/r/coins What’s Up With My Coin? (WUWMC) List

What it might look like, and a brief (literal) description of the issue:	What likely happened to it?
There’s something stamped onto my coin!	Someone stamped something onto your coin. People have stamped stuff onto coins for centuries, for many reasons. Because it’s done to a coin post-mint, it’s considered damage, and not an error. Though there’s no “official” consensus on the terminology, there are different terms for stamped coins, depending on who did it and why, ordered below from most common to least common. A countermark (or counterpunch, or punchmark) just refers to a mark (letters, a word, a symbol, etc.) applied as ornamentation, using a shaped punch. Sometimes it’s done by a group, to show affiliation (e.g. a Masonic symbol). Sometimes it’s to make a novelty coin (e.g. the JFK-marked penny on the left), or to advertise a business, or convey a secret message, or just for fun. Sometimes there’s a story behind it (e.g. “R. THEIS” quarters), but most often it’s just something someone did out of boredom. For a bunch of examples, check out this gallery of countermarked pennies. Almost all of such coins have no added value, other than as novelties. Exceptions would be specimens having historical significance (e.g. the 1854 quarter on the left). There’s an extremely slim chance it’s a chopmark. Silver coins used in 18th/19th century trade in China were marked by vendors to verify silver content. Specimens can be valuable, if authentic, but beware of counterfeits. Here are some examples, and here is some info. Even less likely, it’s a counterstamp, when a government or ruling body would officially validate a foreign coin for use as money. Here’s an example. Like chopmarking, this practice is obsolete, and authentic specimens can be pretty valuable. Value: See above list for general guidance on values.
My coin has a ring (or curve) on it!	It’s coin roller damage. Some coin rolling machines, when they tuck or crimp the wrapper around either end of a roll of coins, make a circular or curved scratch on the end coins of the roll. These can range from very light to fairly deep. While kind of cool-looking, this is considered damage and is not an error. Some call this type of damage the “ring of death.” Value: Damage, no value beyond face.
My US coin has no mint mark!	It was minted in Philadelphia (probably). US coins made in Philadelphia (other than nickels made in 1942-1945) did not have mint marks until 1979. US pennies made in Philly have never had mint marks, except in 2017! So it’s likely your “no mint mark coin” is a US coin that was minted in Philly. The Philly mint was the first, so originally there was no reason to designate the mint – because every coin was a Philly coin. This continued after other mints opened, even though coins made elsewhere were given marks (e.g. D for Denver, S for San Francisco). More about US mint marks. However, there have been rare errors in which a coin should have a mint mark, but does not. These include the circulation-issue 1922 no-D cent and 1982 no-P dime errors. Even rarer, in proof issues, there is the 1990 no-S proof cent, the 1971 no-S proof nickel, and the no-S proof dimes in 1968, 1970, 1975, and 1983. Proofs are specially-made, collector versions of coins (more info on proofs). And here are some tips for telling whether you have a proof, or a normal (non-proof) coin. Bottom line: If you found it in circulation, other than a 1922 cent or 1982 dime, your “no mint mark” coin is probably a Philly-minted, normal “circulation strike” coin – and probably not a proof. Value: Face value unless it is one of the rare varieties outlined above.
The rim of my coin is raised up OR the edge of my coin is flat OR my coin is too thick!	You have a dryer coin, or maybe a spooned coin. What’s a dryer coin? A coin in a pocket may fall out when clothes are laundered, and get trapped in a clothes dryer… and then, a few things can happen. For example, the coin may be rolled between the stationary outer drum and the rotating inner drum (see the drawing below). Heat, plus constant pressure to the coin’s edge, may flatten it, and also raise and even curl the rim inward. The quarter and dime on the left are rolled dryer coins — note that the originally reeded edges of the coins are flat as a result. This is damage, not an error. Clothes dryers are good at deforming coins in different ways. (Another is mentioned in the entry below.) Another possibility is that you have a spooned coin. One way to turn a coin into a ring starts with repeatedly tapping the edge of the coin, for example with a spoon, to broaden and raise the rim. Spooned coins are usually rougher-looking and less perfectly-circular than dryer coins. The penny on the left is an example of a spooned coin. This is also damage, not an error. Value: Damage, no value beyond face.
My coin is smoothed / rounded over!	You have a dryer coin as well. The entry above is about one kind of damage that a clothes dryer can do to a coin, when it gets rolled between the inner and outer drums. Another kind of damage is from being tossed and tumbled between the hard surfaces of the drums. This repeated battering of the coin tends to smooth or “round over” the surface details, making it look extremely, but usually evenly, worn. Often these two effects happen on the same coin, if the unfortunate thing is trapped in this hostile environment for long enough, with the result of a coin having both a raised/curled edge and details that have been pummeled into mush. Follow the links below for a bunch of extreme examples (WARNING: graphic coin gore ahead!): Dryer Coins, on coincommunity.com Dryer Coins, at the “Adventures in CRH” blog Value: Damage, no value beyond face.
