Broadstrike

What it is

A broadstrike is a coin struck without the collar that normally holds the planchet and forms the edge. The metal spreads out, giving a wider, thinner coin with a plain edge.

What causes it

The collar die was out of position or the planchet missed it completely.

How to identify it

• The coin is wider than normal with a flattened, irregular edge.
• Reeded coins such as dimes and quarters have a plain edge.
• The design is complete and centered, unlike an off-center strike.

How to tell it from damage

Coins flattened in a vise or on a railroad track are distorted and thin all over, with smeared details.

Where a broadstrike happens in the striking cycle

Every US coin is struck by three dies: the obverse die, the reverse die and the collar, a steel ring that surrounds the planchet at the moment of impact. The collar stops the metal from spreading sideways, forcing it upward into the dies and forming the edge, either plain or reeded. On a broadstrike the collar is not in its working position when the dies close. It may be stuck, broken or out of adjustment, but either way the planchet is struck between the dies with nothing around it.

With no wall to resist it, the metal flows outward under the striking pressure. The coin grows wider and thinner and the design spreads with it. Because the planchet still sits between the full faces of both dies, the whole design is struck, unlike an off-center strike where part of the die face misses the blank.

Modern presses run thousands of strikes between inspections, so a collar fault can produce a number of broadstrikes before it is caught. Sorting screens remove many of the oversized coins, but some reach circulation in bags and rolls.

Centered and uncentered broadstrikes

Collectors divide broadstrikes into two main groups. A centered broadstrike has the design in the middle of an evenly expanded coin, with a roughly even border of flat, spread metal all around. An uncentered broadstrike has the design shifted toward one side, so the spread border is wide on one side and narrow on the other, yet the entire design is still present.

The line between an uncentered broadstrike and an off-center strike is whether any of the design is missing. If the full design is on the coin, it is a broadstrike. If part of the design fell off the planchet, it is an off-center strike.

A related error is the partial collar strike, in which the planchet is only partly inside the collar when struck. Part of the edge shows reeding and the rest is plain and flared. On some of these coins the edge has a raised, step-like profile that collectors call a railroad rim.

What a broadstrike edge and rim look like

The edge is the best single diagnostic. It is plain even on dimes, quarters, halves and dollars that should be reeded. It is often slightly irregular, wavy or out of round because the metal spread freely. Under magnification the edge shows the smooth, rounded flow of struck metal rather than the cut or ground surface of an altered coin.

The rim is usually lower and broader than normal. On a normal strike the collar helps force metal up into the rim area of the dies. Without the collar there is less resistance, so rims on broadstrikes are often weak or flattened. Design elements near the rim may look slightly stretched outward, with letters a little thicker at their bases than on a normal coin.

Checking a suspected broadstrike

Weigh the coin. A broadstrike uses a normal planchet, so its weight should match the standard weight for the coin within tolerance. Measure it. The diameter should be clearly larger than normal and the coin should be thinner. Look at the design. It should be complete, sharp and free of tool marks, with normal luster on uncirculated pieces.

Then examine the expanded border beyond the design. On a genuine broadstrike it is smooth and lustrous, often with fine radial flow lines running outward. A coin that has been flattened after minting has a dull, distorted design all over, with letters blurred and enlarged in the direction of the squeeze.

Why squeezed and flattened coins are not broadstrikes

The most common fake broadstrike is a coin crushed in a vise or press or flattened by a train. These coins can be wide and thin, but the physics is different. A normal coin already has its design and rim, so squeezing it pushes those raised areas down and outward. Letters lose height, smear and stretch. A broadstrike received its design while it was spreading, so the design is complete and crisp.

Squeezed coins also lose their reeding in a telltale way. The reeding is crushed and often still partly visible as a flattened pattern, while a broadstrike never had reeding at all. Railroad-flattened coins are usually elongated and show grit and gravel texture pressed into their surfaces.

Grading and collecting broadstrikes

Grading services describe these coins as broadstruck on the label, sometimes noting whether they are centered or uncentered. Cents make up most of the broadstrikes found. Broadstruck half dollars, dollar coins and gold are much scarcer. Uncirculated examples with strong luster and a well-centered design are the most sought after. Collectors also look for broadstrikes combined with other errors, such as a broadstrike on a clipped planchet or a broadstrike with a struck-through.

Frequently asked questions