Errors and Varieties
Should I collect them? Should I include them? Will they be a good investment? Will my collection be more complete with them? Short answer - yes to all of the above.
If your collection of George V1 5 ct includes not only a '47 dot but a '47 hearing aid, '47 double date and a '51 'crescent moon' it is going to look a lot more impressive than that single date set. For me, the more varieties and errors that you have, the more complete your collection is. As these better known varieties become more in demand, they become harder to obtain and their value increases.When you consider that these varieties make up only a small fraction of the total mintage of a given year, they make a worthwhile investment for anybody, and a smart addition to any collection. I'm not saying that these coins will double in value in the next six months but with every passing day more and more coins are lost to the melting pot and wear and tear of circulation. As more varieties become accepted by 'mainstream' collectors their desirability and value increase. An example is the 1948 and 1949 1cent varieties: up until seven years ago these varieties were not listed in the trends of C.C.N.or in any major reference book. Now, these varieties are widely accepted by coin dealers and collectors alike, even Charlton has listed them in the 2002 guide book. The 1949 'A to denticle' carries a nice premium over its counter part. These varieties used to be very easily obtainable because most of the big coin dealers didn't regard them as separate varieties.Both 1949's could be found in dealer-stock with no premium being given to the less common of the two.
Where are the people who had the foresight to get together two or three rolls of this variety? Starting a nice little nest egg! That's where! The trick is to get on board before it becomes widely accepted.
I became interested in errors and varieties in the summer of '77, when I was 11 years old, and had just begun my journey into the world of coin collecting. I didn't know it, but this morning in June was going to change the way I collected coins for the rest of my life. As I peddled my bike to the bank, I would daydream about finding that roll of 1923 pennies, or that 1921 50cent piece that was cluttering up some 'old timer''s' drawer. Well, it has been many, many years and I am still waiting for something like that to happen! But let me tell you I have made some nice finds from just looking through rolls from the Bank. However, on a summer morning of my youth, I was checking some rolls of pennies when I came across a 'Clip'. I remember looking at this penny and thinking this was the strangest thing I had ever found. When I showed this coin to an old collector, it was explained to me what had happened and I was given several reference books to read. Well, let me tell you, I got as much information as I could. I learned about the way coins are made and many different errors that are possible because of it. I learned about die deterioration and die cracks, offstrucks, double strucks, die rotation and mules. I learned about my favourite occurrences, the die clash, which is responsible for many varieties in the Canadian decimal series. For those of you who don't know, a 'die clash' is the result of dies slamming together without a planchet being in the collar. Each die [obverse and reverse] will then retain elements of the design of the opposite die. Since the lowest areas on a struck coin are the high points on a die, there are the areas that will be affected by the die clash. The 'hearing aid' 50 cent and 5 cent pieces are good examples of die clashes in the George V1 series.
The 1951 'crescent moon' 5cent is a personal favourite. There is the hanging digit or 'boomerang' above the date that occured on pennies from 1954 to1964 as well as several others.
Die clash varieties are seldom seen with dates after 1980 because of modifications made that year. Presses are able to disengage if no planchet is in the collar. I have been fortunate enough to obtain several die clashes from the mid 90's just by looking through rolls!
We as coin collectors have just come through one of the most interesting periods in the history of Canadian coins. During 1999 through 2001 there were no less than four mules, some very rare 'P' mint marks, and some very interesting varieties in the '1999-2000' 25 cent series. Double size lettering on the obverse occurs in many of the 1999-2000 25 cent series. Blobs of metal and splattering are more common in some months than others. The 'Pride' issue has many different 'Dot' combinations ranging from one small dot below the date to both sides being covered in dots, a 'splattering' type effect. Blisters occur on the neckline in several months - something I usually associated with the 1cent series.
There also seems to be two types of finishes being used in the 2000 series, the regular 'mirror' type finish and a grainy 'matte'. These finishes seemed to be used on the 5cent , 10 cent and 25 cent series in '99 and 2000 while in 2001 the different finishes were used only in the 5 cent'P' and 'no P' coins.
Another interesting variety that occurred in the '99 5 cent series was the so called 'Horn nosed beaver' like the famous '57 'bug tail'. This variety is caused by die deterioration. The die, because of over-use, has gradually broken away where the beaver's whiskers are supposed to be. The resulting coin has the beaver with a blob of metal on the nose that sort of resembles a horn. Another similar variety occurs in both the '99 and 2000 5 cent series. Blobs of metal on the back of the beaver can range in size from a rim bead to the size of an obverse letter. This type of error is called a 'bug on back' 5 cent.
There is an entire world of varieties yet to be discovered by collectors like you and me. The more varieties you have, the more complete your collection is. Anyone wishing more information on errors or varieties, or any other collectibles please contact us.
Enjoy your collecting!
regards,
David Thurston
