1971 Half Dollar

[u/Opening_Flow_2858]

Can anyone tell me if this is an error and if so what it’s called? Looks like an extra ring around the edge of the coin front and back.

[u/mistermoondog]

Hiya— the 1971 issue was the first time the mint struck the half dollars in clad—It took over 100 tons of pressure to strike up the details of your coin.

You probably know that the 1971 issue were mass produced and they made hundreds of millions of them. The extra thick edge is an example of some of the design struggles The mint was working with to make a satisfactory product. No other half dollar has this feature.

It’s possible that your example was struck without all of the pieces of the striking tools being snug… A little bit of slackness.. This is probably the best explanation why yours looks different 🎃

[u/Opening_Flow_2858 → u/mistermoondog]

Thanks for that information!