Coins that are considered Wrong Die Varieties,
Transitional Die Varieties and Mid Year Die Changes
By: John H. Miller Jr.
We are looking at a group of coins called Wrong Design Variety and Transitional Design Variety coins. With a little searching these coins can be found today in circulation or inside of a dealer’s inventory for the same price as a standard coin but can carry a premium if sold to a variety collector.
We will go denomination by denomination and make note of the diagnostics as to aid you in your searches for these coins. First, here are some definitions that will assist in identifying these varieties.
WRONG DESIGN VARIETY COIN: A coin where the dies that struck the coin were not intended to have been used together on that coin by the Mint.
Example: circulation strike cent Obverse with a proof style Reverse
Images by Ken Potter used with permission
When discussing Wrong Design Variety Coins we will limit the discussion to coins that are not transitional; those will be listed separately. Wrong Design Variety Coins almost always affect the reverse, and usually are retired proof dies used on circulation strike coins. Do to the fact that they are not struck with the same pressure as a proof coin, these coins do not show the same highly polished and frosted surfaces. They will show all of the design elements that are on a standard proof coin. There can be from one die to a handful of dies that will make these coins. For this reason the coins made from these dies are harder to find and usually more valuable than normal coins.
TRANSITIONAL DESIGN VARIETY COIN: A coin struck with a die that the Mint intended to be used, before or after the year on which that coin was struck.
Example: A cent with an 1859 obverse die paired with a 1860 reverse die.
Transition Design Variety Coins are by far the rarest coins on this list. They were almost always made by only one die. For this reason not very many were made incomparison to the Wrong Design Variety Coins. The value for these coins is higheron average than on the Wrong Design Variety Coins. Most collectors will covet and pay a heavy price to own a mint state example of any of these coins.
These coins are named by using the year the coin is made, then the words “Reverse of ” and then the year of the transition.
EX: 1859 Reverse of 1860 Cent
MID-YEAR DIE CHANGE COIN: A denomination that within one year had at least two different designs that the Mint intended for use.
Example: 1909 indian cent and 1909 Lincoln cent
Mid Year Die Changes happen quite often. Quite a few are listed in the Red Book (see the 1909 cents or the dimes, quarters or halves of 1916). Most of the time it is just the Mint changing a design, however sometimes the reason is a design flaw on the die. This flaw — which may cause problems such as die fill, die chipping, etc, — will prompt the Mint to make a minor adjustment after the start of the yearly run of coins.
For the coins in this set, from a few dies up to more than half of all the dies produced in a given year will be Mid Year Die Changes. Very few of these coins carry a premium, however some people still want both the normal die, and the Mid Year Die Change coins in their collection.
These definitions for Wrong Die Varieties, Transitional Die Varieties and Mid Year Die Changes apply to all denominations.
Wrong Die Varieties, Transitional Die Varieties and Mid Year Die Changes on the Lincoln Cent
1988 Philadelphia Reverse of 1989 AKA RDV-006
1988 Denver Reverse of 1989 AKA RDV-006
These coins were made from a Transitional Die. This is a 1988 obverse die that was paired with a reverse die intended for use in 1989. On the reverse dies of 1988 the FG (designer’s initials) has a plain “G” with no fancy lines at all. The reverse of 1989 has a fancy “G” that shows a straight horizontal line at the top of the vertical line going inward and the vertical line drops down below the lower curve.
The “F” middle bar is the same length as the upper bar on the reverse of 1988, and that middle bar is shorter than the upper bar on the reverse of 1989. This variety was first discovered in 2007, 19 years after it was created. It is theorized that the Mint staff installed some of the modified reverse dies intended for 1989 at the end of 1988 and accidently paired them up with some 1988 obverse dies.
This is a very small detail change. Pay close attention to all 1988 cents as this variety can and has been overlooked, by many.
Now a special set of cents, the WAMs and CAMs
The names WAM and CAM refers to cents on which the “AM” in the word AMERICA on the Reverse has either a Wide AM (WAM) or a Close AM (CAM).
