From the Sept. 6 Numismatic News E-Newsletter:
Do you collect Presidential dollar errors?
Here are some answers sent from our e-newsletter readers to Editor Dave Harper.
While the Presidential error dollars fascinate me, I do not neccessarily collect them. I do try to buy rolls of them, and search for errors, not to collect but to get other coins I am interested in buying. They are a good market for those who collect them. I either sell to a local dealer or sell them in online auctions such as ebay.
One specimen is all I have discovered so far. This was not the highly sought after missing edge dollars, but instead just a partial clipped coin which I sold on eBay to a collector. He sent it in to get graded, and came back ungraded as too much rim damage.
I do collect the new dollar coins and think that they are great pieces to attain for collection as they will help all who collect them to learn all of the presidents in order.
I guess that sort of makes me a collector by proxy to someone else who will enjoy them better than I.
Collin Cagle
West Jordan, Utah
No, I do not collect Presidential error dollars. I would keep a Presidential error dollar if found in change, but would not purchase it. I will keep these coins for my grand children, as long as I can get them at the bank, for a even trade dollar for a dollar. In my opinion this coin is the worst looking coin the U. S. has even minted.
Just looks like a token to me. And I don?t like the edge lettering. Like to see "IN GOD WE TRUST" with a magnifier.
Ira Lawley
Green Pond, Ala.
To me errors ars spoiled coins not in the state meant for circulation or distribution. So no, I do not collect spoiled coins
Alan Patterson
Marietta, Ga.
Do I collect them? No, I spend them. I think that?s what both collectors and the public as well should be doing with them. GET them into the hands of as many of the NON collector public as we can sothey can circulate.
THIS country needs a $2 coin more so than a $1 coin...and desperately needs to bring back the $500 and $1,000 BILL too.
Bob Beni
Phoenix, Ariz.
Errors! I am not even collecting the regular Presidential $1 coins. The U.S. Mint gets too much of my hard-earned money already!!
Garry Kramchak
Houston, Texas
I believe that all these error coins are being produced to spark interest in the distribution and sales of these coins. I believe it is a fabrication of the Mint and I have no interest in collecting them.Where is the quality control at the Mint? If I were in management at the Mint and these mistakes were being made on my watch, someone would would have to answer for these mistakes in a very serious manner.
I have lost faith in the Mint due to some of these problems, and have no interest in collecting any of the Presidential dollars, errors or not! They are going to be the biggest flop in coin production since the Mint was established! From all this blog you can assume that my answer is no.
I enjoy your magazine. Keep up the good work.
Ken Berrill
Bradenton, Fla.
Did it ever occur to the Mint that maybe God is trying to tell us to stop trying to take him off of our coins and minds?
Tony Bonanno
Beltsville, Md.
I was just reading the article on the bowed up edges on the Adams dollars. I have one that they just went ballistic on. As a matter of fact, the ?I? in IN GOD WE TRUST goes all the way across the rim, from one side to the other. It must be the record. I do believe that the entire edge writing, minting, on this coin is all to one side in general.
I have also found an error ? or what I think is an error ? where there is some type of tool that they use at the Mint to set the coins up prior to them being minted. It must be some sort of punch that may be built into the dies. It is round in nature because the tool they use always leaves a round-looking spot on the coin. I have even seen the tool marks on the front and reverse of the coins.
I am not expert at grading these coins, or any other coins for that matter. It is difficult to do any type of grading, or find errors, without a loop. All that I use is just a magnifying glass that is magnified somewhat. I have some of the Presidential dollars that have these small (and sometimes large) places that look as though they were attempting to take, like you said, a dremel drill and going along some of the edges of Ms. Liberty, and then some of the other errors that they attempted to erase on the coins. I am not too sure what one would call these places on the coins.
I am not a big-time collector; however, I do try to purchase two rolls of dollars each time they come out from the U.S. Mint. Everything that I purchase comes from the Mint. At any rate, all of the Godless dollars ? and that does not include the Goodless Adams dollars because i cant afford one of those ? I have had to purchase off of eBay. I have several of the Adams inverted coins and the other ones that were in error, and several of the Washington dollars with no lettering on the rims. I have a few of the proof sets and try to get one of the Presidential spouse coins when they come out, but not the gold ones.
Out of the few rolls that I get, I have run across lots of coins that have big gashes cut in them. They look as though they have been in circulation for years, but yet they call them uncirculated. I don?t know how they do that. The poor little coins look as though they have been dragged through the mud, and then back again.
Oh well, I suppose I will go, and maybe this will just add to the other e-mails that you get.
Travis Dixon
Loganville, Ga.
I looked through some rolls of the new dollars and never found any. I would never buy one.
Charles Bearish
Allentown, Pa.
Not only do I collect Presidential dollar errors, I collect any error I can get my hands on, and afford!
James McFadden
Clearwater, Fla.
I was not going to collect any errors for the Presidential dollars, but decided to when some of them were dramatic and easy to see. I am collecting smooth edge and double edge lettering errors at this point. Clips, missing clads, major off-centers and other rare errors are too expensive. I am collecting all the major errors for the state quarter program; that is all I can afford at this time.
Blaine Coffey
Lees Summit, Mo.
I have been a collector at heart since I was a little boy, but it hasn?t been until the last few years that the little boy has been able to realize some of his dreams. The backbone to my collection has been the introduction of the Presidential dollars and their subsequent errors. It has been exciting to collect the errors. As they have continued to flow out of the U.S. Mint, I have been concerned about their potential values, especially as additional ? and sometimes obscure ? errors are discovered. My hope has been in the grading as I hold onto a Washington Smooth Edge NGC Graded Error MS-66 and make offers on the companion ? John Adams Smooth Edge NGC Graded Error MS-66, and more.
My hopes are that the errors subside, making those found more unique and not part of the deluge of errors found every time another Presidential dollar is released.
Cary W. LeMonds
Riverton, Utah
For some time now, I have been seeing the American Legacy set listed in the Mint Statistics section of Numismatic News. I was under the impression that this set would be available for purchase in September, but have yet to see any release date information. I called the U.S. Mint customer service center, but they d id not have any specific information. I was told the set would be available ?around the end of the year.?
Do you or your associates happen to have any specific information pertaining to its availability date? Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your time and attention in this matter.
Marc A. Girard
Address withheld