The edge of my coin is missing / grooved / channeled OR my coin looks like an Oreo!	You have an Oreo coin! No, that’s not an official term (although it should be!). But this effect is seen in clad coins, such as post-1964 US dimes and quarters, which are made of two cupronickel/CuNi alloy layers that sandwich a core of pure copper. On clad coins, the copper core is normally visible on, and flush with, the edge of the coin. Copper is more chemically reactive than cupronickel – meaning that it’s less resistant to corrosion when exposed to corrosive substances like salt water and acidic liquids. So, when exposed to these substances, the copper gets eaten away quicker than the cupronickel, causing the core layer to become recessed from the outer edge… like an Oreo cookie. Coins with this effect are considered damaged, and are not errors. Value: Damage, no value beyond face.
My penny is silver-colored!	It’s either a steel penny, or a painted/plated copper penny. Check the date first against this list: Is it 1943? To conserve copper for the war effort, 1943 cents were made from zinc-coated steel, so are silver/gray in color (here’s more info). But zinc darkens easily, so if you have a shiny or reflective steelie, it may have been “reprocessed” – replated with a fresh layer of metal – by someone, to sell at a higher price. Steelies with original surfaces are worth a few bucks in MS condition, but reprocessed ones are considered damaged and have value only as novelties. Is it 1944? The Mint resumed copper cents in 1944, but some leftover steel planchets were accidentally used (here’s more info). A few of these “off-metal” errors have been found and they’re super valuable — which means lots of fakes exist. A “1944 steelie” is more likely a ‘43 steelie with an altered date, or a ‘44 copper that’s been plated or painted, or is wholly counterfeit. True 1944 steelies are magnetic and weigh 2.7 grams — if this describes yours, get it looked at by a pro. Otherwise, you either have an altered penny worth only face, or a fake worth nothing. Is it 1974? The Mint made some experimental aluminum pennies this year. A few are unaccounted for and one has been found in circulation (here’s more info). Again, the extreme rarity means they are faked a lot. Authentic specimens weigh less than a gram. Otherwise, you have a plated or painted ‘74 copper cent worth only face, or a fake that has no value whatsoever. If it’s any other date? It’s most likely been plated with silver, zinc, or a similarly-colored metal. Electroplating coins is a common school science activity – or can be done at home (example). You can even turn pennies gold! Or, maybe someone just gave it a coat of paint. These are all damage, not an error, therefore, not valued beyond face. There’s an extremely slim chance you found an off-planchet error — a penny that was minted on the wrong type of planchet (like for a dime, or even for foreign currency made by that mint). Your best bet is to precisely weigh and measure your coin and compare to Mint specs (here). If it’s off, and doesn’t look like it’s been machined or tooled, get it checked out by a pro. It may be a bad fake worth zero, or it could be something rare worth a few hundred dollars. Value: See above list for general guidance on values.
My coin is strangely colored!	It’s toned, OR has environmental damage, OR was plated/painted/altered. These effects can happen to most any coin, but US quarters are used in this example. Toning. Coins tone over time as the metal surface reacts with trace elements in its surroundings. This is a natural process and not an error. The effect can be patchy or spotty or smooth or uniform, and usually appears as a darker version of the original color, but may be a variety of colors. Here’s more info about toning, and here’s a cool gallery of toned silver quarters. Environmental damage. Chemical reactions like the ones that cause toning can happen faster in element-rich environments — such as dirt, which usually ends up making the color really dark. So if you have a dark, almost black coin, chances are it’s been buried awhile. Metal detectorists are very familiar with this effect. This is damage, and not an error, with no added value beyond face. Plating. As explained above with “silver pennies,” electroplating coins is not difficult, so you may have something someone made for fun. Or you may have something made by a company that modified coins to sell them as premium collectibles — such as gold plating and selective plating. But even if precious metals were used, the amount is of negligible value. All plating on US coins is done post-mint, so consider it damage (not an error), with value only as a novelty. Colorizing. Post-mint coin modification may also be in the form of colorizing, with one or both coin surfaces painted, or a colorful decal stuck on it. Collectors usually find this garish, and it looks bad when it starts to wear off. Some modern non-US coins are minted this way, but not US coins — so on US coins, it’s technically damage (not an error), with value only as a novelty. Painting. Usually seen on quarters, some coins are painted a certain color by businesses to mark “house money,” or by vending machine technicians as test coins. (This is damage, not an error.) Possible errors. There is a slim chance that your coin has a strange color due to a mint error. The main possibilities are (1) a planchet preparation error or (2) an off-planchet error (very unlikely). Off-planchet errors are when a coin was minted on the wrong planchet type, as discussed above in the “silver penny” section. Planchet preparation errors include improper alloy mixing, which can result in a wood-grain like appearance, especially on copper-alloy pennies, and improper annealing, which can result in a darker appearance, such as on so-called “Black Beauty” nickels. But be very cautious in thinking your dark nickel is a “Black Beauty” — nickels darken for many reasons (see toning and environmental damage explanations above), and it’s very rarely due to a mint error. You’d need to take it to a professional to be sure. Value: See above list for general guidance on values.
