Mint Error or PMD? Decoding Lamination Flaws, Clipped Planchets & Tooling Marks on Bank Box Quarters from the “I’m BACK! Back in the Game” Haul – 2025 Attribution Guide #32

Is that a rare lamination flaw, or did someone just scratch it with a screwdriver? Let’s break down how to tell the difference.

The Bank Box Revival: Context from the “I’m BACK!” Forum Haul

As an error attribution expert with decades of hands-on grading experience, I have examined countless coins extracted from bank boxes, including the recent fervor sparked by the forum thread titled “I’m BACK! Back in the Game…My ordered Bank Box has arrived!” In that discussion, a collector rejoined the hobby with characteristic enthusiasm, ordering a full box of quarters and immediately hunting for the elusive “NO MINT MARK” circulating issues and the low-mintage West Point (W) quarters with a reported mintage of only 250,000 pieces. The photographs shared—customer-wrapped rolls, a prematurely discovered W quarter, an “unfortunate scratch” on another quarter, and later a 1909 VDB Lincoln cent nicknamed “WOODY”—present a perfect teaching moment for distinguishing genuine planchet flaws from post-mint damage (PMD).

In my experience grading, the single most common misattribution among newcomers is labeling any surface irregularity as a “mint error.” The forum member themselves noted on one quarter:

Although, an unfortunate scratch.

That candid observation is correct, yet many less-informed hunters would falsely advertise such a coin as a lamination or struck-through error. Below, we dissect the anatomy of planchet flaws versus PMD with scientific precision, tailored to the Variation #32 angle of planchet flaws vs. post-mint damage.

The backdrop of this hunt is important. The collector compared coin searching to sports card investing, noting that bank box quarters are “a whole lot cheaper than spending big bucks in the Sports cards.” While the nostalgia is commendable, the numismatic value hinges on correct attribution. A “NO MINT MARK” quarter from Philadelphia (or a W quarter from West Point) may carry a small premium in pristine condition, but that premium evaporates instantly if the coin bears a screwdriver mark or staple gouge. The forum also showcased a 1909 VDB Lincoln cent with squared rims—an object lesson in tooling that we will explore later.

Planchet Flaws 101: What Happens Before the Strike

A planchet is the blank disc prepared by the mint before the dies impart the design. Flaws inherent to the planchet occur during alloying, rolling, blanking, or annealing—never after the coin enters circulation. The two most relevant categories for modern clad quarters (composition: outer layers of 75% copper / 25% nickel bonded to a pure copper core, totaling 91.67% Cu and 8.33% Ni by weight, 5.67 grams) are lamination errors and clipped planchets. Understanding the metallurgy is critical: the clad sandwich behaves differently under stress than a solid alloy.

Lamination Errors: The Tell-Tale Layering

Lamination errors arise when impurities, trapped gas pockets, or improper alloy mixing create a weak plane within the metal strip. Under striking pressure, the weakened layer separates, leaving a thin flap, blister, or missing crescent of metal. On a clad quarter, a true lamination will show the secondary layer peeling at the rim or field, often with a stepped appearance where the nickel cladding detaches from the copper core. I’ve examined laminations that mimic a scratch but differ critically: the edges of a lamination are smooth and follow the grain of the rolled metal, whereas a screwdriver slip produces jagged, displaced metal ridges that sit proud of the surface.

Key identifiers of a genuine lamination include:

• Parallel separation lines consistent with the rolling direction of the strip.
• No corresponding disturbance on the opposite side unless a full split occurred.
• Color differential revealing the inner copper core on clad coins.
• Absence of tool marks, circular polishing patterns, or fresh bright scars.
• Planar fault that pre-existed the strike, thus the design may be missing atop the flaked area.

In the bank box context, a lamination on a 2025-dated “NO MINT MARK” quarter would be a true treasure for variety collectors. But I caution: the vast majority of “flakes” seen in forum photos are merely plating scars from circulation or intentional scraping.

Clipped Planchets: Blanks with a Missing Bite

A clipped planchet occurs when the blanking punch overlaps a previously punched hole in the strip, removing a crescent or wedge-shaped segment from the blank. The result is a coin with a flat, smooth arc missing from its perimeter. Clipping happens before the strike, so the design is often slightly offset or the rim is incomplete at the clip. For the quarters discussed in the forum haul, a genuine clip would command a modest premium among error specialists, but only if unaltered by later handling.

Types of clips I routinely authenticate include:

1. Straight clip – originating from a straight edge of the metal strip.
2. Curved clip – arising from a previously punched circular hole.
3. Ragged clip – an irregular tear due to a brittle or improperly annealed strip.
4. Partial clip – a shallow bite that may be mistaken for rim damage.

Each type exhibits smooth, pre-strike contours. The metal at the clip edge is undisturbed by post-mint friction; instead, it shows the natural blanking shear. This is fundamentally different from a coin that struck a curb.

Post-Mint Damage (PMD): The Bane of New Collectors

Post-mint damage encompasses any alteration after the coin leaves the minting facility. The forum’s “unfortunate scratch” and a later comment about a “staple scratch” are textbook PMD. Such damage destroys collector value because it is not a product of the minting process. In my professional opinion, PMD accounts for over 90% of coins erroneously listed as “errors” on secondary markets.

Scratches, Staple Marks, and Circulation Wear

A scratch is a linear groove caused by abrasion against a harder object. A staple scratch—likely from a stapler pin penetrating a paper roll wrapper—appears as a short, deep incision with raised lips of displaced metal on both sides. Circulation wear shows as generalized smoothing of high points (Washington’s hair, eagle’s feathers), not localized gouges. When attributing, I always ask: “Could a pocket knife, a scre

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