Bonded Coin Rare above All Else
By Brad Hall
Like some of the other rare errors that are in the world, the bonded coin error is probably right near the top of the rarity scale. This is due in part to the fact that the bonded coin is one of the most dramatic errors that many collectors and dealers will ever see. Largely thought to be the work of a malfunctioning feeder, this type of error rarely leaves the mint.
The bonded coin error is nothing short of a major malfunction in the feeding machine for the coin press. The press relies on the coin feeder to bring in the blank planchets to be struck as well as eject the already struck coin. When the coin is not ejected it remains in the retaining collar to be struck with the next coin that comes in. In rare cases the coin will not be ejected again and receive yet another strike.
Once the second strike the two coins become bonded together as do all the others that strike the same area. So what you end up with is multiple coins all bonded together in a rather unsightly form of coinage and wrinkled metal.
There have been extreme specimens found that have as many as five coins bonded together. This is rare and when something like this escapes from the mint it is impossible for it to have done so with out help of a mint worker. That is why the Secret Service announced that bonded coins are illegal to own if there are more than two bonded together.
The most common form of the bonded coin is simply two coins of the same denomination. Of course common is a fairly loose term here as there are only a few examples of this type of error floating around. Most of them reside inside high dollar private collections never to see the light of day again.
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True bonded coins are easy to detect because the metal will show signs of extreme pressure and distortion. If you see a coin that is bonded with another yet looks fine otherwise then you have found a fake. Someone has manually bonded the coins for purposes of defrauding the unwary collector.
For all bonded coins it is best to check with the Secret Service to make sure that they are legal to own.
About the Author
Brad Hall is the editor of http://us-mint-coins.blogspot.com the number one resource for US mint error coin information anywhere on the web.
