1871 Dollar Coin Error List with Pictures
An extra curve below the date helped identify an 1871 dollar that sold for $49,350 in April 2015. The curve is the top of a misplaced 8.
This 1871 Liberty Seated Dollar error list also covers a misplaced 1 on Carson City dollars and lightly repeated digits on a Proof. Proofs are specially made collector coins.
Estimated whole-coin values range from $400–$150,000. Look closely at the date and border as you work through the two types below.
1871 Liberty Seated Dollar Repunched Date on a Proof
The first and last digits of 1871 can carry faint extra outlines. Heritage described light repunching beside both 1s on an NGC PR66 Proof of the OC-P2 variety.
A repunched date comes from applying the date punch to the stamping tool more than once in slightly different positions. Coins later struck by that tool copy the overlapping digits.
This example requires close viewing rather than a quick glance at a photograph. The slight repetition belongs beside the normal digits, unlike a misplaced number down in the border.
Estimated Value
For matching Proofs, estimate $1,500–$30,000, ranging from impaired examples to attractive, well-preserved coins. Marks on the smooth reflective background can strongly affect the price.
The March 2024 auction listing records $8,500 for the NGC PR66 OC-P2 example. That grade describes a very well-preserved collector strike.
The amount belongs to the whole Proof. Its toning and surface quality matter far more than simply counting two repeated digits.
How to Identify
Check both 1s under a magnifier, keeping the whole date in view. Move the light so a bright reflection does not masquerade as an extra edge.
The repeated trace should remain in the same place as the lighting changes. Compare it with a clear photograph of the OC-P2 example rather than assuming a particular direction.
A polished ordinary coin does not become a Proof. Confirm the striking format from the complete coin and a reliable grading description before comparing prices.
Fine scratches may cross the date without following the numeral’s shape.
The useful check is a stable extra part of each 1, close to the normal digit rather than among the border teeth.
1871 Liberty Seated Dollar Misplaced Digits in the Border
Look below the date rather than beside its digits. Philadelphia’s FS-301 variety shows the top of an 8 among the small teeth lining the border.
The Carson City coin has a different misplaced number. The sloping top of a 1 appears in the border below the lower end of the 7.
These raised fragments came from a date punch touching the stamping tool in the wrong place. Philadelphia examples are listed under two tool combinations, OC-12 and OC-14.
The Carson City mark belongs to its own tool pair and should be compared with a CC example.
Estimated Value
The Philadelphia FS-301 graded PCGS MS65 with CAC approval brought $49,350 in April 2015. MS65 means an unworn coin with relatively few marks.
Estimated whole-coin ranges are $400–$60,000 for identifiable Philadelphia examples and $5,000–$150,000 for circulated Carson City dollars. The CC issue’s rarity accounts for much of that difference.
PCGS describes the Philadelphia variety as carrying only a modest premium over comparable ordinary coins.
How to Identify
Find the mint mark on the back first. CC below the eagle identifies Carson City; the Philadelphia coins discussed here have no mint mark.
For Philadelphia, enlarge the teeth beneath the date and look for the curved top of an 8. Do not mistake the regular border teeth themselves for a hidden number.
For Carson City, concentrate below the bottom of the 7. The expected fragment is the slanted top of a 1, not the Philadelphia curve.
Use side lighting to distinguish raised original metal from a later cut. Match the date placement, mint mark, and whole design together; a single added line cannot establish that an expensive CC dollar is genuine.
Conclusion
The location of the extra metal separates these two date errors. Repunching leaves traces beside the normal digits, while misplaced numbers sit down in the border.
Estimated whole-coin values span $400–$150,000 across the Philadelphia, Carson City, and Proof examples covered here. Their prices are not interchangeable.
Check the mint mark and striking format before comparing a photograph or sale, then inspect the specific digit with a magnifier.