minted Lincoln cents had thin, tapered letters on the periphery. The thin-ner-than-nomal lettering became even thinner as it approached the periphery of the coin.

In the July 17, 2017 issue of Coinworld Weekly, I discussed how a rotary-driven tool equipped with a soft buff or fine bristles is capable of penetrating the recesses of a die, causing expansion and distortion of the die’s devices, as well as gouging out “die trails”

magnification, there were no visible die scratches or other visual evidence of polishing; therefore, I initially considered the possibility that the die simply may not have received a complete hubbing. This makes sense because of the conical shape of the blank die. If the hubbing were not completely sunk in, the lower relief at the edge of the die would mean the lettering at the periphery would not be as deeply hubbed as it would be nearer to the center, resulting in this effect. Wanting to explore it further, I sent the coin to Ray Parkhurst for 3-D imaging. When looking at the photos, it was clear that there was an extreme reduction of the field toward the periphery. This was indicative that the culprit was in fact our usual suspect: overzealous polishing of the die.


Picture 3 - Note the die scratches in the steps directly below the columns. Die scratches are usually confined to the field like those seen here in the bays and below the memorial.

Photo by Mike Diamond

In many instances of heavy die scratches, you can still see clash remnants that were not completely removed. However, in the case of this 1996D die, we had heavy reduction of the field from polishing without the byproduct of visible die scratches. This tells me that in addition to tools capable of penetrating recesses but still producing scratches as in Diamond’s July 30, 2018 article, we also have tools fine enough that they do not produce visible die scratches yet due to their size or the technique used, can dramatically erode the die steel while still not penetrating into the die’s incuse design elements. We know for a fact that both table-mounted and hand-held rotary tools have been used at the Mint. A wide, stiff table-mounted polishing wheel could explain why the periphery gets a more concentrated polishing, while not penetrating into the die’s recesses, while smaller, finer hand-held rotary tools could. I surmise that these finer tools are used for lighter polishing work when preparing a new die for service, while the more aggressive tools are used to repair a die that was damaged during service.

Join CONECAA copy of the membership application form

is included in this magazine or may be downloaded at:

https://conecaonline.org/join-or-renew/or contact

Maria [email protected]

(raised ridges extending from the corners of the devices) into the higher relief areas of the die. This polishing, while capable of eroding the steel die, is fine enough to not leave behind visible die scratches. At the end of that article, I mentioned that there is a difference between this sort of “device polishing” inside of a die’s recesses and “field polishing,” which will lower the field in relation to the die’s recesses, resulting in the opposite effect: devices which are thinner than normal or even completely polished away, such as the so-called “No FG” or “Floating Roof” cents. In fact, I saw a picture of a Lincoln cent today where Lincoln’s neck had been completely abraded away. It looked as if his head was just floating there. This overpolishing is also the same cause of the well-known “three-legged buffalo nickel.” Interestingly, this type of polishing may or may not result in visible scratches in the die, ranging from very heavy to not discernible, depending on how hard the polishing tool was and what the objective was for the polishing. In the July 30, 2018 issue of Coinworld Weekly, Mike Diamond wrote an article about a Lincoln cent found by Earl Williams which exhibited visible North/South die scratches in the Memorial bays and also directly below the columns in the steps. It is quite unusual for visble die scratches like this to occur in a recessed areas of the die. Normally, these heavy visible die scra tches are confined to the field because the harder/stiffer tool used in this instance cannot penetrate into the dies recesses. So, Diamond surmised that the scratches on Earl’s cent were made by a rotating wire brush with bristles soft enough to penetrate into the column recesses, but stiff enough to create the visible scratches on the steps. Diamond ultimately concluded that “...the Mint has used a wide variety of tools and tool tips to abrade dies.” Why does abrasion of the field sometimes yield die scratches and sometimes not? Why would a more aggressive tool be used sometimes and not other times? Most of the coins that I have come across with heavy, multi-directional, field-restricted die scratches were minted in the 80s and early 90s. It is no coincidence that this time period also saw a prolific number of die clashes. When a die has sustained heavy damage from a clash event (or other cause), it requires aggressive polishing to remove the damage.

It is quite unusual for visble die scratches like this to occur in a recessed areas of the die.

continued on next page


Write an article forpublication in ErrorScope.

Please send your literary materialto the editor,

Allan [email protected]

You may type the material directly in an email or send it as an attached document.

If you need to send a paper copy of your article, please try to type the article so that it is readable. You can submit your article by mail to:

Allan Anderson2340 Soar Drive

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0r Fax to:775.964.4624

The next deadline for submission is October 1st, 2020

Picture 4 - Another example of tapered peripheral devices caused by die polishing In this case visible die scratches are present.

