Two Exciting Options for Collecting Off-Center Coins

An off-center mint error coin is created when a planchet is struck while not properly positioned between the dies. When struck, the coin is missing some of its design. This is an off-center strike (often just called an “off center” by error collectors), and it is one of the most popular mint error types because of the eye-catching appearance of the error!

Collecting them is doable since off-center strikes are one of the most common error types. Here are two exciting ways to build your own off-center collection.

Many Like Ike Off-Center Errors

A challenging set to build would be an Eisenhower Dollar off-center collection, because they are a fairly scarce error type for the coin series. Yet, off-center specimens exist for all dates and for most of the mintmarks and finishes (proof and business strike.) They are much scarcer when they are 20% or more off-center, as most such Ike Dollar errors are only 10% or less off center. The major off-centers are tough to find, even if the matter of budget isn’t a problem. Other than a few dates (1978 being the most available), most of the years are quite difficult to locate as major off centers.

There are both proof and business-strike Ike Dollar examples known. Some proofs were certainly taken out of the United States Mint by employees over the years, while others may have escaped via scrap, or some other way. Certainly, without first-hand accounts from those involved with the escape of these proof Ike Dollar off centers from the U.S. Mint, theories amount to little more than conjecture.

Business strikes, on the other hand, usually were discovered in bags by bank employees or others rolling the coins in counting houses. It was common in years gone by for employees of these coin-rolling operations to take groups of errors they had found to dealers and sell them. It was perfectly legal and is how many mint errors of all types came into the hands of coin collectors.

A date set of Ike dollars would be a challenging and fairly expensive endeavor, with most pieces selling for $2,000 to $5,000 as of this writing. A more affordable option is to simply acquire a single, superb example of a major off-center Ike Dollar. Either way, both avenues offer good routes for the collector.

Lincoln Cents Ideal for Smaller Budgets

A more affordable option would be building a 1959-to-2001 off-center Lincoln Memorial Cents collection. But why stop at the year 2001 when the Lincoln Memorial Cent remained in production through 2008?

For most U.S. coins, dated major off-centers struck since 2002 are rare and expensive. On the other hand, with the 1959-2001 era of Lincoln Cents most of the dates and mintmarks are relatively common. Still, acquiring such a collection can take a surprising amount of effort, namely, in locating examples in the desirable 25% to 75% off-center range, with coins bearing both a date and good eye appeal.

Building a quality, PCGS-graded set of off-center Lincoln Cents can be fun for a collector on a more modest budget. Most of the dates would be available for $40 to $100, with about 10 of the scarcest examples being in the $200 to $500 range. And finding every date and mintmark in nice condition is a challenge yet achievable.