Rare 1805 Dime Errors (List & Pictures)
One exceptional dime shows both features discussed in this 1805 Draped Bust Dime errors guide. Its clash marks and die crack appear on a PCGS MS66 coin that sold for $86,250 in August 2011.
The estimated $1,000–$90,000 range prices the complete coin across very different conditions. Examine the neck and chin for transferred design first, then follow the raised line near LIBERTY without counting the coin’s value twice.
1805 Dime Extra Shapes Appear beside the Neck and Chin: Die Clash Error
The auction catalog identifies clash marks around Liberty’s neck and chin on the JR-2 Four Berries example. “Four Berries” names a normal reverse design and is not an error by itself.
A clash begins when the two dies, or striking tools, hit each other without a blank in place. Each tool can pick up traces of the opposite design and later transfer those unwanted shapes to coins.
This explains why a faint piece of the back design can appear near the front portrait. The dime itself did not need to be pressed against another coin.
How to Identify
View the entire portrait before enlarging the neck and chin. A short line loses useful context if the crop hides its position beside Liberty.
Compare the extra shapes with the opposite design and the cataloged example. A genuine clash should have a sensible design source rather than resemble an unrelated scratch.
Move low side lighting across the area to see the mark’s surface. A cut with pushed-up metal at its edges points toward later damage and needs a different explanation.
For a loose coin, compare weight and size with about 2.70 grams and 19.8 mm, allowing for wear. Inspect the grooved edge for filing or repairs, or use recorded measurements if the coin is sealed.
What It’s Worth
$1,000–$90,000 is a whole-coin estimate from worn examples to outstanding unworn pieces. The MS66 dime’s $86,250 result reflects exceptional preservation as well as its early date.
CAC also approved that coin’s quality. A separate Four Berries dime in substantially worn F12 condition sold for $1,740 in October 2025.
The F12 sale was not identified as a matching clash example. It helps show the effect of condition, rather than setting a separate dollar amount for the neck and chin marks.
1805 Dime A Raised Ridge Runs around LIBERTY: Die Crack Error
The same auctioned dime has a crack around ERT in LIBERTY. Silver filled a narrow opening in the damaged die and copied it as a raised ridge.
That is a crack in the tool, not necessarily a split in the silver coin. Another reported example shows the affected ERTY area extending toward star eight.
Cracks can grow as a die continues in use. The longer route therefore should not be required on every coin showing the shorter reported crack.
How to Identify
Start at ERT and follow the line into the nearby open space under magnification. Check that it rises from the surface and continues along the reference’s route.
For an example with the longer extension, compare the path toward star eight with its own photograph. Do not attach that extension to the auctioned coin without seeing it there.
A scratch leaves a cut through finished metal, while a die crack can repeat as a raised path on coins from the same damaged tool. Keep the nearby letters visible when photographing the difference.
What It’s Worth
$1,000–$90,000 again describes the complete dime, not an additional payment for this ridge. The $86,250 auction record describes the ERT crack on the same MS66 coin discussed above.
A different Four Berries dime in VF35 sold for $2,820 in October 2025. That circulated coin retained much of its design, but its price is a condition comparison rather than a measured crack premium.
If both the clash and crack are present, assess one complete coin. Adding the two section ranges would count the same date, condition, and surfaces twice.
Conclusion
The neck and chin marks should match transferred design, while the LIBERTY feature should follow a raised crack path. Different shapes point to different kinds of die damage even when both appear on one dime.
Use the normal Four Berries design to choose a comparable coin, then account for wear and surface quality. The remarkable $86,250 sale belongs to one exceptional specimen with both features.