Image by Will Brooks

Picture 5- Another example of tapered peripheral devices. This one also happens to be a doubled die listed at http://www.coppercoins.com as 1982-1DR-001.

Image by permission of Bob Piazza at http://www.coppercoins.com

Picture 6- This 1982 was abraded so rigorously that portions of the lettering have been completely removed, yet no visible die scratches are present.

Image by Mike Diamond n

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CONECA AwardsBy JC Stevens

E very year at the annual Errorama CONECA recognizes members for their service and contributions. But this year Errorama was cancelled. All awards have been mailed to those listed below. For more information on the awards listed below visit the CONECA WEB site at https://conecaonline.org/ and click on the AWARDS tab.

CONECA Hall of Fame

This year James Motley was inducted into the CONECA Hall of Fame and was mailed the award and the error coin imaged above for a Lifetime of Service.

Kenny Knapp Award

This year James Zimmerman was mailed the Member Recruiting Award imaged above.

Literary AwardsAll persons publishing qualifying material in ErrorScope or on the club web site receive recognition in the form of a specially produced item. Works that qualify for a Literary Recognition include, but are not limited to: numis-matic error-variety-related articles, reports, indexes, crossword puzzles, and cartoons. Works may be about coins, (including tokens, medals and currency), memorabilia, events, minting processes, CONECA business, or people related to the error-variety hobby.

The following 24 authors were mailed the Literary Award with their name on a paper weight like the one imaged above that was mailed to Pete Apple for his article in Errorscope. “Yes the awards were designed before Errorama was canceled.”

Al RaddiBill Fivaz, NLG

Bob MellorChris CorwinDenny Polly

Dr. Ron Brown

Edward Van OrdenJ. Malcolm Johnson II

James MotleyJason Cuvelier

JC StevensJeff Ylitalo

Jim ZimmermanJimmy Krozel

John CavaJohn H. Miller Jr.

Jude Arnold Lee De Bevoise

Logan WostynMaria Rickert-Kittle

Mark BenvenutoMark Lighterman

Pete AppleRobert Archer


Are They Errors If All the Coins Have the Same Problem?By Mark Benvenuto

When it comes to coins that have easy-to-miss errors, I have written more than once that it appears that an improper die rotation is the

easiest to miss by far. Dealers with a large stock do not have the time to examine each coin in their inven-tory to see if a piece has something like a 170° or 160° rotation when it should be 180°. And we have also seen that the farther back we go in time, the more it appears some type of improper rotation must have been acceptable to the people producing the coins – as there certainly seem to be a lot of them. This came to the fore recently, with the purchase of a group of twenty Mughal Empire dams. A bit of background is in order here.

The reason for buying twenty of what can only be called a low denomination working coin from hun-dreds of years ago is that no one has studied them much before, and it might make a good project for my students. We do a significant amount of X-ray analysis on medieval and ancient copper coins simply because the archaeologists tend to overlook such minor things. Think about this for a moment. The entire field of archaeology seems to start at the top, in any area, then work its way down. The pyramids in Mexico and Egypt are great examples. Folks have been studying them for decades, but only in the past few years has someone bothered to wonder where the city or town might have been for the workers who built the pyramids at Giza – then bother to look under the sand for it. It’s there. It’s close to the pyramids. It’s been walked over by archaeologists for lifetimes. But no one really thought to study the little guys. When it comes to archaeology and coins, people want to study the big gold pieces, and maybe the silver. The little, copper dams of the Mughal Empire, though? No, those have for a long time been beneath the notice of most people. So, we have twenty to analyze.

When starting such an examination, we first check to see what design elements are in common. I and my students are illiterate in the languages written on these coins, and so we need to look at the script as an illiter-ate person does, as if it were a drawing, finding some piece, character, or element that is in common. Doing this one arrives at what I labeled the “Ub” side and the

“trident” side, for reasons that become clear when we look at the first two photos.

Photo1: “Ub” side Photo 2: Trident side

The Ub is always towards the top and sometimes to the left of one side. It is above what I consider the long dividing line. The trident is to the lower left on the opposing side (we’ll not worry about a proper heads and tails side at this point). These features are on all twenty of the coins, even though parts of them can be off the planchet.

Looking at photos 3 and 4 gives an idea of the repro-ducibility of the design on each side.

Photo 3: “Ub” sides


Photo 4: Trident

We can argue that the “Ub” is somewhat easier to see in all cases, but the tridents do appear to be present, as well. Clearly, these coins were minted to some stan-dard, as is evidenced by their rather uniform size – a bit smaller than a United States dime – and their thickness – at least twice as thick as any current U.S. coin.