My coin is hollow!	It’s a magician’s coin — or a “spy coin.” Hollow coins have a few uses, such as in coin magic, or to conceal something small, and sometimes are made from an actual coin by separating the coin into two halves, and milling out the interior. As magic props, they’re sometimes called “shells” or “turtles.” Nowadays, hollow coins may be manufactured, allowing for all kinds of configurations. For example, an “expanded shell” is a fake, hollow coin that is made large enough to fit over a real coin of the same denomination. A “super expanded shell” is one large enough to fit over an expanded shell, and so forth. Because these items are altered coins or are wholly fake, they are not errors, only damaged, if they are even real coins. Value: Damage, no value beyond face if real.
My coin has two heads (or two tails)!	It’s a 99% chance of being a fake, sorry! What’s neat about them, though – the good ones made from real coins, at least – is the way they’re made can fool you into thinking they’re real. Most are not produced by sticking together two half-coins – this would leave a tell-tale seam around the edge. Rather, one side of a first coin is hollowed out to leave the rim intact, and then a second coin is shaved down to fit inside the first – this hides the seam on one face of the “double-sided coin,” close to the rim. Of course, like magician’s coins, a double-sided coin may be completely fake, like replicas of Two-Face’s famous two-headed 1922 Peace dollar coin (an example is shown on the left). There are only a few instances of the US Mint actually producing a double-sided coin. One example is a two-tailed quarter (more info here), and another is a two-headed nickel (more info here). However, the circumstances in both cases indicate that they were made intentionally by Mint employees. This doesn’t happen by accident because the dies used for obverse and reverse sides of a coin are made to eliminate the possibility of such an error — for example, by using differently-shaped shafts that can’t be accidentally interchanged. Because these items are either altered coins or are wholly fake, they are not errors, only damaged coins if real. Value: Damage, no value beyond face if real.
My coin has a hole through it!	Someone put a hole through your coin. This is most often seen on older coins. The theory is that holes near the rim are so the coin could be worn as a charm or bracelet, or kept on a string, practices more common in bygone days (more examples). Holes punched near the center may have been to use the coin as a button, or a washer. This is damage, and not an error. Like other forms of damage, a hole punched through a coin decreases its collector value. Another possibility, with modern bi-metallic coins made of a ring of one metal around a core of another metal, is that one has come apart or was broken apart. This can leave a holed partial coin (example). If that’s what you have, it’s also considered damage, not an error. But also keep in mind that many non-US coins have a hole as a part of the design, such as these. Use the info on the coin to look it up, e.g. on Numista. Value: Likely no additional value beyond face if damaged.
My coin is double stamped!	It’s either machine doubling (likely) or a doubled die (unlikely). There are two types of doubling on coins, machine doubling (MD) and doubled dies (DD). Both are described below. Machine (or mechanical) doubling. This happens when the die is not properly seated in the coin press, and the die moves slightly or bounces during the moment of striking, creating a “flat, shelf-like” doubling effect on the coin. Doubled dies, on the other hand, happen earlier in the coin manufacturing process, during the manufacuring of the dies. This is caused by the working hub striking the die multiple times in different areas, causing the impression of two or more unique images on the die, with clear separation between the two or more images. Generally speaking, MD coins have little or no additional value beyond face, as the doubling is not “true”. Meanwhile, famous double dies, like the 1955 Lincoln Cent, can easily go for hundreds, if not thousands of dollars if they are not counterfeit. Counterfeit double die coins are out there and can be somewhat common, so be sure you are dealing with someone reputable and are absolutely sure that the coin you have is not faked. If in doubt, take it to a (different) professional to be independently looked at. Have a look at this article from NGC for more info on differences between MD and DD. Value: See above for general value guidance.