The space between the “A” and “M” is the area in question. The “M” is centered between the “A” and the “E” on a Wide AM. That “M” is closer to the “A” on a Close AM cent. The “TAT” of STATES has the “A” centered on WAM coins and closer to the second “T” on CAM coins. Lastly the “FG” is different on the two coins and is closer to the Memorial on WAMs and father away on CAMs.
1992 Philadelphia Reverse of 1993 AKA Close AM or CAM
1992 Denver Reverse of 1993 AKA Close AM or CAM
A very rare Transitional Design Variety coin. This 1992 obverse die is paired with a reverse die intended for 1993. The space between the A and M in America was reduced in 1993 creating the Close AM cent. The FG was also moved farther away from the building on the reverse dies intended for 1993. It has been theorized that the Mint wanted to test striking the new dies. This led to a few being struck, and some errantly got out into circulation. Another possibility is someone grabbed the wrong die at the end of the year and struck the CAM coins by mistake. Using NGC and PCGS pop reports we see that there are 22 1992 Philadelphia CAMs and 108 1992 Denver CAMs reported proving that these coins are the rarest of all of the WAM and CAM varieties. When these coins are offered for sale, they fetch a high price and are coveted by variety collectors.
1998 Philadelphia Proof Style Reverse AKA Wide AM or WAM
1999 Philadelphia Proof Style Reverse AKA Wide AM or WAM
2000 Philadelphia Proof Style Reverse AKA Wide AM or WAM
This is the first Wrong Design Variety Coin on our list. This proof style reverse die was not polished so the coin looks like a business strike coin but has the reverse design of a proof style coin. Starting in 1994 the cent proof reverse dies had the space between the A and M in America farther apart than on the business strike dies. The shape of the “FG” is different and closer to the building than on the business strike dies. It has been theorized that the San Francisco Mint asked the die shop at the Philadelphia Mint to make some extra proof dies. The die shop made the proof dies but sent business strike dies processed as proofs by mistake. This left the unprocessed proof dies to be used on the circulation strike coins. The 1999 WAM cents are the rarest of these coins with the 1998 scarce and the 2000 more common but still hard to find. With some searching these coins can still be pulled out of circulation today.
1998 San Francisco circulation strike Reverse AKA Close AM or CAM
1999 San Francisco circulation strike Reverse AKA Close AM or CAM
NOTE: These proof coins were photographed to highlight the frosted devices. Proof coins have a mirrored shiny field.
These coins are proof coins struck with a polished and frosted business strike die, making them once again Wrong Die Variety coins. They are the opposite of the previous coins. Both of these coins are Close AMs. The dies used to make them were circulation strike dies processed as proofs that got sent to the San Francisco Mint by mistake. These coins have the AM in America very close together and the FG being farther from the Memorial Building. Of these proof coins, the 1998 San Francisco CAM is extremely rare and the 1999 San Francisco CAM a little more common but still rarer than the 1999 Philadelphia WAM.
Wrong Die Varieties, Transitional Die Varieties and Mid Year Die Changes on the Jefferson Nickel
1939 Philadelphia Reverse of 1940 AKA Strong Steps
1939 Denver Reverse of 1940 AKA Strong Steps
1939 San Francisco Reverse of 1940 AKA Strong Steps
The Jefferson “Nickel” (made out of 75% copper and 25% nickel) was created in 1938. In the middle of 1939 or the 2nd year of production, Monticello’s steps were modified and strengthened. The two dies used that year were later called the reverse of 1938 (mushy steps) and the reverse of 1940 (strong steps).Since we know that both dies were intended by the Mint to be used in 1939, we can use our definitions we studied to say these nickels are NOT Wrong Design Variety Coins or Transitional Design Variety Coins. However, they do share a similarity to some other nickels: the 1867 with rays or without rays, the 1883 without cents or with cents, and the 1913 buffalo on the mound or buffalo on the plains nickels. They have two different dies intended for use in the same year or per our definitions a Mid-Year Die Change Coin.