But when we look at Photos 3 and 4 closely, we see the differences between one coin and another. We know that these were struck without machinery, using hand-carved dies. Thus there will be differences, sometimes large ones, in the dies. Indeed, it would probably be a minor miracle to find two that we could be sure were struck from the same die. But differences in dies does not an error make, as someone Shakespearean might have said (or maybe it was just me).

All the photos also show that these coins can be con-sidered round only in a vague sense. Some of them ap-pear to have the shape, while others just look like their edges have been scraped, cut, or in some other way altered. This too does not constitute an error, since plenty of coins that are hundreds of years old have suf-fered some kind of abuse after they have been minted. It might seem to us today that the idea of shaving off a bit of metal from a coin was something done only with gold or silver pieces. But in the Mughal Empire, copper may have been valuable enough that it too was stolen in tiny amounts off the sides of these little coins. Re-peated enough times, even copper adds up, and such gleanings may have been worth something.

But look at Photo 5, which was taken after turning each dam over in what is normally a coin flip, meaning

bottom to top. Take in and examine the alignment that all the tridents have.

If these were produced on a coin axis, like U.S. coins are today, all the tridents would appear right side up. If all were produced on a medal axis, as Canadian coins are, all the tridents would appear upside down. Yet neither is the case. Look at the second coin from the left in the top row, for just one example. It appears to be at about 90°. The rightmost coins in the second and third row also show clearly how far off from either a coin alignment or medal alignment these small cop-pers can be.

So, this brings the question up that readers of Error-Scope like to debate and discuss: are these all errors? On the one hand, we can claim that since some of them do end up with an alignment we think of as nor-mal or correct today, the rest must be errors. On that proverbial other hand though, when so many of the coins are mis-aligned, we can not help but think there was no standard about die alignment, and thus these coins were produced to a standard that did not include lining up the design on one side with that on the other. They were just pounded out.

I believe this is an example of how the lowest coins on the totem pole, as it were, were simply made to a low standard. But it’s always fun and educational to exam-ine such coins in detail, possibly for an error, possibly just for their place in history. n

Photo 5: Dams, flipped on the coin axis, with“Ub” side right-side up


There’s no doubt that fake and altered coins are a major headache in the collector marketplace and that the problem is getting worse.

An “Altered” Viewpoint on Collecting Some Fake U.S. Mint Errorsby Joe CroninPhotographs taken by Joe Cronin unless otherwise specified

In numismatics, perhaps the only thing more fright-ening, embarrassing, and heart-breaking than dis-covering a prized coin you own has been designated

as “damaged” is when you learn it is actually a “fake/counterfeit” or an “altered” coin* Diagnoses like these can also be quite an expensive learning experience. For example, if you submitted one unknowingly to a grading company, you don’t get refunded the cost of examination or shipping ($40-$80 approximately), and buying bad raw coins from dealers at shows or flea markets who don’t have a brick-and-mortar shop, a website, or phone number to contact them can be even more costly. Unfortunately, even buying certified and slabbed coins can be risky once in a very great while as there are good (a) fake coins in fake holders, (b) genuine coins in fake holders (this helps avoid suspicion about the coin itself, but the condition/grade on the fake label has been inflated to maximize profit), and even (c) fake/altered coins in genuine holders that fooled grading companies (though it rarely happens).

There’s no doubt that fake and altered coins are a ma-jor headache in the collector marketplace and that the problem is getting worse. Better and cheaper technolo-gy to make more convincing fakes is improving almost faster than the average collector can scrutinize them. And except for people looking for an opportunity to scam someone, nobody really wants to knowingly buy counterfeit or altered coins, right? Not exactly.

Though I certainly do not want to promote this dark side of numismatics or to reward those who counter-feit and alter coins, I do feel there is value in acquiring some fakes to study and compare them to known gen-uine coins, and more importantly to use that knowl-edge to educate others. In my area of expertise which includes U.S. Mint error coins, I feel the need to do so is even more vital. Very few people collect Mint errors, and even fewer know how they are made to know the difference between a genuine and non-genuine error. I find there are many coin dealers and collectors who

go on about how many years of experience they have in the business and they “know an error when they see it.” Sadly, many of them are wrong and can be quite arrogant, obstinate, and even hostile, and their sea-soned longevity in numismatics means nothing if their knowledge is lacking. If you can acquire some fakes and altered coins cheaply or at no cost, I highly recom-mend collecting some (especially errors if you collect them) because not only can you start to teach yourself what is genuine and what isn’t, it will also help you better understand the minting processes of past and present. Understanding how coins are/were made – from planchet metal and die preparation to the striking and ejection processes – can be your greatest tool in learning how errors can occur and if they are likely genuine. So, yes, there is educational value in owning and studying some fake and altered coins.

