2016-06-10 Fri

A lot of error coins were minted and smuggled out of Egypt after the Arab Spring uprising of 2011. As per official reports, the workers who are employed at the Mint are known as midnight minters as they do not have complete access to mint equipment. When adequate raw material or components are not available, the team has to compromise with substitutes. They then fabricate necessary components, or modify the finished coins themselves.

The original coins come with a reeded edge, but when suitable collars are not available, they are struck in smooth collars and sent out as is. To replicate a genuine reeding, the vertical ridges are sometimes cut into the real face of the collar. Sometimes the reeding process happens after the strike.

A “two-headed” Egyptian ringed-bimetallic 1-pound coin of 2005 to 2011 has this modified edge. The coin was struck by authentic dies with intentional abrasion, leaving some extra lotus blossoms abbreviated. The reeding could have been applied with an automated engraving device or a hand-held engraving tool. The reeding is shallower, rougher appearance and has uneven spacing.

Some coins have a sign of post-strike application as they are struck by a pair of flat dies. Unlike the previous coin, each groove is flanked by burrs and terminates in a burr at one end.

Some normal 1-pound coins were struck with copper-nickel rings, making this a transitional planchet error.

In both the above cases an old 2005 die was used to strike a steel ring appropriate for years 2007 to 2011.