Harold M. writes: What is the worth of a 2000 $50 Gold mint error PCGS MS69 “Struck Thru”? I could send a scan if you wish.
When foreign material comes between a planchet (coin blank) and die, the resulting coin shows some alteration of the design. This kind of error is called a struck-thru error.
Common struck-thru materials are small pieces of cloth left on the die from cleaning, pieces of wire from a die cleaning brush, grease, scrap metal, string and staples. The type of material should be listed as part of the description of the coin since this information determines market value.
Traditionally, struck-thrus haven’t been sold primarily by grade as their collector value is associated with the type of struck-thru error. As far as I know, no standards have been published regarding a method of grading such errors. Since grade as not been a major consideration in the past, a new kind of market will have to develop to define and accommodate struck-thru coins by mint state grade. Currently, I have no knowledge of such a buy/sell market.
The third party opinion of grade not withstanding, premiums for struck-thrus would depend on the type of struck-thru error and how spectacular the error is. Premiums might range from $0 to multiples of the normal value for this particular coin.