Not only is it a great educational exercise to study them in order to protect yourselves and others, but just as it is in the Art collector market, a small handful of fa-mous fakes and altered coins (sometimes referred to as “Black Cabinet” coins) can be worth some real money to certain collectors. In terms of what makes one fake or altered coin more “desired” than another, the over-all quality of the fake – though still important – is not the most appealing thing about them for many. What really makes some desirable and valuable is that there is a known counterfeiter combined with an interesting, dramatic backstory. In essence the coin sort of be-comes a part of U.S. numismatic lore and Americana, unlike the many mass-produced fakes coming primari-

* It should be noted there is a difference between the terms “fake/counterfeit” and “altered.” The words “Fake/Counterfeit” mean both the planchet and all die strikes which struck it aren’t genuine, while “Altered” means the planchet and possibly the strike(s) are a genuine Mint product but it has been intentionally or uninten-tionally modified (e.g. additional strikes with fake dies, removal or addition of a mintmark or part of a number/date, plating or de-plating, etc.).


1. The 1959 “Hofmann Mule” Lincoln Cent with a Wheat Reverse

This is one of the most expensive “authentici-ty-in-question” coins I can recall. It is reported that Mark Hofmann, a Salt Lake City rare document collec-tor and dealer, was going to be called out as a fraud by people in the Mormon Church who suspected he was trying to sell – and had already sold – forged historic Mormon Church artifacts (among other documents). He attempted to delay and deflect suspicion by making and sending pipe bombs to those pressuring him to see documents he claimed to have. Not having enough time to forge them, he upped his resume from a forger to a murderer of two people in 1985. Police suspected his involvement when he became injured by one of his own bombs (which he was attempting to deliver to a third person), but his statements didn’t add up to the evidence; he was convicted on multiple counts includ-ing murder and is still in prison.

However, from his prison cell Hofmann claimed responsibility for the forging of this 1959 Lincoln cent mule after news of its discovery was made public. It erroneously has a “Wheat” reverse when it should have the “Lincoln Memorial” which was switched in 1959, thus the mismatched dies make it a “mule” error. Hofmann claims the police seized it from his house after his arrest and stole it, only to be found years later in the hands of a collector. If anyone had the IQ and means of making forgeries, it was Hofmann – the best known forger in American history whose documents even fooled national document examiners. The Secret Service states his claims have no merit and asserted on two occasions the 1959 mule cent is real. Grading com-panies and error experts disagree. If it is not genuine, I am not sure if it would be a counterfeit or altered coin. Some say the copper planchet is real but the die strikes

are fake, which means it’s an altered coin; others be-lieve the planchet and dies are both fake which would classify this as 100% counterfeit. What is certain is that it sold for $50,000 at a Goldberg auction in 2019. What will this disputed coin go for next time? (Photos used with permission from Glenn Onishi, COO of Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc.)

2. The 1964 “Piacentile/Sheiner” Lincoln Cent: Double-struck, Rotated in Collar (Obverse Only)

Sometime in the mid-1960s in NY City, a man named Victor Piacentile (a.k.a. Victor Pease) approached William Sheiner, the owner of Bronx Coins, to help him market some double-struck, rotated-in-collar 1964 Lin-coln cents. Interestingly, they are only double-struck on one side – the obverse side – which immediately drew suspicion from knowledgeable collectors. (There are a couple genuine proof cents which have this error type, but the process of minting proofs is different.) Even more fantastic is that several more were claimed to have been discovered in sealed Mint bags. On top of that, they were all struck the same proportion of rota-tion (about 40 degrees counter clockwise)! How incred-ible! The pair even staged a public demonstration at a NY hotel where they opened “sealed” Mint bags and “found” a few more identical errors! Amazing!

Where it really got problematic for them was that they advertised in The New York Times and other publica-tions that were mailed to various dealers and collec-tors. Over 100 were sold, with several sent through the mail. Of course, committing a crime (altering coins with a fake obverse die to scam buyers) and then using the mail is a federal offense, and each time it is done is another charge; it also involves conspiracy to commit a crime. After being tipped off to the U.S. Secret Service, the two wound up charged with various federal crimes and each got sentenced to 3 months in prison and 2 years probation. These are considered altered because the planchet and first strike is genuine, but the second strike was hit with a fake obverse die.

ly from China, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe that most collectors don’t want even if they’re free. So what are some desired examples of fake or altered coins that many Black Cabinet coin hunters look for? Here are a few below, some of which are from my personal collec-tion (in order of their denomination).


