U.S. Error Coin Values
What’s My Error Coin Worth?
| Prices for United States Error Coins |
| Note: The approximate prices listed below are for the most common U.S. coin errors and have been collected from auction results, dealer buy/sell lists and standard numismatic publications. To learn how errors occur, see U.S. Mint Error Coins |
Off Center StrikesA coin with an off center strike is created when the coin blank is struck outside the collar that holds it in place when the die strikes. The coin is incorrectly centered with part of the design missing, thus revealing a certain amount of blank planchet space. Off center strike error coins can vary in value based on how far off center they are struck, and it what orientation. For instance, coins with missing dates or digits are not as desirable as those with the full date showing. |
| Coin | 20-40% | 40-90% |
| Indian Cent (1859-1909) | $40 | $75 |
| Lincoln Cents (copper) (1909-1982) | $5. | $5. |
| Lincoln Cents (zinc) (1982- ) | $2. | $2. |
| Steel Cents (1943) | $100. | $500 – $750. |
| Liberty Nickels (1883-1912) | $100-$200. | $250 – $700. |
| Buffalo Nickels (1913-1938) | $200 – $350. | $375 – $450. |
| Jefferson Nickels (1938 – ) | $3 -$5. | $3-$5. |
| War Time Nickels (1942-45) | $50 – $125. | $175 – $350. |
| Barber Dimes (1892-1916) | $100 -$200. | $250 – $350. |
| Mercury Dimes (1916-1945) | $50 – $200. | $225 – $325. |
| Roosevelt Dimes (1945-1964) | $35 – $75. | $75 – $50. |
| Roosevelt Dimes (1965- ) | $5 – $10. | $6 – $5. |
| Washington Quarter (1932 – 1964) | $75 – $160. | $180 – $300. |
| Washington Quarter (1965- ) | $5 – $30. | $30 – $100. |
| Franklin Half Dollar (1948-1963) | $300 – $400. | $400 – $600. |
| Kennedy Half Dollar 1964 | $100 – $250. | $300 – $400. |
| Kennedy Half Dollar (1965- 1969) | $150 – $200. | $300 – $400. |
| Kennedy Half Dollar 1970 | Rare | Rare |
| Kennedy Half Dollar (1971- ) | $35 – $60. | $75 – $100. |
| Morgan Dollar (1878 – 1904), 1921 | $500 – $4000. | Unknown |
| Peace Dollar (1921-1935) | ? | ? |
| Eisenhower Dollar (1971-1978) | $200 – $750. | $1000 -$600. |
| Susan B. Anthony Dollar (1979-81),1999 | $50 – $100 | $400 – $300. |
Clipped Planchets (coin blanks)Clipped Planchets are coins that are incomplete due to improperly cut blanks. When the planchet punching press does not advance the metal coinage strip properly, the resulting strokes may overlap previously punched out metal and produce planchets that are incomplete, or “clipped”. Values of clipped planchets may vary depending on the coin, the type of clip and the percentage missing from what would be a normal coin. Clips are categorized as curved, straight, ragged, incomplete and elliptical. Generally the more severe and interesting the error the more valuable the coin. |
| Coin | Range |
| Indian Cent (1859-1909) | $10 -$100 |
| Lincoln Cents (copper)(1909-1982) | $1 – $60 |
| Lincoln Cents (zinc) (1982- ) | $1 – $10 |
| Steel Cents (1943) | $10 -$200. |
| Liberty Nickels (1883-1912) | – |
| Buffalo Nickels (1913-1938) | $15 – $80 |
| Jefferson Nickels (1938 – ) | $1 -$50. |
| War Time Nickels (1942-45) | $10 – $200. |
| Barber Dimes (1892-1916) | – |
| Mercury Dimes (1916-1945) | $10 – $50 |
| Roosevelt Dimes (1945-1964) | $5 – $150. |
| Roosevelt Dimes (1965- ) | $5 – $100. |
| Washington Quarter (1932 – 1964) | $25 – $100. |
