Off Center Cents... Q & A...

lkenefic

Calling the error experts in the crowd. I've had some fascination with this sort of error ever since I was a kid. I'm mainly into Large Cents and I've seen many with misaligned dies... the ones that are more than 15-20% off-center seem to command a significant premium. So, I started looking at more modern strikes... there seem to be many more Lincoln Cents than anything else. I'm guessing the machinery used to churn out more than a billion of something has more errors than the o es that make just millions!

So, my questions... how prevalent are these off Center errors? Are they typically found more often in one series than another? Most appear to be offered raw and the slabbed versions often command a premium... is this due to counterfeited coins made to emulate the error or is it just covering the cost of slabbing?

Thanks in advance... Best, Leo

Greenstang

There is a difference between a misaligned die and an off centre.
And yes, there are off centre counterfeits out there. Usually a misaligned die
is genuine but not uncommon.

MedalCollector

Off center Lincoln memorial cents are the most common. Specifically zincs, followed by coppers. Then I would say either Jefferson nickels or Roosevelt dimes, followed by eagle-back Washington quarters and Statehood quarters. Most anything else is harder to come by. Some series, especially in gold, are scarce or nearly non-existent. Larger coins are less commonly found off center than smaller coins too.

I’m not sure why slabbed, common off center stuff commands a higher price than raw ones. My guess is that some folks just like them slabbed, or like the extra opinion regarding authenticity.

I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a counterfeit of a common off-center type, but there are many other rarer types that have been counterfeited, like Indian Head Cents or Draped Bust Dollars. Most knowledgable collectors could pick out the fakes, at least the ones that I’ve seen.

MedalCollector

And as far as how common, I would guess that there are several hundred thousand, maybe even a couple million! off center Lincoln cents out there. They're pretty darn common.

A seller on ebay used to sell them by the 100, 500, and 1000 count.

goodmoney4badmoney

Really common years for off center cents are the later 1990s especially 1999, also 2000 and 2001. In 2002 going forward the numbers of off centers (and other errors) have been very significantly reduced.

gumby1234

Cents are definitely the most commonly found off center and the same for clipped coins. Larger denominations are the toughest to find. Also the farther off center or the larger the clip determine the value. I would guess the slabbed coins are the more valuable coins. Not necessarily always the case thou. Heres one of my clips.

lkenefic

Thanks.. Zincoln's seem to be the most abundant and as @GoldenEgg said, there are several ebay vendors that sell them raw by by 20 pc (or more) lots. A lot of them seem to have exposed Zinc which sort of turns me off. I'd be worried about corrosion on down the line and it really wouldn't be worth it to have it slabbed. I've mainly been looking at pre-1982 copper pieces. It seems as though the more extreme the off-center strike (while retaining a readable date), the more they bring at auction... but still often less than $20. Wheat Cents seem to be much fewer and further between and I think I've only seen one or two IHC's struck off-center (very pricey BIN's).... many more Large Cents but their prices are also much higher even for heavily corroded pieces.

I'm also a Type collector... has anyone done an off-center 7070? That would seem like "unobtainium"...