1964 Piacentile/Sheiner cents still pop up online and at shows once in a while with many sellers insisting they are genuine. (The mid-1960s, including 1964, were banner years for altered coins with fake die strikes. Though not every 1964 altered cent was made by this duo, ones that fit the description above very likely were.)

3. 1883 “No CENTS” Liberty “Racketeer” Nickel: Plated with Gold

This Liberty Head nickel could have theoretically been struck on gold stock making it a wrong stock/off-metal error. After all, there is a genuine 1900 Indian Head cent struck on a gold $2.5 planchet, so it is at least plausible there could be a gold Liberty nickel. But as you can see, it was plated long ago to appear as gold with most of it wearing away. It even had edge reeding applied after it was minted as genuine gold and silver coins have, however the pattern is inconsistent. But why plate this coin in particular?

On February 1st, 1883, the Mint released this new “Liberty” nickel series to the public. However, no one at the Mint at first realized or was too concerned that the new 5 cent nickel lacked the word “CENTS” on it; the reverse simply had a Roman numeral “V” meaning “five.” Its nonexistence opened the door for criminals who sought to capitalize on an opportunity to plate them in gold, add edge reeding, and then pass them off as $5 gold pieces. However, the U.S. Secret Service was soon receiving complaints from business owners and bankers that racketeers – people who purposely engage in fraudulent business dealings – were passing off these gold-plated “racketeer” nickels as genuine gold. Newspapers from California to Washington, D.C. to North Carolina reported the problems and tried to educate the public.

After weeks of complaints and bad media publicity, the government finally caved and began production of new reverse dies on March 11th, 1883. The word “CENTS” was added to the bottom which also saw the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM being moved to the

top to accommodate the change (and are known as “Type 2”). Today, “Racketeer” nickels are one of the more popular altered coins. Dare I say “genuine” ones should (a) be in a very high grade but dull in color with some of the “original” plating worn away and (b) have very dull edge reeding (which makes them more valu-able to collectors than those which don’t have them). Rumors that this scam was first concocted shortly after the nickel’s release in 1883 by a Boston-area deaf-mute named “Josh Tatum” are still unsubstantiated; it is not known if this person even really existed.

4. The 1944 “No P” Jefferson War Nickel, a.k.a. “Henning” Nickel

In the 1950s, Francis Henning of Erial, New Jersey start-ed faking Jefferson nickels believing he could make a profit after calculating all his costs to forge them. The metals he used for his counterfeits were very similar to those used by the U.S. Mint, and their weight is pretty close to 5.0 grams (some weigh a little more, some a little less). Known dates include 1939, 1944, 1946, 1947, and 1953. (Though some speculate there is a mystery 6th date other than these, some contend the 6th date is actually a second 1944.) It is also believed he created dies that would produce a look resembling heavi-ly-circulated and worn coins as they struck his fake planchets to avoid suspicion. (Since he was doing this in the mid-1950s, it would have likely drawn unwant-ed attention if he always went to the bank with sharp and shiny nickels from 1939 and those with mid-1940s dates). Many experts believe he produced around 500,000 fake nickels of which an estimated 100,000 made it to circulation, while the remainder were reportedly dumped in two rivers near his home. (The federal government claims to have found about 12,000 of these in one of the rivers and supposedly melted them down to produce genuine Jefferson nickels later.)

Unfortunately for Henning, his 1944 issue had some-thing critical missing on it that local collectors in his area started noticing and contacted the authorities. During World War Two, the military needed nickel for armor-plating war machinery and other uses so they removed nickel (the metal) from nickels (the coin) and added manganese (9%) and silver (35%) to them. To let the government and banks know which ones to pull from circulation after the war, mintmarks much larger in size – and on the oppostitte side of the coin – were added to all these silver issues from 1942-1945. Hen-ning blundered by not adding the “P” mintmark above Monitcello’s dome on the reverse, and his 1944 coins started to be found with a greater degree of regularity. (Since traditionally coins lacking a mintmark mean they were minted in Philadelphia, his 1944 war nickel


missing its mintmark became known as the 1944 “No P” nickel; it is also the most common date of his fakes you can find). it didn’t take law enforcement long to name Henning as a suspect, he then skipped town to hide in Cleveland, Ohio. He was eventually caught there in 1955, and a federal judge sentenced him to three years in prison and a $5,000 fine; another three years was added after the judge learned Henning had also faked $5 bills.

