Expert: PAPAJACK - 3/19/2007

Question
I have received a half dollar(kennedy) that shows the date as 1 then nothing then 85.  the nine is missing.  I am trying to find out if this is normal or have I been given a coin that that is possably worth something.

Answer
Hello Brad,    

This is not normal but it is a common mishap at the mint.

No coin can be exactly valued without being seen. For the most common cause of missing letters on coins get a magnifier and light source. Examine the coin around the missing feature. Tilting it in all directions.

Are there scratch marks, or is the surface different?
Is there a ghost of the missing item or scaring where it should be?
Is the rest of the coin properly struck?

Missing letters are usually caused by a filled die error.
Grease and debris commonly get caught in the recesses of the dies as they produce coins. When the dies close on the blank the portion of the die filled with this debris won’t let the metal flow into it.
These coins are common with weak or altogether missing features. The price you may get for them over the face value depends on what an error collector may pay for the particular coin.
Error collecting is a branch outside of coins collecting. There is no fixed pricing on these error coins published and each one would have to be seen to be evaluated.

I hope this information is helpful.

Feel free to ask another question about US Coins.

Good Luck

PapaJack