Rare 1906 Dime Errors (List & Pictures)
Turn a 1906 Barber dime over before reaching for magnification. The back might reveal a tiny extra mint-letter curve, an enlarged border, or even a backward Liberty portrait where the wreath belongs.
The nine groups of 1906 dime errors below have estimated values of $20–$15,000. A related undated Barber brockage sold for $11,500 in January 2012; follow the checks from whole-coin appearance to the date and mintmark to understand that comparison.
| Visible clue | Likely category | Estimated whole-coin range |
|---|---|---|
| Backward, sunken portrait on the back | Reverse brockage | $4,000–$15,000 |
| Missing part of the outline | Clipped planchet | $50–$600 |
| Incomplete picture beside plain metal | Off-center strike | $150–$1,500 |
| Full picture within a widened border | Broadstrike | $100–$1,200 |
| Raised patch attached to the rim | Cud | $75–$750 |
| Peeling surface metal | Lamination | $20–$300 |
| Numeral fragments below the date | Misplaced date | $40–$800 |
| Extra strokes beside date digits | Repunched date | $35–$900 |
| Earlier letter beneath a mintmark | Repunched mintmark or overmintmark | $40–$1,500 |
The usual silver-and-copper dime weighs 2.50 g and measures 17.9 mm, with grooves around the edge. Measure accessible coins without scraping or bending them, and rely on recorded figures when a coin is sealed in a grading holder.
1. 1906 Dime Liberty Appears Backward on the Back: 1906 Reverse Brockage Error
A normally raised portrait on one side and a sunken, reversed portrait on the other form a very different pair from an ordinary Barber dime. The recorded 1906 example replaces the reverse, or back, with this backward image.
An already-struck coin remained in the press and acted as a stamping surface for the next blank. Its raised design pressed a reversed impression into the fresh metal, creating a brockage.
How to Identify
Read the unusual lettering backward and check that its shapes sink into the surface. Scattered contact marks are not equivalent to a coherent impression of the other coin’s design.
Inspect the rim and edge for later pressure damage, which can accompany coins pressed together outside the Mint. The cataloged specimen was described as a first-strike reverse brockage and graded PCGS AU55, meaning light wear.
The error covers the normal back mintmark area. Denver’s first year of dime production does not establish Denver as the origin of this particular coin.
What It’s Worth
A clear, dated Barber brockage in comparable lightly worn condition has an estimated $4,000–$15,000 range. Completeness and clarity of the reversed impression have a major effect on appeal.
An undated Barber dime with the reverse design impressed backward on its front sold for $11,500 in January 2012. That PCGS AU58 example reverses the other face and is a historical comparison, not the sale of the dated 1906 coin.
2. 1906 Dime A Gap in the Outline: 1906 Clipped Planchet Error
The Philadelphia clipped dime offered from the Rippere collection in December 2024 shows a coin made from an incomplete blank. ANACS graded it XF45, indicating wear with much detail remaining.
The blank, also called a planchet, lacked part of its outline before receiving the design. The metal and letters near the opening can preserve evidence of that sequence.
How to Identify
Examine both ends of the gap under a 10× magnifier. Stretched detail nearby and weakness in the opposite rim can support a genuine clip, but each must be observed rather than assumed.
Look for cutting or filing marks through completed detail. Weight loss occurs with both an original clip and a later cut, so a low scale reading cannot settle the question.
What It’s Worth
Genuine clips on circulated to lightly worn examples have an estimated $50–$600 range. The documented 1906 offering has no sale amount assigned here.
A 1912-S dime with two curved clips and environmental damage brought $198 in October 2022. Its different mint, two-gap pattern, and damaged surfaces limit a direct comparison.
3. 1906 Dime Plain Metal Beside an Incomplete Design: 1906 Off-Center Strike Error
A narrow plain crescent accompanies the five-percent offset recorded on a Philadelphia 1906 dime. The blank entered the press away from its intended position, leaving part of the design beyond the available metal.
That specimen was graded PCGS AU50, a lightly worn grade. The percentage describes this coin, not every 1906 off-center report.
How to Identify
Keep the whole outline in view while checking the front and back. Both should fit the same displaced blank, whereas a misplaced die can shift only one face.
Confirm that 1906 remains readable and inspect the plain crescent for scraping. An off-center strike does not require metal to be missing, unlike a clip.
What It’s Worth
Readable-date examples in circulated through lightly worn condition have an estimated $150–$1,500 range. A small offset usually supports a lower comparison than a bold, attractive displacement.
A different 1902 Barber off-center dime sold for $561.20 in June 2026 in ANACS AU50. That result is not a sale amount for the five-percent 1906 specimen.
4. 1906 Dime The Whole Design Fits a Wider Coin: 1906 Broadstrike Error
When every outer letter remains on an expanded coin, consider a broadstrike. The blank spread outward because the collar, which normally confines the edge, did not restrain the metal properly.
An identified Philadelphia 1906 example has an ANACS cleaning description. Cleaning affects its surfaces but is separate from the cause of the expanded shape.
How to Identify
Measure several spans and examine the outer lettering on both sides. An uneven border can occur, but the complete designs should remain within the metal.
Check the edge grooves and look for natural spreading at the border. Flattened letters and hammer marks may instead show that a normal coin was forced wider after striking.
What It’s Worth
The estimated range is $100–$1,200, covering circulated examples through attractive unworn broadstrikes. Original surfaces generally make a stronger comparison than cleaning or other damage.