1944 “No P” HenningObverse

1944 “No P” Henning Reverse with “Lopped R”

Genuine 1944-P Jefferson War Nickel Reverse

Mintmark Removed to Resemble a 1944 Henning

Henning’s 1944 nickel is likely the most well-known of all U.S. counterfeits, and these are almost always found in grades ranging from “Good” to “Fine.” (I have never seen a single Henning nickel with one step on the reverse, let alone full steps.) Even to this day collec-tors still find them in their stashes of coins left in coffee cans, inherited coin collections, pocket change, and online auctions. As for what they sell for, I have seen prices everywhere from $40-$90 depending on condi-tion (other dates have been selling for a few hundred dollars or more). If you go about looking for them, weighing his known dates is not a good indicator be-cause genuine coins and Henning’s fakes are about the same and within permissible weight tolerances. Aside from the 1944 which can be easy to detect, the other dates are not so easy. One way to tell is that they tend to have sort of a mushy and porous look to them. Also, some have a few detectable flaws including a vertical die crack on the reverse side above the right side of Monticello. The most well-known flaw is the damaged “R” in the word PLURIBUS on the reverse where it looks

like the left leg of the “R” has a divot in it; this is known as the “Looped R,” but not all of his fakes have this fea-ture either (I have some with and without the vertical die crack and “looped R”). Beware: There are many genuine nickels which have been altered to resemble dates that Henning forged. I have seen 1944 war nickels where the mintmark was polished off, disolved off with acid, buffed out, and even other dates where people tried to use a tool to create the “looped R.” What’s most amazing about Henning’s coins is that this is one case where a fake is worth more than the genuine coin for all his known dates, thus it opens up opportunities for people to mimic them and scam others.

5. One of Many of the “Charles Silverstone” Errors: 2000 Virginia State Quarter Struck on a 1 Cent Planchet

One of the most recent situations in America that caused panic among the coin-collecting community – including authenticators at the major grading com-panies – was an apparent dump of several hundred altered coins in the mid-2010s made to resemble some absolutely incredible, unique, and highly-de-sirable modern errors. Coins like Eisenhower dollars struck on cents with massive curved clips, Susan B. Anthony dollars struck on proof nickel planchets, and State Quarter Series issues struck on cent planchets to name just a few got many collectors excited. These were rapidly popping up at national shows and online auctions, with many selling for several hundreds and even thousands of dollars. Unlike many other modern fakes, the quality of them was so good – strong strikes, original Mint luster, correct lettering and spacing, etc. – that a small number of them were actually certified as genuine and slabbed by grading companies, which of course led them to draw even higher prices. It got to the point where potential buyers were actually seek-ing out the seller rather than waiting for more to be offered. The name “Charles Silverstone” soon became a very popular fellow to deal with to acquire these amazing errors (others recalled him referring to himself as “Mike McCoy”). But then just as the craze reached its peak, the coin world was rocked by some startling news about these “Silverstone” errors.


Mint error expert and dealer Jon Sullivan started no-ticing a pattern with some of Silverstone’s fakes when he had a grouping of them in-hand simultaneously. Through Jon’s research and close examination, he be-gan to notice that “some of the same dies were being used on different errors of wildly different dates.” Many of them also featured mintages from different Mints. Basically, this means the same fake dies must have been passed around constantly from Philadelphia, to Denver, to San Francisco over a long period of different years. Sullivan concludes this is “totally impossible in any remotely reasonable scenario.” What made it much more difficult to detect was that the error coins consist-ed of “authentic Mint planchets, genuine error coins, or normal coins, and then [he] created errors over top of them” with fake dies. Jon was confident a few of them were fake, which of course led him to think the others were as well. Other experts also started investigating these coins, and Sullivan credits a “cooperative effort with other dealers” to help confirm the extent that these were altered. When word got out about their findings, grading companies acted quickly to remedy the situation and make things right. I can’t even say I blame them for certifying them because these errors looked so genuine, and they should be commended for how they responded. Anyone who had these coins cer-tified by grading companies was offered the chance to return them for a refund of their purchase price (if they could prove it). Paypal and Ebay refunded many buyers who bought them online. Incredibly, even Silverstone himself refunded a few people (I know of at least two people, but I suspect there were others). Regrettably many people who bought them directly from Silver-stone in person at shows never got refunded.

