Mated pairs involve two individual coins with different errors that were struck together at the same time. Mated pair error combinations can be found in most error types and come in many shapes and sizes. Mated pairs can be overlapped when one of the coins is struck off-center on top of another coin. Another type involves a brockage where a struck coin was perfectly centered on a blank and restruck. Some mated pairs involve a die cap where the cap and brockage coin are discovered together, but this is a scarce find.

The rarest mated pair type involves two die caps (obverse and reverse) where both dies were capped at the same time and both die caps are mated. This last type is extremely rare and there are only a few known examples of mated pairs involving an obverse die cap and reverse die cap. There are several of these mated pairs known on Kennedy Halves including two dated 1976, which is the Bicentennial year. One of the most spectacular mated pairs involve two Barber Dimes, an obverse die cap mated to a reverse die cap and are unique.

Mated pairs can also involve an off-metal where a smaller blank planchet or smaller struck coin was struck on top of a larger coin. This type is extremely rare. The most spectacular pair known is a double struck Franklin Half which was mated to a Lincoln Cent. The Lincoln Cent blank was on top of the obverse of the struck Franklin Half. This pair was then struck together. It is unique.

Looking for Error Coin Prices? Check out the PriceGuide Here !

Content courtesy of Mike Byers MintErrorNews.com and used with permission.

The blanking press takes the coils of metal strips and punches blanks out of it, ejecting the webbing at the other end. The webbing is cut into small scrap pieces to be melted and recycled. Occasionally a scrap piece will be mixed with the blank planchets and struck by the dies. Struck fragments are rare in the larger denominations. These can be uniface or die struck both sides and are very rare on type coins.

The Liberty Head Nickel featured above was struck on scrap and is the only known fragment in the Liberty Head Nickel series.

Looking for Error Coin Prices? Check out the PriceGuide Here !

Content courtesy of Mike Byers MintErrorNews.com and used with permission.