1983 cent

[aukizy]

Would this be an error coin?

[coop]

No just a post on the center of the 8 is broken leaving an unformed area where the 8 Should be. Just a normal thing that happens. Still within tolerance by mint standards. An error is something that should happen. Die chips/cracks/breaks/posts breaking is just a normal thing that happens. An error is usually a one time occurrence.

[Dick]

I didn't notice the topic had changed, and made the comment:
" An error is usually a one time occurrence".
That is what my Dad said, when i was born......
I was thinking it was the one with the dot between the "S", and "T" of trust. the coins looked the same...

[coppercoins]

Errors on coins usually are a one-time occurrence, unless it is a die error. Die errors are something that happens to the die as it is used that is reapeated to some degree on every coin minted thereafter until the problem is fixed or the die is retired. Examples would be broken dies, CUDs, and die clashes.

The main difference between what would be considered an error and a normal occurrence in this class is generally severity. A small die chip like the one in this thread is a normal occurrence and is within the 'tolerance zone' of what's expected when minting coins. If the entire date was gone due to a large die break, then it would be considered interesting enough to collect as an error.

I suppose by definition technically any die crack or chip could be considered an error, but not all of them are collectible errors.