Our August Global Showcase Auction will feature a Standing Liberty quarter error, a perfect combination of obscure and rare. This type of error is seldom seen at auction and having both pieces of the coin together make it even more desirable. In this case, the offered lot features a particularly impressive split planchet error with the coin broken almost exactly in half vertically from 11 o’clock to 5 o’clock relative to the obverse. The break is quite straight with minimal jaggedness and only the roughness to the texture that would be expected for the error. It is undoubtedly the finest known example of this error in the Standing Liberty quarter series. Each half of the coin is mounted in a separate PCGS holder. The surfaces are uniformly and lightly toned in pale golden-gray, with luster that is nearly full showing only light rub to the highest elements of the design.
Split planchet errors are caused by an improperly produced planchet with impurities trapped inside of it. Often such planchets split apart before striking, resulting in only a portion of the blank receiving an impression from the dies. Sometimes, however, the split occurs after striking, but even in that case the split usually occurs laterally. The example offered here is a particularly rare variant of the split planchet error, where the split occurs vertically. It is unknown whether a truly comparable specimen will be seen at auction in the coming years. This is a truly significant offering that will certainly capture the attention of numismatists with its startling severity.
For more information about the Stack’s Bowers Galleries August 2022 Global Showcase Auction visit StacksBowers.com. To consign your coins or paper money to one of our Showcase auctions or to our Collectors Choice Online auctions call 800-458-4646 or email Consign@StacksBowers.com.
