Error coins are eagerly hunted by collectors and now with more and more coloured coins being minted for circulation by the Royal Australian Mint we’re seeing new types of error coins that never before existed. This is the more easily spotted and most eye-catching error where the paint has been applied to the wrong side of the coin. Optical processes at time of paint application are supposed to recognise the reverse of the coin then apply the paint but occasionally an error occurs and the enamel is applied to the wrong side of the coin. This has been seen on few occasions of the various coloured coins and collectors have named it a “bullseye” error. The coin seen above is one of these errors, the paint wrongly applied to the portrait (or obverse) side of the coin. Below we see the same coin in the PCGS slab graded PCGS MS66, a very high grade for such a coin and obviously pulled from a Mint roll or bag.

A different example but a coin of the same type below can also be seen in its security bag!

Grossly off-centre coins like the one shown above are particularly sought after by collectors This coin is about 80% off centre and shows design elements that identify it as a penny of George VI. Often these sorts of radically off centre errors show no signs of the collar die being present at all. For those new to the error game, the collar die (when making round coins) is a ring shaped die that fits around the coin blank when it is struck. It serves two main purposes, the first is to constrain the flow of the coin blank radially and ensure that the coins struck are the correct size. Secondly, it applies some finish to the edge of the coin, this can be a plain smooth finish (like a 1c or 2c), a reeded finish (like a 20c or a 10c), or even an interrupted reeded edge (like a dollar or two dollar coin). In the case of our off centre error the collar die was certainly present but obviously did not encircle the coin blank when it was struck. So how do we know the collar die was present when this error was formed? See the image below

Referring the image above, the arrows labelled 1 point to a flat shelf like feature on either side of the struck portion of the coin. This is evidence that the coin was struck against the collar die, removing the raised rim that is present around the rest of the coin. It’s important to realise that the raised rim was applied to the coin blank BEFORE it was struck, and was removed WHEN It was struck. Obviously the raised rim was flattened by something, and in this case it was the collar die.

The arrows labelled 2 on the above image show an interesting feature that shows that the collar die, while present, was not performing one of it’s key tasks. The small crenellated features you can see are the denticles you’d expect to see around the edge of a George VI penny. Given that one of the roles of the collar die is to restrict radial metal flow of the coin and in the case of our error was not in place properly, clearly radial metal flow is NOT restricted. So, what should be nicely formed rim denticles are actual smeared sloping ramp like features, formed when the metal flowed outwards rather than filling the denticle features on the obverse die.

For the new or experienced error collector it can be tough obtaining an Australian error like this off-centre penny, their scarcity and desirability makes them one of the more expensive errors you can find. For the collector on a budget who wants an error of this type then an off-centre US penny can be an affordable way of adding one to a collection. For the collector who has to have an Australian example of the type, head over to the Purple Penny website where one is in stock right now.

Interestingly termed, an “Indent” error coin occurs when 2 planchets are accidentally fed into the collar at once. Consequently the dies will press the coin blanks together creating a partial blank on one side. This may fully or only partially obscure the design. An indent may occur with the same blank or a totally different shaped or sized blank. This will result in a depression in the lower coin the shape of the upper blank. The coin pictured above is of the rarer type where a blank of a different denomination was fed into the collar. It is an Australian 2002 Outback design one dollar where a 5 cent blank has been fed in simultaneously. The coin below is a penny with a threepence impression. Both spectacular error coins.

If the indent occurs when an already struck coin obscures the striking ie. the last coin didn’t exit the press fast enough then you will see a brockage or part brockage impression in the indented area. There is no blank design because the obscuring coin was struck but the brockage impression will be incuse and a mirror image of what it struck against. You can see this on the coin below, a penny that just caught the previous coin that didn’t escape fast enough.

Above you can see a remarkable and rarely seen error, and elliptically clipped or elliptical planchet Australian florin minted for 1962. The coin weighs just 7.82 grams, almost exactly 3.5 grams under the regulation florin mass of 11.31 grams. Now, we’ve talked about elliptically clipped errors before, but it’s worth examining this coin in some detail to prove it’s authenticity and understand it’s origins.

How are Elliptical Planchet Errors Made?

Elliptical planchet or elliptical clips are a result of a failure in the planchet manufacturing process. This is the process that turns a strip of metal into a round disc that can then be struck by a coin press to form a coin. In the case of this florin, coin blanks were punched out of a thin sheet of 50% silver by dies in a so called “blanking press”. After a blank was punched out the sheet of metal moved along a bit and then another blank was punched out, this happening over and over and obviously at a frighteningly fast pace. But what happens if something goes wrong and the metal didn’t slide along far enough and the second blank punched out overlapped the first? That’s how a clipped planchet occurs. See the image below for a more helpful explanation.

As you can see from this image our 1962 elliptical planchet error is a dead ringer for the centre part of the theoretical error shown above.

How do I know it’s Real?

You can use some of the same techniques to authenticate a curved clipped planchet error to authenticate the coin in question here. We’ll examine this coin for radial metal flow, a symptom of either an undersized planchet or a planchet not constrained radially by a collar die. Radial metal flow shows itself on the rim of a coin and also as so called ‘fish tailing’ of the coin legends. Below is a detailed image of the rim of the coin from the top of the obverse. Note that the raised rim slopes gently inwards until there’s no raised rim. This is because the metal flows in preference to the missing part of the coin blank rather than filling up the die. This gentle slope of the rim near the missing part of a clipped planchet is very distinctive. As a matter of interest you can see how the rim beads have also not been formed correctly, slowly transitioning from nicely formed round beads on the right to just a fraction of their correct size on the left.

Fishtailing is a descriptive term for the effect that radial metal flow has on the legends of a coin. You can see this effect clearly in the image below. Notice how the top of the letters are thinned and slope up towards the edge of the coin. Notice also how the top of the T of AUSTRALIA is bisected and forms the characteristic fishtail shape. If someone simply cut the edge off of a coin to try to imitate a clipped planchet this fish tailing would obviously not be present and the smart error collector would be rightly dubious of the origins of such a fabrication.

In conclusion, we see all the correct indicators that this coin was actually struck on an underweight planchet. It has a distinctive shape and shows the type of radial metal flow you’d expect when such an underweight planchet is struck in a coin press. Elliptical clipped planchets like this one are the most unusual type of clipped planchet error, and it’s always fun to see one on a big coin like a florin.