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1999 US 5 cent coin

Started by Martyn, June 28, 2011, 07:06:04 AM

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Martyn

Seeking advice -

I am a (New Zealand) amateur coin & bank note collector.

I have a 1999 US 5 cent coin.  In the word Monticello the first 'o' is missing =  M ONTICELLO.

I would be interested to know why this is.  There is no apparent marking on the coin that would suggest the letter 'O' has been deliberately removed.

Thank you

Martyn Turner

edit: email address removed to defeat spammers. For email address se author's profile.

Figleaf

Hello Martyn. Welcome to World of Coins.

It is probably helpful if you can post a picture of the coin and an enlargement of the faulty area.

If I understand you correctly, there is a space for the missing O, but there's nothing there. The first thing that comes to mind without a picture is an improperly cleaned die. If some dirt stuck in the O, using the die to strike coins will have the effect of compacting the dirt into a mass that will grow as it attracts more dirt. In the end, the design element (the O in your case), will be completely filled, though most of the time, a very faint image is still visible. The technical term for this is "filled die".

If this is the case with your coin, this would be a minor error. It would be of interest mostly to US collectors.

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.