Even though these coins are Mid-Year Die Change Coins, there is still a premium paid for the 1939 reverse of 1940 nickels from all mints.
1982 Philadelphia Reverse of 1977 AKA The Old Style Reverse
1982 Denver Reverse of 1977 AKA The Old Style Reverse
In 1982 the reverse of the nickel was modified. The details on Monticello’s dome were strengthened. At the same time “E Pluribus Unum” and “United States Of America” were moved away from the rim slightly. The older die (1977) has soft details and the “E Pluribus Unum” and “United States Of America” very close to the rim.
The number of 1977 reverse dies used has not been verified yet. There has not been a lot of information published on these dies yet. Ongoing investigations with the U.S. mint has yielded that the new dies were issued around April of 1982. Because of this these dies are considered Mid-Year Die Changes, an intended die change made part of the way through the year.
Wrong Die Varieties, Transitional Die Varieties and Mid Year Die Changes on the Roosevelt Dime
1964 Philadelphia Pointed 9 AKA The Old Style Nine
1964 Philadelphia Proof Pointed 9 AKA The Old Style Nine
1964 Denver Pointed 9 AKA The Old Style Nine
Early in 1964 the obverse dies of the Roosevelt dime were modified most notably at the date. The “9” went from a pointed tail “9” to a squared tail “9”. With this being an intended die change these dimes would be a considered Mid-Year Die Change Coins.
Because the dies changed very early in the year, the pointed “9” is the rarer of the two types. A lot of speculation over the value of these variety drove the price of the pointed “9” up in 1964 and 1965. Now these pointed “9” dimes can be found with some searching but only carry a small amount of a premium. This change can be found on both circulation strike and proof strike coins.Numismatists specialist Walter Breen puts possible circulation strike mintages as follows:
1964 Philadelphia Pointed 9: Under 2,000,000
1964 Philadelphia Blunt 9: Over 927,000,000
1964 Denver Pointed 9: Under 40,000,000
1964 Denver Blunt 9: Over 1,317,000,000
1968 San Francisco Reverse of 1967 AKA The Plain Torch
1968 San Francisco Reverse of 1968 AKA The Fancy Torch
NOTE: These proof coins were photographed to highlight the frosted devices. Proof coins have a mirrored shiny field.
These are Mid-Year Die Change Coins, but this time proof coins. In 1968 the reverse dies for the proof dimes were modified to show among other things two deep cuts on the flame of the torch. Not much in the way of research has been printed on these proof coins. The two different designs are easy to spot and can be found with a little searching.
Booth of these 1968 proof dimes can be bought for the same price. You can locate them while searching at most coin shows fairly easily. If you collect Roosevelt dimes, proof coins, or just coins in general these two coins would be a nice addition to anyone’s collection. Just think, you may be ahead of the searching game for both varieties if you start looking now. If one of the two dies would catch on these coins may go up in value. Locating them now may be a steal compared to later when they get more exposure.
1969 Philadelphia Proof Reverse AKA Reverse of 1968 AKA The Two Cut Die
1970 Philadelphia Proof Reverse AKA Reverse of 1968 AKA The Two Cut Die
1970 Denver Proof Reverse AKA Reverse of 1968 AKA The Two Cut Die
During 1968 the reverse dies for proof dimes were modified to show among other things two deep cuts on the flame of the torch. The business strike dies do not show both cuts and were in use from 1947 to 1970. The two cut or proof style die started as the only die used for both the business strike and proofs strike coins in 1971.
So what should these dimes be called: a Wrong Design Variety Coin, a transitional Design Variety Coin, or a Mid-Year Die Change Coin? During 1969 and 1970 this style die was intended to be used on proof coins only. We can see by using our definition that these are Wrong Design Variety Coin. They were struck using obverse business strike dies and reverse proof style dies. This proof reverse was not polished so it looks like it is a business strike die but with the designs of the proof die. Out of the three coins the 1969 P has been the hardest one to locate, with the 1970 D the easiest. This variety was first published in the 2012 Cherrypickers’ Guide 5th edition Volume 2 book. Proving that after 42 years you can still find new unknown varieties on older coins.
