Canceled coins and dies

Collected only as a curiosity, the canceled coins represent real production waste from the mint.
The term production waste represents all those coins minted regularly and produced in excessive numbers, or whole batches of coins that have been defective and rejected by quality control. Minting errors, due to the strict controls applied within the mint, are almost always intercepted and consequently deformed mechanically by means of two different techniques:

The first technique (the one performed regularly inside the Mint) involves the use of a machine consisting of a conveyor belt that runs (at a distance of a few millimeters) under an opposed rotating toothed cylinder, which deforms with the teeth the planchets by means of the strong friction generated by the rotary motion (MA1, MA2 and MA3).

canceled coin

(M.A.1) 20 Lire 1977 R Ramo di quercia - Repubblica Italiana
O/ and R/ Canceled coin. Ex Sena Coins collection. Gerard collection

canceled coin

(M.A.2) 100 Lire 1962 R Minerva I tipo - Repubblica Italiana
O/ and R/ Canceled coin. Ex Sena Coins collection. Gerard collection

canceled coin

(M.A.3) 10 Euro Cent. - Unione Europea
O/ and R/ Canceled non-minted planchet. Weight 4.15 gr. Diameter 19.4 mm. Ex Sena Coins collection. Error-coin93 collection

Assuming that the dies are also canceled at the end of their useful life, before being sent to the foundry for recycling, the second technique (illicitly performed by the press operator) involves the installation of two canceled dies on a normal monetary press.

In practice, the dies are defaced using various methods so that it is no longer possible to use them to strike other coins.
The most used die cancellation technique in the mint of Rome takes place by scraping the incisions. Probably, a special grinder is used to carry out this procedure.

It is unlikely that the installation of a canceled or defaced die occurs due to negligence on the part of the operator and the coins affected by the aforementioned dies must be considered as artifacts in the Mint (C.A.1, C.A.2, C.A.3, C.A.4 and C.A.5).

canceled die

(C.A.1 e C.A.2) 1 Lira 1942 R - Città del Vaticano
O/ and R/ Canceled coin within the Mint by canceled dies by scraping. Sena Coins collection.

canceled die

(C.A.4) 100 Lire 1990 R Minerva II tipo - Repubblica Italiana
O/ and R/ Canceled coin within the Mint by canceled dies by scraping. Sena Coins collection.


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