PCGS-Certified Error Coins
By Mike Byers for Mint Error News ……
PCGS has certified an unusual pair of gold error coin struck by the Royal Canadian Mint.
The Canadian Mint issued the $100 National Park gold commemorative coin program in 1985. The coin’s obverse depicts Queen Elizabeth II, while the reverse depicts a Rocky Mountain Bighorn sheep.
What I have to show you is a rare mated error pair of Reverse Die Caps.
Coin #1
After the press was initiated, instead of ejecting each coin as is normal, a struck coin adhered to the reverse die.
After a new planchet was fed onto the press, the stowaway coin came in between the new planchet and the reverse die, causing an imperfect impression of the design on the new planchet, while distorting the impression on the stuck struck coin. Because the coins were not properly secured in the die, the shape of the coin became distorted. This distortion is known as a brockage. This accounts for the unusual look of this type of error.
With each impression of the improperly configured dies, the obverse design of this die cap expanded. After a several impressions, the error coin took the shape and look of a bottle cap. The example illustrated was likely struck a number of times, typical for a Proof coin, and thus accounts for its large diameter.
Coin #2
Coin #2 is the second coin of this unusual mint error pairing and is the coin that adhered to the reverse die… ie, the culprit coin. After failing to eject, this coin subsequently struck Coin #1, creating a brockage on its obverse. It is an incredibly rare situation where a pair of error coins of this magnitude manage to escape the quality-conscious Royal Canadian Mint.
To date, this pair of error coins is only the second known gold die cap from any country. The other is an 1824 English Half Sovereign obverse die cap, which struck only two or three coins and is very shallow and only slightly cupped.
By comparison, this proof Canadian $100 Commemorative Gold Die Cap Mated Pair combines several major mint errors: deep reverse die caps and brockages.
If you would like to inquire about the coin, please contact Mike Byers at Mike Byers, Inc. using the information listed below.
MIKE BYERS INC
mikebyers.com
8545 W Warm Springs Rd, A-4 #340
Las Vegas, NV 89113
(714) 914-6415
[email protected]