My coin is missing stuff in the design / letters / numbers!	It’s either a strike through error OR a grease strike OR just damage. There’s three ways a coin can be missing part of its design. The first, a strike through error, is caused when a foreign object gets between the die and coin planchet when the coin is struck. A notable strike through with multiple confirmed examples is the “Blind Bat” 2020-P American Samoa Quarter. This type of error can happen with anything, be it a cloth, a piece of plastic, really, anything that can (physically) get between the planchet and die. According to PCGS, there are two main sub-types of strike through, retained and un-retained. Un-retained is most common. Values with strike throughs are difficult to ascertain as each is unique, but usually they will be more than face. A grease strike happens when the lubricant that is used to keep things running smoothly gets between the devices in the die, and causes part of the design to be faded. See the example to the left for a really famous grease strike example, namely, the “IN GOD WE RUST” 2005-P Kansas State Quarter. These coins usually have no additional value over face, but can produce sometimes funny results (like the “IN GOD WE RUST” example). This just leaves plain old damage. Damage has no additional value over face, and is not an error. Value: See above list for general guidance on values.
My coin has extra bits of metal on it / in the design!	It’s either a cud, die chip, or damage. Depending on where on the coin the extra metal appears, it could be any of the above 3 issues. If the extra metal is: on the edge, it’s likely a “cud”. There’s an entire website dedicated to this very error, but in general, a cud is when part of the edge of the die breaks off and leaves a portion of the design missing/obscured by extra metal. Sometimes these coins generate a small premium, but only if the cud is major. anywhere else, it’s likely to be a die chip. Die chips are caused when a very small piece of metal separating parts of the design breaks off from the die and ends up either missing or elsewhere on the design. The “BIE error” is caused by this very issue. Generally no value above face. anywhere else, but looks unnatural, it’s likely just damage, not an error, and has no value above face. Value: See above list for general guidance on values.
My coin has bubbles / bumps / craters below or on the surface!	It’s either zinc rot (in the case of pennies) or heat damage (in the case of other coins). Both of these are damage, not an error. Zinc rot occurs to pennies when carbon dioxide is exposed to the inner zinc layer of the penny, tarnishing it and making it extremely brittle and prone to breaking off entirely. Heat damage occurs when the coin’s inner layer melts or separates from the outer layer, causing visible “bubbling” on/below the surface of the coin. See the photos to the left for examples. Value: Damage, no value beyond face.
My coin has a mirror like finish!	It’s a proof coin! Proof coins are those that are made generally for collectors, and are rare to find in circulation. If you found a proof in circulation, lucky you! While it won’t make you rich, it’s still neat to find them when most, if not all proofs are Not Intended For Circulation (NIFC). Value: Highly dependent on which proof you have found.
My coin has chunks out of it, and/or strange bits of different color, and/or is bent, and/or has gouges, and/or has scratches!	It’s just damage. We get asked about damaged coins very frequently, and there are an infinite number of ways a coin can be damaged post-mint. It would be nigh impossible to list all the ways a coin can be damaged here, but this covers a good portion of ways a coin can be damaged. If your coin is still in circulation, you might as well spend it and not keep it, it’s still worth face value. If your coin is older and not in circulation, you can either spend it (it’s still legal tender, after all!), or keep it if you still want to. Damage does not add any additional value, but can remove value potentially if severe enough and done to a more collectable coin. Value: Generally face. See above for exceptions.
	“L” on rim – or – “L” missing This is not an error. A large percentage of wheat cents, and even newer memorial and shield cents have the “L” in Liberty touching the rim. Significant wear can make this look even more dramatic. This doesn’t add any value and does not make the cent more collectible.
My nickel may have “full steps”!	All about “full steps” nickels and how to PROPERLY make the determination. We have been asked this question a lot, and we thought it was high time to answer it. For some context, a “full steps” nickel is a nickel which, on the Monticello reverse (so, 1938-present), has 5 (or 6) fully outlined steps on the staircase leading to the building. When trying to make the determination on if a nickel has “full steps” or not, ask yourself the following: While not required to make the designation, a microscope really helps. Do you have a good quality microscope that you can take steady, CLEAR photos with to investigate further? Are the steps a SOLID set of parallel lines going all the way from end to end, WITHOUT ANY INTERRUPTION or “fading/weak strikes” (more on this below)? (This is where many people get confused!) If the answer to at least the second question is “yes”, in your opinion, then you may have a full steps nickel! But, let’s clarify for a moment what we mean by “fading/weak strikes”. ANY interruption of the step lines, going from one end to the other of the staircase, is NOT considered “full steps”! This is important, because the Monticello nickels are notorious for their weak strikes, especially in and around the stairs/staircase. So, with that out of the way, we hope this little block of text helps you make the determination and if you have a full steps nickel, congratulations! If not, then we’re sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Value: Face for non-full steps, value varies greatly for full steps depending on other factors (date, mintage, etc.).
??? Or, “hey, my coin’s issue is not on this list!”	We get asked this question A LOT, so we try our best to keep this list updated with the most frequent examples. If you don’t see anything like your coin on here and were redirected here by a mod, then please send us a modmail (link below) and we will update the page with your example and what’s going on.

This page was last updated on: Saturday, Jan 13, 2024 at 11:07:23 PM (Eastern Time)