| Washington Quarter (1965- ) | $3 – $75. |
| Franklin Half Dollar (1948-1963) | $20 – $50 |
| Kennedy Half Dollar 1964 | $10 – $400. |
| Kennedy Half Dollar (1965- 1969) | $10 – $75. |
| Kennedy Half Dollar 1970 | – |
| Kennedy Half Dollar (1971- ) | $10 – $60. |
| Morgan Dollar (1878 – 1904), 1921 | $45 – ? |
| Peace Dollar (1921-1935) | $45 – ? |
| Eisenhower Dollar (1971-1978) | $30 – $400. |
| Susan B. Anthony Dollar (1979-81),1999 | $50 – $100 |
Cracks and CudsMajor die breaks, commonly known as “cuds”, are perhaps the most popular die errors. These occur when a portion of the die breaks away as the consequence of a progressive crack. The repeated stress of striking planchets causes dies to wear down and, in some instances, crack. As these cracks deepen and reach from one edge of the die face to another, that portion defined by the crack may actually fall away from the die. The planchet metal then fills this void, and the resulting coins shows a featureless blob where the die broke. Cracks appear as raised irregular or jagged lines at the crack’s location, and can distort legends and other parts of the coin’s design. The value of error coins with cracks and cuds depends on the size and placement of the die break. |
| Coin | Die break | Cud |
| Indian Cent (1859-1909) | $1 – $5. | $10 – $30. |
| Lincoln Cents (copper)(1909-1982) | .50 -$2. | $5 – $20. |
| Lincoln Cents (zinc) (1982- ) | .50 -$2. | $5 – $20 |
| Steel Cents (1943) | $1 -$5. | $10 – $20. |
| Liberty Nickels (1883-1912) | ? | ? |
| Buffalo Nickels (1913-1938) | $2 – $4. | $20 – $35. |
| Jefferson Nickels (1938 – ) | .50 -$1. | $5 – $10. |
| War Time Nickels (1942-45) | $1 – $3. | ? |
| Barber Dimes (1892-1916) | ? | ? |
| Mercury Dimes (1916-1945) | $3 -$8. | $20 – $100. |
| Roosevelt Dimes (1945-1964) | $3 – $10. | $20 – $100. |
| Washington Quarter (1932 – 1964) | $2 – $3. | $15 – $25. |
| Washington Quarter (1965- ) | .50 – $2. | $8 -$20. |
| Bicentennial Quarter 1976 | $2 -$4. | $20 -$100. |
| Franklin Half Dollar (1948-1963) | ? | ? |
| Kennedy Half Dollar 1964 | $2. -$5. | $75+ |
| Kennedy Half Dollar (1965- 1969) | ? | ? |
| Bicentennial Half Dollar 1976 | $4 – $8. | $25 – $350. |
| Kennedy Half Dollar (1971- ) | $1 – $2. | $25 – $100. |
| Morgan Dollar (1878 – 1904), 1921 | $10 – $50. | $100+ |
| Peace Dollar (1921-1935) | $10 – $50. | $100+ |
| Eisenhower Dollar (1971-1978) | $5- $10. | $100+ |
| Susan B. Anthony Dollar (1979-81), 1999 | $2 -$10. | $100+ |
Blank PlanchetsType one flans have flat edges, type II flans have raised rims, ready for the coinage press. |
| Coin | Flat Edge | Raised Rim |
| Large Cent | ? | $100. |
| Indian Cent – Copper-Nickel | $100. | $100. |
| Lincoln Cent – Copper | $3. | $2. |
| Lincoln Cent – Zinc | $1 | $1 |
| Lincoln Cent – Steel Zinc Coated (1943) | $20. | $25. |
| Nickel -Copper Nickel | $3. | $3. |
| Nickel – War Time Alloy | $300 | $400. |
| Dime – Silver | $35. | $35. |
| Dime – Clad | $1. | $2. |
| Quarter – Silver | $100. | $60. |
| Quarter – Clad | $10. | $5. |
| Half Dollar – Silver | $60. | $25. |
| Half Dollar – 40% silver | $125. | $85. |
| Half Dollar – Clad | $20. | $20. |
| Dollar – Silver (Morgan/Peace) | $400+ | $400+ |
| Dollar – Eisenhower | $50. | $50. |
| Dollar – Susan B. Anthony | $35. | $35. |
| Dollar – Sacagawea | $35. | $35. |
