Welcome to the forum Ron. You should try to include full pictures of both sides of the coin, as it may give evidence to the cause. My guess would be strike doubling, where the die bounces because it is loose and hits the coin again in some areas.

Agree with Coinguy, it’s also the first step in making a hollow penny.

Thanks for your answer Jim. I am looking for a definition for denticles, to differentiate it from beading or some other design elements.

What is the criteria for a denticle to be considered a denticle? Such as, it must be squared, or it must touch the rim, etc.

Will a post mint rim ding put a coin in the no grade or details category?

The horn and cigar are both minor die chips, which is considered normal die wear by NGC. Depending on the size of the chip, it may not even qualify as an error. I imagine that each governing body has their own criteria for what constitutes an error or variety. Unsure about how much added value, if a...

Because it’s a mint error, not a variety.

The “metal overhang” could be a cud.

Thanks for your informative answer Bill. I can understand how a bank could afford to make a die, but how could a merchant afford to make such a thing? I wonder, could a merchant token only be used at that particular store, or be used anywhere, like regular money, since there was so little coinage ar...

Hi all, long time lurking, first time posting. Before a bank or merchant were about to make a coin in the early 1850’s, when they were first deciding on different designs for dies, how many designs do you think were chosen for actual die engraving? Did they decide on one design, or make a few totall...