Does anyone know anything about errors where the coin split in half after struck at the mint

bjamin

Where one side has a normal strike and the other side is blank because the coin split in half? Are these types very rare? This question is in regards to coins from the 20th Century but not moderns, maybe nothing newer than the 1950's.
Thank you

grip

Picture would help.

Insider2

I've seen this mostly on war nickels. Make sure it is not pried apart. Sometimes. coins with split edges are "opened" with a tool to make a major error. These have metal gouges protruding into the coin. The split halves I've seen are NEVER smooth and can be "fit" together. Often a "ghost" image remains and the metal is streaked and flaky looking on the split portion.

BillJones

I had a Wartime nickel years ago, and I had both sides. I sold for way too little when I was starting out as a dealer to a error coin dealer specialist. I think I have slides of it somewhere, but it would be had to find.

keets

clamshell??

ricko

I have not seen fully split coins... I have seen pictures of partial... called clamshells... Cheers, RickO

jonathanb

They're rare in the general sense, but not very popular so not very expensive. Worth maybe a few hundred dollars if you have both halves, some tens of dollars if you only have one half.

A true split planchet will always have a rough back surface. If you have something with s smooth, flat backside it was ground down outside the mint.

Three ways to break a coin