Expert: Ronald Fern - 1/23/2011

Question
A few years back I inherited my grandfathers coin collection and over time I have sold thousands of dollars worth of them on ebay and have plenty more to go through.I am not an expert but I try to take my time and do the research first.I came across one of many 1859 indian heads that is marked as good/VG cond.(error).It is only struck on the obverse and the weight is correct and does not appear to have been altered.I know this is considered a uniface strike or counterbrockage but I am having no luck finding any info on it or it's value.Thanks,John

Answer
Hi John:

Thanks for your question.

With odd or unusual coins, it is always best to provide as much information as possible or a photo when asking a question. Things like weight, thickness and diameter are important in trying to pinpoint what you may have. If you want to ask a follow-up question and provide a photo or more data, I'll revise my answer, if required.

Major errors on Indian Cents are quite rare. Your coin could be worth hundreds to thousands of dollars. From your description, it sounds like you could have a uniface strike, a coin struck through a late late capped die (including brockage or counter brockage), as well as a coin struck through a split planchet. Any of these would fit by the description you gave. Your coin should be looked at by an expert.

For error coin definitions, see: http://www.2-clicks-coins.com/article/what-is-an-error-coin-in-coin-collecting.h...

Here are two sites to check error values:
http://www.coinsite.com/html/userrorprices.asp
http://minterrornews.com/priceguide.html

Sometimes people try and fool you into thinking you have a real error coin. Here are some examples of coins either being altered or damaged. Altered coins would have no added numismatic value.
See link: http://coinauctionshelp.com/page15.html
See link: http://conecaonline.org/content/OhNo.htm

You may want to check US coins and currency listings under errors on eBay from time to time to see if your coin is listed what this type of item may bring.

If you live close to a local shop, they should offer an opinion as to the value at no charge. Always try and get at least two opinions and try and deal with PNG dealers if possible. If you should decide to sell your items to a dealer, remember they will offer about 50% to 60% of the retail value. Here's a link to find one in your area: http://www.pngdealers.com/dealersearch.php You'd likely get more for this coin in a major coin auction, or by selling it to a dealer specializing in errors.

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Thank You and Good Luck in your collecting.