Expert: Dmitry Livshits - 9/10/2009

Question
I recently posted this question to Expert Dan Moore however, I've not received a resonse and AllExperts suggested I re-post this hoping another will answer...so I turn to you!

We recently found a Canadian Loonie that is misprinted...I thought nothing of it but my husband thinks it might be worth something so I thought I'd ask an expert :-)

The coin is a 2007 Loonie and the side with the loon is fine while the other side with the Queen's head is not. Her face is completely distorted, the area where her face should have been in raised higher than the rest of the coin and that texture is very rough. The 'Elizabeth II' text is visible as is her neck and pearls.  I must say that the raised metal seems to be consisent with that of the coin and I don't think it's another layer that could be removed - the color is consistant as well however, you perhaps can see something we can't.
I've attached a scanned image of it incase I've not been clear in my explaination of the misprint.
Crystal

Answer
Hi Crystal,
There is no picture attached to your question, however I believe this is a large die chip or grease fill of the die that struck the front of the coin. Occasionally a die can crack or chip after repeated use or becomes filled with grease that is used to lubricate the dies during the minting process. Since yours has a raised surface, it's more likely a large die chip. This certainly has numismatic value beyond that of the original loonie. Your husband was quite wise to pull this one aside.
It's difficult to ascertain an exact value, due to a lack of comparable examples on the market. Coins with large imperfections are usually removed and re-melted before they can hit circulation. I would highly suggest sending your coin to the good people at CONECA, who are the top experts in all kinds of error coins. They can certify and slab your coin as an original error with the exact terminology that is relevant to it for around $15 US. This is certainly worth it if you plan on selling this coin in the future.
Thanks for the question! =)