Sullivan believes because the quality of these fakes was so good they likely were forged somewhere in an actual Mint facility, quite possibly by Silverstone him-self. Many people suspect they were made in Eastern Europe, especially because initially Silverstone had “Bulgaria” listed as his location on Ebay. With my expe-rience working for the U.S. Customs Service, I saw first-hand the diverse products coming in from China, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe that were counterfeit. I also know that many places in Eastern Europe have strong mafia/criminal organizations with connections to corrupt government officials. I suspect the creation of these errors involved a criminal organization with someone on the inside at a foreign mint (possibly Silverstone himself). I don’t believe he acted alone, but I could be wrong. What his real name is, where he is, or what he’s doing now is unknown and as of yet he’s never been held accountable, but his altered coins still surface from time to time. (A friend of mine showed me an email from someone at NGC who wrote that Sil-

verstone “moved on to modern Bulgarian proofs after his errors,” and that supposedly his wife was offering some for sale, but the listings were removed by Ebay.) I managed to find the State Quarter on a 1 cent plan-chet above in 2019 after several months of searching (at a very reasonable price), and a friend of mine still has one in an NGC slab that he uses for educational purposes (he was refunded by Ebay after buying it from Silverstone). Who knows how long these pests will get other unsuspecting collectors fooled, but grading companies have really stepped up their game to make sure no more get certified. Will these eventually be considered collectible and sold as well-known altered errors just like Henning’s counterfeit nickels? Perhaps, but I suspect as of now too many people are still angry about what Silverstone did.

6. 1964 JFK Half Dollar: Struck 50% Off-center with a Reverse First-strike Brockage of the Obverse Face.

Like the mid-2010s, a hoard of altered and faked error coins hit the market in the mid-1960s, except in this case many of them were silver coins. (Accord-ing to error expert, dealer, and PCGS authenticator Fred Weinberg, Southern California is where many of them turned up). Fantastic examples like JFK foldover strikes, half dollars on nickel and dime planchets, wild elliptical clips, and even double denominations made their rounds in numismatic circles; most of the ones I have seen personally have 1963 and 1964 dates. Many error collectors find major errors desirable, but they are even more desirable and pricey if they’re on gold and silver coins and those on a series no longer minted.

Similar to the Silverstone errors, many of these silver 1960s errors were struck on genuine planchets. Thus someone started buying up genuine, unstruck 90% silver planchets and struck them with fake dies to


alter them. In contrast, unlike the Henning nickel, the Piacentile/Sheiner cent, and the Silverstone fakes, the forger(s) of these coins is unknown to this day. (There were also a bunch of fake unstruck Type 1 blanks with no rim during this time that were floating around – including both complete and clipped planchets – possibly by the same forgers; some people think it could have been a jeweler who knew how to roll out silver into planchet metal and had tools to punch out blanks). Though not as popular as those other fake and altered coins, these are still cool to find if you can locate them and the owner wants to part ways. I have managed to acquire only one (above).

In sum, although fakes and altered coins are a terrible nuisance plaguing this wonderful hobby, I hope most of you found that there is some merit to why they should be studied. Acquiring a few examples to analyze and compare for yourself, especially for a series you love collecting, is truly an invaluable teaching tool. If you are a Mint error collector, I actually strongly sug-gest you acquire and study a few Black Cabinet coins because there are so many ways coins can be altered. In my experience, I find Mint error collectors tend to have a more well-rounded view of the steps and stages of the minting process which helps them better detect counterfeit and altered coins. And as I tried to show you, a few of them are actually worth a decent buck and have a place in American history. Lastly, I am not promoting people to make counterfeits or to keep this

Now buying your whole collection ofold coins, currency, bullion, diamonds,

gold jewelry, sterling flatware andMajor Errors of US coin and currency.

No cost, no obligation quotes!

Mail to:SDC

P.O. Box 4142Rocky Mount, NC 27803

252-822-2230 cellwww.squaredealcoins.com

Young Numismatists Programby Logan Wostyn

annoying market alive. But if enough of us have some to study and share what we learn from them, hopeful-ly fewer people will be scammed, and that’s great for everyone and the hobby as a whole.

Joseph Cronin is a numismatist and Mint error special-ist who teaches high school History in the Buffalo, NY area.

Joe is also a member of the ANA, the Buffalo Numis-matic Association, the Niagara Frontier Coin Club, and is an Upstate NY representative and a member of CON-ECA. He also runs “Joe Cronin’s Mint Errors Explained” on Facebook. n

Hello everyone!!! Hope you are all doing ok with all this craziness thats going on. Being stuck at home and not being able to do a lot i was wondering if any of you have gone through your collec-tions lately? I want you to pick out one coin and send me a picture of it and tell me how you found

it and what type its is.

Hope everyone is doing well. Have some fun with this I look forward to seeing your answers.

Best Wishes Always,

Logan n


1961 Franklin Double Die Half DollarBy Steven Couzzo

Ihave been collecting US silver coins for some time now, mostly 1930 to 1970. My collection is comprised of Washington quarter sets, Franklin half Dollar, Roo-

sevelt dimes and I have most of the mint and proof sets from 1955 to 1964 also.

