Off-Center | |
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Off-center coins are very common. Coins were often struck slightly to significantly shifted from the center of the
planchet, though, as seen on this Diadumenian provincial, only one face is off-center.
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Double Strike | |
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Coins can be struck more than once. The Æ3 of Constantine (left) was struck fairly well centered on the planchet,
in contrast with the Constantinopolis commemorative (right) which is almost completely off the planchet.
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Other Doubling | |
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Rather than a dramatic multiple strike, doubling can also be seen on only certain features
of the coin, such as just the front of the portrait on this Constantine follis.
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Flipover Double Strike | |
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An interesting error is a flipover double strike. A coin is struck, flips over, and is struck again. The result is
an impression of the reverse die on the obverse (or vice versa). This coin of Maximinus has its GENIO POPULARI
ROMANI reverse struck on its obverse.
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Ghosting | |
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On some ancients, the design is such that one side has high relief while the other side
has a flat field. The strike pushes metal into the relief, but if there is not enough
enough pressure to push the metal into all aspects of the design, the metal is forced
deeper into the high relief and away from the field, causing a depression on one side of
the coin that corresponds to the relief on the other. This denarius of Elagabalus shows
such ghosting, and the "ghost" shows the position of the relief relative to the fields.
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Die Clash | |
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This denarius of Julia Domna shows a die clash. If the dies come together without a planchet
in between impressions of each die can be left on the other. In this case the incuse (on the die)
portrait on the obverse die caused a raised feature on the reverse die. When coins were struck
with these dies, the raised feature on the reverse die caused an incuse impression on the coin
reverse. The letters AVG can also be seen reverse and incuse on the lower left of the reverse,
in addition to the portrait. Although the image implies that the effect is the same as ghosting,
ghosting occurs immediately opposite the raised feature while the clash is at any orientation
(the die orientation at the time of striking).
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Brockage | |
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An obverse brockage occurs when a planchet that has just been struck becomes stuck in
the reverse die. The next planchet struck, instead of receiving an impression of the
reverse die, is impressed by the obverse of the previously struck coin. The reverse of the second
coin then looks like a mirror of its obverse. This antoninianus of Gallienus is such a
coin.
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Die Cracks | | |
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This antoninianus of Licninus shows a die crack across the letter R.
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Blundered Dies | | |
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Errors could occur that were not strike related. This antoninianus of Probus has an incorrect legend - the
coin should read PROBI, not PORBI.
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