Mint Error Chronicles: Planchet Crack

Numismatic Guaranty Company® (NGC®) is the world’s leading authority on mint errors, a popular segment of numismatics. In Mint Error Coin Chronicles, we take an in-depth look at a specific kind of mint error. This month’s topic is the Planchet Crack.

Planchet Cracks occur when the planchet on which a coin is struck splits. This is often caused by impurities in the metal. It differs from a Die Crack, where the crack is in the die itself, which then manifests itself as a seam of metal interrupting the design on the struck coin.

This Guatemala 1915 12.5 Centavos is graded NGC Mint Error MS 64 BN for two errors: It was struck 30% off center and it has a Planchet Crack. It is offered in a Heritage Auctions sale in late October 2024.

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Another example of a Planchet Crack is this 1766 Pitt Halfpenny graded NGC Mint Error MS 63 BN. It realized $5,750 at a Heritage Auctions sale in January 2010.

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This 1866 Three Cent Nickel graded NGC Mint Error MS 61 with a Planchet Crack realized $960 in a Heritage Auctions sale in January 2022. A coin in the same grade without the error would be expected to sell for about $150.

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Prices realized include buyer’s premium. The $ symbol indicates US Dollars.

Other Mint Error Coin Chronicles Articles:

• Broadstrikes
• Brockage
• Double-Struck
• Errors Involving Holes
• Mules
• Off-Center Strikes
• Partial Collars
• Rotated Dies Error
• Strike-through Error
• Transitional Errors
• Wrong Planchet Errors