I was working on putting together graded proof sets starting with 1961, 1962, and 1963 so I purchased this 1961 Franklin Half Dollar proof, graded PF68, on EBay to complete that years set. I am a blind gentleman who has very little sight left so when I received the coin,I used adaptive technology to enlarge the coins so I may see their details better. When viewing this coin I noticed extreme doubling on the reverse of the coin in the lettering. I went to various websites, including CONECA, to read more about this type of error /variety. I spent many week enhancing photos and matching them against known coins.

After some research I felt confident enough to send the coin back to NGC for regrading and variety plus eval-uation, my first submission. It has been regraded and returned to me as a PR68 Double Die Reverse.

From what I have read this is only the second example of this type of coin ever to share this highest grade. As the saying goes “ Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every now and then “. n


1943 Lincoln Cent ADC-1c-1943-01 & DDO-015

I had several crazy clashes sent to me during the pandemic. First will look better in the color PDF version of this article. Cliff Reuter sent this previously identified doubled eye DDO-015 which had noted clash marks on the reverse. Cliff noticed there were many more than a few. It took me a while to feel good enough, and find time to

work on it, but it was a nice surprise as it came together. Illustrated below is my overlay, my sense is that clashes 1-2 came first and were slightly misaligned and tilted, as the dies clashed, they rotated and slowly the misalign-ment corrected. The total rotation was about 40° between the first and eighth clash events. There are no discern-ible clash marks on the obverse.

Cuve’s Error-Variety-Clash Round Up 11 By Jason Cuvelier


1943 Lincoln Cent ADC-1c-1943-01 & DDO-015


Here we have a 1984P Kennedy half dollar showing multiple clash events that was sent in by Barry Inman. What appears to be the first clash was largely on center, and I suspect resulted in heavy die abrasion later to eliminate the marks. Those clash marks only remain in front of Kennedy’s face (this is the second overlay). What is likely the second clash, which is rather misaligned, slightly rotated and tilted (first overlay) can be seen behind Kennedy’s head as well as part of his face on the reverse.

1984P Kennedy ADC-50c-1984P-01


Washington Quarter ADC-25c-2020P-WF-01

1984P Kennedy ADC-50c-1984P-01

Next is a clashed dies found on a 2020P Connecticut Weir Farm National Park quarter from the ATB (America the Beautiful) series sent in by Brian Sims. The obverse shows parts of the tree and building clashed into RTY from LIBERTY and near Washington’s hair. Corresponding with the clash marks from the obverse we see parts of Wash-ington’s hair as well as some very light aspects from RTY clashed on the reverse.


Washington Quarter ADC-25c-2020P-WF-01

Below is an 1884-O Morgan with clashed die that was sent in by Denise Dahl. You can see some of the wreath and eagle’s wing on the obverse. The reverse shows parts of the face along with some head and hair details. There is a slight second clash showing on the reverse. It is also listed as VAM-5A.

Morgan Dollar ADC-100c-1884O-01 (VAM-5a)


Morgan Dollar ADC-100c-1884O-01 (VAM-5a)


Liberty head (Mercury) Dime 1936 DDO-001 (FS-101)

Next, a doubled Die on a Liberty Head (Mercury) Dime, DDO-001, with a strong class 1 uncentered, clockwise spread, showing nicely in the date, designer’s initials and IN GOD WE TRUST.

Starting from my last article (10) and going forward, I’d like to include a RPM from any series in each article, below is Lincoln Cent 1958D RPM-010 EDS/EMDS. An overlay is included.


Lincoln Cent 1958D RPM-010


Lincoln Cent 1973S DDO-001

Above is an obscure class VI proof Lincoln Cent doubled die. Doubling in the form of extra thickness, with slight separation, can be seen in TRUST along with extra thickness in IN GOD WE, the date and slightly in LIBERTY. The pick up point is the RU in TRUST. Be forewarned looking for mid seventies to early eighties class VI Lincolns is headache inducing. It is best to keep coins in year piles as you search, as year to year design fluctuations can cause confusion.


Barber Dime with date anomaly

Lastly, above, I have something in the Oh No It Ain’t category. Robert Umburger sent in this 190D Barber Dime, which under low to mid magnification, sure looks like a nice re-punched 1. After studying the coin under high magnification, my disappointing conclusion is that the coin itself has a flaw which resulted in a crack across the number 1. My overlay attempts to show how the two parts, now split, form a whole 1 digit and not two punchings. Hopefully my photos agrees with this assessment. n

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