Tag Archives: Sacagawea errors and varieties

Errors worth searching

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This post concerns modern business strike coins that you might find in pocket change or bank rolls. Omitted from this list are vintage coins minted before 1964 as well as proof strikes.

We’ll be looking at:

  • 1960/1960-D Small Date Cent.
  • 1998, 1999, 2000 Wide AM Cents
  • 1976-D Bicentennial Quarter Double Die
  • Sacagawea Dollar Cheerios Dollar and Wounded Eagle
  • American Samoa Quarter W-Mint Mark Strick Through
  • 1979 Susan B. Anthony Dollar Wide Rim

Let’s be upfront about the errors and varieties you will not find, however long you may look and be encouraged to do so by click-baiters on social media. These include:

These rarities are so low in number that finding any would qualify, literally, as a miracle.

Consider the ultra rare 1969-S DDO Cent, which sells for tens of thousands of dollars in any grade. Major grading companies have holdered fewer than 50 such 1969-S errors. Millions of collectors have been searching for them for decades with no luck. As such, it is a waste of hobby time to look for the above. But the hunt for errors and varieties is popular now in numismatics. So it you are into this game, let’s consider coins you still might discover with reasonable effort and patience.

1960/1960-D Small Date Cent

You want to identify and find the small date, preferably in mint state condition, worth $15-35.

The 1960 Small Date variety will have a smaller 0 digit and be oval in shape in the inside of the 0. The top of the 9 digit is lower and almost flush with the 1 digit as opposed to being larger and higher like on the large date variety.

At MS60 to MS 63, the Small Date 1960/1960-D is scarce but still discoverable in pocket change. However, any example at MS64 and higher typically will come from previously unopened bank rolls.

1998, 1999, 2000 Wide AM Cents

While the 1992/1992-D Close AM is nearly impossible to find, you still might discover in pocket change and rolls the 1998-2000 Wide AM varieties (worth $15-100+ based on mint state grades).

Before sharing your finds on social media, be forewarned that many new hobbyists believe they have struck it rich with a 1998-2000 Close AM Cent. (They are thinking about the 1992/1992-D Close AM Cent.) When it comes to these three later dates, you are supposed to find the Close AM. It’s the Wide variety that is collectable.

1976-D Bicentennial Quarter Double Die

The 1976 Bicentennial Quarter is one of the most sought-after modern coins being collected today. The 1976-D DDO is included here because collectors often overlook the doubling on the “R” of “Liberty.”

PCGS has labeled this double die FS-101, and depending on the condition of the coin these can be valuable, selling for hundreds of dollars.

A lesser double die is the FS-102 variety:

To see if you have found one of these, again compare the “R” in “Liberty” and you will note that the FS-102 variety lacks a clear double die on the left stem of the letter “R”:

These double dies are rare. PCGS has only holdered fewer than 60. However, it estimates that 850 are out there. So you still can find one.

Sacagawea Dollar

Cheerios Dollar

Dated 2000-P, the coin was a prototype in an advertising promotion to advance numismatics. The new dollar was included in one in every 2000 boxes of cereal. Veins of the tail feathers are distinct in the Cheerios prototype but missing in the regular coin.

Here’s an illustration with the Cheerios coin on the right:

Uncirculated examples of the prototype are worth thousands of dollars, beginning in low mint state MS60 retailing for $1,550 and $11,500 in MS68. Many people who bought the cereal containing a coin eventually spent them, so you can still find them in circulation, although that would be a rare occurrence. Remember, only 2000 of the prototype were minted. No one knows how many were spent.

Wounded Eagle

There is another Sacagawea variety containing a die chip in the breast of the eagle, as if it had been struck by an arrow or dart. Here is an illustration of the “Wounded Eagle” variety:

Note the die chips on the breast and area of the breast. This is a much desired variety that can still be found in pocket change. Depending on condition, it typically sells for $50-100 in high mint state.

American Samoa Quarter W-Mint Mark

First of all, every 1999/2020 W-mint mark “America the Beautiful National Park” quarters have collector value because of their scant mintage of 2,000,000 for each issue. See this post for more information about the set of 10 W-mint mark quarters.

The 2020 American Samoa Quarter features a fruit bat, with the mother bat hanging upside down holding her offspring. Here’s the official design:

A dramatic error exists with the Samoa quarter. A strike-through occurred on multiple coins, obscuring part or all of the mother bat’s face. Here’s a PCGS example:

The raw version shown below was offered on eBay for $360 dollars in mint state. That is a reasonable Buy-It-Now offering.

