Expert: Dmitry Livshits - 1/31/2011

Question
QUESTION: i received your answer on my polish coin im sure it is not damage on the coin it apears to have been stamped by the mint i hope you can see the pics i sent it is a silver typ coin thanks for your responce and for any moore info you can give thank you roger

ANSWER: Hi again Roger,
Well this looks like something interesting. It is ahrd to tell from the hpto, but is the X cut into the surface or in relief above it?
I know that the Moscow mint did not cancel coins in this way. As with many of the world's mints, coins are cancelled by "waffling" (see attached picture). You can also get more info on officially cancelled coins here: http://www.littlemistakes.com/waffles/index.htm

Now, the X looks too fine to have been done in someone's basement shop. This required specialized tools. If the X is in relief, on top of the surface, it may have likely been struck from a cancelled die. Dies used to strike coins are sometimes destroyed with a large X being stamped into it, which would show up in relief, rather than incuse, if another coin were struck from it.

If the latter is the case, it would have been illegally struck by mint employees. Once a die is cancelled, it cannot be used for official coins anymore.

I often see such illegal striking from Asian mints, especially Malaysia and Singapore, but virtually never from the strict European mints.

I would not venture a guess at value, since there is nothing in the auction records like this to compare it to. Typical "unofficial" error coins from the Asian mints I mentioned typically sell for 25% to 50% of what a comparable error would be worth if it were an official strike.
The problem is, a coin struck from a cancelled die is always unofficial, so again it's not possible to determine a value with any accuracy.

Thanks again for the question! =)

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: its me again i hope im not bugging you about this coin the x is relief it sits above on both sides and appears to have been struck the same time as the coin i have had this coin for 30 years and your information is the only thing i have found again i thank you very much. if possible you can write if you ever find out moore thank you!

Answer
Hi Roger,
It's no bother at all, otherwise I would not be volunteering. =)
I certainly will update the answer if new info comes along, but it's such an odd item that I would not count on it. If you ever feel like spending $20 or so, I would suggest sending it to NGC for professional assessment. If they "slab" it in a hoder, rather than returning it as an altered piece, the coin will be worth a hefty sum.
Thanks again! =)