A 1907 NGC MS62 broadstrike sold for $384 in October 2022, while a 1900-S VF30 example is indexed at $341.60 in March 2026. Their different grades and mints matter, and neither amount is assigned to the cleaned 1906 coin.
5. 1906 Dime Raised Metal Reaches the Rim: 1906 Cud Error
A broad raised area replacing edge detail can indicate a rim cud. A piece of the die broke away, and silver flowed into the resulting opening during striking.
The supplied 1906 category does not establish a fixed clock position. Its defining feature is the raised patch’s connection to the rim.
How to Identify
Follow the patch into the border with side lighting. Normal design should be absent where the broken die could no longer form it.
Solder or dirt may sit over intact letters with a separate boundary. Also inspect the edge and opposite face for an impact that could have pushed rim metal upward.
What It’s Worth
Comparable genuine Barber cuds support an estimated $75–$750 range in circulated through lightly worn grades. Larger, clearer breaks can attract stronger interest.
This is a type estimate without an individual 1906 sale record. Mint, remaining detail, and surface damage still contribute to the whole coin’s value.
6. 1906 Dime A Flake Separates from the Surface: 1906 Lamination Error
Peeling silver can leave an attached flap or an irregular shallow opening. This lamination comes from weakness or impurities within the alloy.
A Barber dime is not built from the layered metal used in modern circulation dimes. The reported surface separation also does not establish that an entire blank split into two complete discs.
How to Identify
Inspect the opening’s boundary for a thin layer lifting from within the coin. Do not pull an attached flake or press it back down.
Check for scraping and corrosion that could explain a rough patch instead. Wear and lost flakes can both reduce weight, while an attached flap may leave nearly all the original metal present.
What It’s Worth
Genuine surface laminations on circulated through lightly worn examples have an estimated $20–$300 range. A larger clear peel may command more interest than a tiny flake.
No recorded 1906 sale underlies that range. The basic differences between a worn Philadelphia coin and a better-preserved San Francisco dime remain relevant.
7. 1906 Dime Numeral Pieces Below the Date: 1906 Misplaced Date Error
Look among the toothlike border shapes below 1906 for fragments that resemble numerals. A date punch placed too low on the die can leave remnants outside the intended date.
The New Orleans report places the top of an extra 0 below the space between 9 and 0. A Denver report describes numeral traces near the tops of the border teeth.
How to Identify
First locate the mintmark below the wreath bow on the back: O for New Orleans or D for Denver. Use a comparison from that mint rather than combining the two reported locations.
Trace the suspected fragment as part of a numeral. Ordinary border teeth, scratches, and dents can create suggestive shapes without an actual misplaced punch.
What It’s Worth
Clearly identified circulated through lightly worn examples have an estimated $40–$800 range. Readable fragments and appealing surfaces help support the upper comparisons.
A different 1907-S misplaced-date dime in ANACS VF20 sold for $54 in March 2024. Its wear and different mint make it an affordable type comparison rather than a price for either 1906 pattern.
8. 1906 Dime An Earlier Stroke Beside a Digit: 1906 Repunched Date Error
A second curve immediately beside a normal digit belongs to a different date-punching question. A shifted repeat impression on the die could preserve parts of both date positions.
Reports cover Philadelphia, Denver, New Orleans, and San Francisco. Some specimens also have mintmark repunching or misplaced date fragments, but those additional features do not make every date pattern identical.
How to Identify
Compare an extra stroke with the shape of the digit it accompanies. Denver marks on 9 or 6 need a Denver comparison rather than a photograph from another mint.
A flat shelf can come from movement during striking, and scratches may fail to follow any numeral. Keep fragments down in the border distinct from repunching beside the intended date.
What It’s Worth
The estimated whole-coin range is $35–$900, from worn examples through attractive lower unworn grades. Both the exact pattern and the underlying coin’s condition affect value.
A Philadelphia 1907 repunched-date dime graded ANACS AU50 brought $79 in March 2024. Its light wear and different year provide context without pricing all four 1906 mints alike.
9. 1906 Dime Another Letter Beneath the Mintmark: 1906 Repunching and D over O Error
Below the wreath bow, a repeated D or S may preserve an earlier mintmark position. The reported D/D and S/S patterns are repunched mintmarks because the same letter was used again.
The recognized 1906-D/O FS-501 instead places D over O, making it an overmintmark. Part of the earlier O survives to the left of the D.
How to Identify
For D/O, compare the left-hand curved remnant with an identified FS-501. For same-letter repunching, follow the extra detail into the expected D or S shape.
A nearby chip or crack can produce raised metal without forming an earlier letter. Lighting from different directions helps separate real curves from shadows around the mintmark.
What It’s Worth
Clear D/D or S/S coins have an estimated $40–$800 range in circulated through lightly worn condition. A recognizable D/O has a separate estimated $100–$1,500 range.
A heavily worn 1907-O repunched-mintmark dime sold for $125 in December 2012. That older same-letter comparison does not supply a recorded price for a 1906 D over O.
Conclusion
The largest visual surprise in this group is the backward portrait, but tiny date and mintmark remnants require equally careful identification. A small raised curve has meaning only when its shape and location fit the right variety.
Use the $20–$15,000 estimates with the whole coin in mind. Readable dates, mint attribution, wear, cleaning, and the quality of the error all influence which comparison is useful.
