What is a Die Fill Error coin?
If you see a coin that is missing part of the design, it can be caused by three different things:
1 – Wear and tear through circulation
2 – Deliberate defacing of the coin (eg. sanded off)
3 – Errors during the mintage process (increases value of the coin)
Die Fill Errors occur during the minting process when part of a coin’s design is obscured by grease or other foreign matter on the die’s surface. The rest of the coin strikes up, but a selected section does not.
If you think you have an error coin, jump on a coin forum and post high resolution photos of the front, back, and side of the coin for feedback. If it looks genuine, take it in to your local coin dealer to have someone check it out in person.