Lamination ErrorsA lamination error occurs when a coin has a fragment of metal missing or peeled off the coin’s surface. These coin errors can be caused by dirt or gas trapped in the strip as it is rolled out to the prescribed thickness. Lamination errors may be missing or attached to the coin’s surface. In the case of clad coins, the outer layer may be completely or partially missing on one or both sides. |
| Coin | Estimate |
| Large Cent | $15. |
| Indian Cent | $5 |
| Lincoln cent (copper-pre 1983) | $1 |
| Lincoln cent (steel-1943) | $15 |
| Lincoln cent (zinc-1982-present) | $15 |
| Liberty Nickel | $15 |
| Buffalo Nickel | $5 |
| Jefferson Nickel | $4 |
| Wartime Jefferson Nickel (1942-45) | $4 |
| Barber Dime | $12 |
| Mercury Dime | $6 |
| Roosevelt Dime (silver) | $8 |
| Roosevelt Dime (clad) | $6 |
| Washington Quarter (silver) | $15 |
| Washington Quarter (clad) | $10 |
| State Quarter | $15+ |
| Bicentennial Quarter (1976) | $25 |
| Franklin Half-dollar | $27 |
| Kennedy Half-Dollar (silver) | $20 |
| Kennedy Half-Dollar (clad) | $15 |
| Bicentennial Half-Dollar | $20 |
| Silver Dollar | $30 |
| Eisenhower Dollar (clad) | $40 |
| Bicentennial Dollar (1976) | $40+ |
| SBA Dollar | $30+ |
Unplated Lincoln Zinc CentsZinc cents with copper plating have been minted since the middle of 1982. Sometimes the plating is partially or completely missing, resulting in cents with a silvery looking surface on part or all of the coin. |
| Completely unplated | $100. |
| 95% plated | >$50. |
| 50% plated | $20. |
| 10% plated | $10. |
BroadstrikesBroadstrikes are common coin error, and they’re the result of the collar jamming or otherwise failing to enclose the planchet. This results in a coin struck outside the retaining collar. If the collar becomes jammed within the press, a partial collar error may occur in which some portion of the coin’s edge is properly formed, while another portion is broadstruck. Without the retaining collar, the coins spread out and become larger than normal coins. Also, if the coin normally has a reeded edge, it will be missing from a broadstruck coin. One thing to note on the value of broadstrikes error coins – very wide and well centered pieces will bring much higher prices than the estimates below. |
| Coin | Estimate |
| Indian Cent | $50. |
| Lincoln Cent – copper | $5 |
| Lincoln Cent – zinc | $5 |
| Lincoln Cent – steel | $25+ |
| Buffalo Nickel | $50+ |
| Jefferson Nickel | $6 |
| Jefferson Nickel -War Time | $60+ |
| Mercury Dime | $40. |
| Roosevelt Dime -silver | $10. |
| Roosevelt Dime -copper-nickel | $8. |
| Washington Quarter-silver | $40. |
| Washington Quarter- copper-nickel | $10. |
| Franklin Half Dollar | $100+ |
| Kennedy Half (1964) | $100+ |
| Kennedy Half -40% (1965-1970) | ? |
| Kennedy Half – copper-nickel | $40. |
| Eisenhower Dollar | $200. |
| Susan B. Anthony Dollar | $40. |
State Quarter ErrorsThe new quarters with their novel designs have sparked keen interest in State quarter errors. |
|
Off Center |
Double Struck |
Clipped Flan |
Broad struck |
180° Rotation |
Lamination Error |
25c on 5c flan |
| $150. | $1,000. | $50+ | $100. | $50. | $15+ | $400+ |
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Learn how these mistakes occur – See U.S. Mint Error Coins |
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What’s it Worth? |