What is an overdate coin?

An overdate is a coin whose date was changed on the die, leaving part of the earlier date visible beneath the new one. Wikipedia's account of mint-made errors explains the 19th century practice simply: at the beginning of a year, mints punched the new date over the old on dies that were still in use. Wikipedia describes it as intentional recycling of the die.

The notation tells you what you are looking at. In 1887/6, the number before the slash is the date the coin bears, and the digit after the slash is what lies underneath. So 1887/6 means an 1887 coin struck from a die that once read 1886.

How did the 1887/6 Morgan dollar happen?

PCGS CoinFacts carries Q. David Bowers' account: in preparing dies for 1887 coinage, the Die Department of the Philadelphia Mint took some unused 1886-dated dies, lightly resurfaced them and punched them with 1887 dates. The resurfacing did not quite erase the old year, and traces of the 6 survive under the final 7.

It is a needle in a very large haystack. Philadelphia struck 20,290,000 Morgan dollars in 1887, a series record that stood until 1921, and Bowers calls the regular 1887 the most plentiful Morgan issue of the early years. The overdate hid among them for decades. Bowers credits its first publicity to the California numismatist Ted F. Clark in November 1971, who spent long hours studying coins under magnification.

Every overdate is a small record of a mint deciding a good die was worth saving.

Bowers also offers a collector's tip that still holds: coins struck early in the life of the dies show the overdate more clearly, so it pays to look closely before you buy.

Which overdates and over-mintmarks are collected?

The Morgan series alone has several, and other American series have famous examples too. This table lists only coins named in the sources we read:

The last row is a cousin of the overdate. An over-mintmark happens when a die moves between mints: Wikipedia describes reverse dies marked CC for Carson City that were sent to New Orleans and given an O over the CC in 1900.

Is an overdate an error or a variety?

For 19th century coins, a variety. Wikipedia notes that it is difficult to call such an overdate an error, because it came from deliberate recycling of the die. Collectors and graders treat the well-known ones as major varieties. PCGS describes the long-standing Red Book varieties, such as the 1918/7-S Standing Liberty quarter, and says it would never label a major overdate like the 1880-CC 8/High-7 Morgan as a standard coin. Finer attributions within a series, such as the VAM numbers used for Morgan dollar die varieties, are added through PCGS's optional variety attribution service.

Twentieth century overdates came about differently. Wikipedia classes the 1942/1 Mercury dime and the 1918/7 Buffalo nickel as doubled dies: the dies were made from hubs carrying different dates, so they are not repunched dates. The look on the coin can be similar; the cause is not. If errors interest you, our guide to error types covers the paper money side.

How do you check a coin like the 1887/6 before buying?

1. Use magnification on the last digit. Look for the remains of the 6 inside and around the final 7. Bowers advises that early die states show it most clearly.
2. Read the holder. PCGS gives the overdate its own coin number, 7174, while a regular 1887 is 7172. The label should say 1887/6, not just 1887.
3. Separate grade from variety. The grade describes condition; the attribution describes the die. Our primer on PCGS and NGC grading explains the numbers. For the 1887/6, Bowers' 1993 survey called MS-64 coins scarce and MS-65 coins rare.
4. Do not confuse the terms. An overdate, an over-mintmark and a doubled die can look alike at a glance, but they are different stories on the holder.

Planet Banknote has a PCGS MS66 1887/6 Morgan dollar, along with an 1800/79 Draped Bust cent graded PCGS MS63 Brown, two very different coins with the same habit of wearing two dates. For the wider Morgan story, see our Morgan and Peace dollar guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an overdate coin?

A coin struck from a die whose date was changed, so part of the earlier date shows beneath the new one. In the 19th century, mints often punched a new year over the old date on dies that were still usable.

What does 1887/6 mean on a Morgan dollar?

That the coin is dated 1887 but was struck from a die originally dated 1886. According to PCGS CoinFacts, the Philadelphia Mint lightly resurfaced unused 1886 dies and punched them with 1887, leaving traces of the 6.

Is an overdate coin an error?

Usually not, for 19th century coins. Wikipedia notes that such overdates came from deliberate recycling of dies, which makes the word error hard to apply. Graders treat well-known overdates as major varieties.

How can I tell if my 1887 Morgan dollar is an overdate?

Examine the last digit of the date under magnification for traces of a 6 around the 7. On a PCGS holder, the 1887/6 carries its own coin number, 7174, while the regular 1887 is 7172.

Who discovered the 1887/6 Morgan overdate?

Q. David Bowers credits the California numismatist Ted F. Clark, who first publicized the 1887/6 overdate in November 1971 after studying coins under magnification.

Is an overdate the same as a doubled die?

Not always. Nineteenth century overdates came from dies re-punched with a new date. Wikipedia classes 20th century examples such as the 1942/1 Mercury dime and 1918/7 Buffalo nickel as doubled dies, made from hubs that carried different dates.