The Very Highest Quality Advice... |
Two Pound Coins GANTS - Error |
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As it should appear
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As it should appear
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The Cause of the Error
The cause of this type of error is quite simple, and fairly common. The edge inscriptions are impressed into the edge of the coin blanks before the blanks are struck. The edge lettering machine rolls the coin between steel rollers bearing the inscription. As with any mechanical process, wear and breakage is possible. Because the letter "I" is thin, there is little lateral support, and therefore it is more likely that the raised letter "I" on the roller will get broken off than any of the other letters. Coins are mass produced and not subject to individual inspection. It is therefore quite easy for a large number to be made before the error was noticed, and it is unlikely that the Royal Mint would have considered it worthwhile to scrap and re-mint any faulty coins, of which there may have been tens, or hundreds and thousands.
What About Other Errors?
If the letter had been omitted completely instead of becoming broken, it is likely that there would be more interest from collectors, as this would have constituted a more interesting variety. It is sometime possible to find coins with raised letters "missing", actually they are usually faint rather than missing, and this occurs because the incuse lettering on the die becomes filled or blocked with debris, and a number of coins are then stamped with one letter less clearly defined than normal.
The type of error which would be more interesting to collectors, and therefore more valuable, is where a letter has been blundered, for example an incorrect letter used. This hardly ever occurs, at least with modern coins, and would therefore be quite rare, adding to the value.
If the wrong obverse (head side) was used , or the wrong lettered edge was applied, for example the edge lettering of the 1999 rugby two pound being used on the normal "four ages" two pounds, this would be considered an important error or variety in its own right, and many collectors would be interested in obtaining a specimen.
More Information
Visit our £2's For Sale page.
Worth Keeping Coins From Change?
If you want to find the value of a coin you own, please take a look at our page I've Found An Old Coin, What's It Worth?
Or you could check out our £2 Coin Values page.
Please, if you are going to ask us whether the £2 coin you own is worth more than £2, please, please, please read our other pages about them first, and even then the answer is almost certainly no. About 1,000 people every week read one or more of our pages about £2 coins. Hopefully most manage to find what they wanted. A tiny percentage, but still about 20 per week ask us whether a £2 they have found in change / in a drawer / been given is worth more than £2. The answer to 99% of these questions is already on our site. We do not have the time or patience to answer such questions individually.
If you have a coin which you want to sell, and you know how much you want for it, you can use the form below to contact us:-
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32 - 36 Harrowside, Blackpool, Lancashire, FY4 1RJ, England. Telephone (44) - (0) 1253 - 343081 ; Fax 408058; E-mail: The URL for our main page is: https://24carat.co.uk | Chard(1964) Ltd |