1979 Susan B. Anthony Dollar

Narrow and Wide Rim

As the names indicate, the difference between the varieties concerns how close the date is to the rim.

Photo compliments of PCGS CoinFacts.

These varieties are not especially valuable, but they do train the eye to look for differences. PCGS values for MS65 Susan B,. Anthony coins are $22, narrow, and $55, wide.

If you know numismatic terms, you can find valuable errors in pocket change, rolls and auctions. Any coin might contain one of the following flaws or designations:

BROAD STRUCK: A minting error resulting in a coin outside its collar.
CLIPPED: A planchet missing part of its design when the blank in question was improperly punched
CUD: A flaw that raises metal near the collar or edge, caused by a damaged die at the mint.
DIE CHIP: A small piece of metal not part of the original design comes into contact with the metal dies.
DIE CRACK: A defective line caused by a faulty die.
LAMINATION ERROR: A portion of a coin’s planchet due to impurities of the planchet.
MISALIGNED COLLAR: A strike in which the die does not square up perfectly with obverse or reverse, resulting in a partial collar or mint error, usually not very valuable. (See COLLAR.)
REPUNCHED: A variety of a coin whose date or mintmark seems double struck.
STRUCK THROUGH GREASE: A clogged die that strikes with a mixture of lubricant and metal dust.

For more numismatic terms, see this illustrated coin glossary.

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2000 Sacagawea Varieties

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The year 2000 was special in numismatics, with the introduction of the Sacagawea dollar named after a teenage Lemhi Shoshone woman who aided the Lewis and Clark Expedition exploring the Louisiana Territory. The design was innovative and the occasion celebrated.

To mark the occasion in 1999, the U.S. Mint partnered with General Mills for a “treasure hunt,” producing some 5,000 Sacagawea dollars with one placed in every 2000 Cheerios boxes.

Cheerios Dollar

Dated 2000-P, the coin was a prototype. Veins of the tail feathers are distinct in the prototype but missing in the regular coin. Here’s an illustration with the Cheerios coin on the right:

Uncirculated examples of the prototype are worth thousands of dollars, beginning in low mint state MS60 retailing for $1,550 and $11,500 in MS68. Many people who bought the cereal containing a coin eventually spent them, so you can still find them in circulation, although that would be a rare occurrence. Remember, only 2000 of the prototype were minted. No one knows how many were spent.

Wounded Eagle

There is another variety containing a die chip in the breast of the eagle, as if it had been struck by an arrow or dart. Here is an illustration of the “Wounded Eagle” variety:

Note the die chips on the breast and area of the breast. This is a much desired variety that can still be found in pocket change.

Mules

There are also two “mules,” or coins from another denomination appearing on the Sacagawea dollars. Depicted below, the one on the left has a Washington Quarter obverse and a Sacagawea reverse. PCGS has graded 5 of these with prices into the hundreds of thousands. The mule on the right features a 2000-D Sacagawea obverse and South Carolina State Quarter reverse. PCGS has holdered only one of this type, selling in 2022 for $66,000 at Heritage Auctions.

Here are PCGS retail and auction prices for these varieties:

VIP Strikes

In advance of the release of the 2000 Sacagawea dollars, the Philadelphia Mint invited dignitaries, hobbyists and special guests to a striking ceremony. Those in attendance were sent these special strike dollars after the 2000 coins were officially released by the mint. Appropriately, these have become known as the “VIP” Special Strike dollars known for their satin surface and sharply struck devices. Another first strike ceremony was held at the Denver Mint in early 2000. Here is an illustration:

Estimates are some 600 Philly pieces and 120 Denver pieces were sent to respective attendees. So again, these are especially rare. Theoretically, a few of these could have made it into circulation by mistake. But odds are again you never will find them in pocket change or bank rolls. PCGS has only graded three Philadelphia VIP strikes and two Denver strikes. As you can imagine, these are ultra rarities.

Goodacre Presentations

Finally, the designer of the coin, Glenna Goodacre, received a $5,000 commission paid with and prepared by special strikes with a burnished satiny appearance, close to the VIP examples. Some of these still contain the original ceremonial holder by the U.S. Mint. Many also were graded by ICG with some crossed over later to NGC, PCGS and ANACS. You can purchase these for reasonable prices in the hundreds rather than thousands of dollars for a Gem example.

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If you like posts like this, subscribe so you can be informed whenever there is a new article or column.

Proxiblog also has hundreds of followers on Facebook Coin Groups. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.

You can find more information about types, varieties, errors, grading, bidding and buying in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider buying or gifting the work for a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist blog. Thank you.