Wrong Die Varieties, Transitional Die Varieties and Mid Year Die Changes on the Washington Quarter
Let’s look at a few Type B Quarters
1956 Philadelphia Proof Reverse AKA Type B reverse
1957 Philadelphia Proof Reverse AKA Type B reverse
1958 Philadelphia Proof Reverse AKA Type B reverse
1959 Philadelphia Proof Reverse AKA Type B reverse
1960 Philadelphia Proof Reverse AKA Type B reverse
1961 Philadelphia Proof Reverse AKA Type B reverse
1962 Philadelphia Proof Reverse AKA Type B reverse
1963 Philadelphia Proof Reverse AKA Type B reverse
1964 Philadelphia Proof Reverse AKA Type B reverse
That’s a lot of Wrong Design Dies!
Starting in 1950 the U.S. mint created a Type B reverse for the proof quarters. There are a few differences that can be easily seen. On this die the leaf to the left of the arrow is pointed and rises above the arrow heads. On the type A or business strike dies that leaf is rounded and stays below the arrow tips. The second difference is the space between the E and S of states is wider on these proof dies than on the business strike dies.
From 1956 up to 1964 some reverse proof dies were used to strike business strike quality quarters making a Wrong Design Variety Coin. This proof reverse was not polished so it looks like it is a business strike die but with the designs of the proof die. The 1956 is the rarest of the type B quarters with the 1959 and 1960 the most common.
1964 Denver Reverse of 1965 AKA Type C Reverse
This is a special Transitional Design Variety Coin quarter. The 1964 dated quarters were struck from 1964 into the middle of the 1965 year. On the reverse dies produced for the 1965 dated quarters the tail feathers of the eagle are stronger with a center line on each feather. The Leaf to the left of the arrow is pointed but it does NOT rise above the arrow heads. The 1964 circulation die has a weak more rounded leaf but it too does not rise above the arrow heads. Also on the 1965 dies all of the leaves are pointed and do not fade into the field like the standard 1964 Type A dies.
There was only one or two 1965 reverse die that received a “D” mint mark and was matched with a 1964 obverse die. The 1964 Denver Type C quarter is considered extremely rare. Even an Almost Uncirculated example is harder to find than Mint State examples of most of the 1956 to 1964 Type B quarters. As more and more 1964 dated quarters are being melted for their silver content, the number of surviving type C quarters is slowly disappearing without ever being found.
1969 D Proof Reverse AKA Type H Reverse
1970 D Proof Reverse AKA Type H Reverse
1971 D Proof Reverse AKA Type H Reverse
1972 D Proof Reverse AKA Type H Reverse
My circulated 1969 Type H Quarter
From 1969 to 1972 at the Denver mint at least one proof style die was used each year, creating a working die with a proof design like the earlier with the 1956- 1964 type B quarters
These quarters look like type B quarters with the type C tail feathers.They are Wrong Design Die Coins. From the type B design the leaf to the left of the arrow tip is above those tips. and there is a bigger space than normal between the E and S in STATES. From the Type C design the tail feathers of the eagle are stronger with a center line on each feather.
These 4 coins are extremely hard to locate in circulated condition and almost impossible to find in mint state. The author knows of 4 Mint State coins total: two that are dated 1969 D, one 1971 D, and one 1972 D.The author has only located one 1969 D and one 1971 D Type H quarters, both of them are in circulated condition. However a member of one of my Facebook groups recently found a AU 1972 D type H.
Wrong Die Varieties, Transitional Die Varieties and Mid Year Die Changes on the Franklin and Kennedy Half Dollar
1956 Philadelphia Early Proof Style Reverse AKA Type 1 Reverse
1956 Philadelphia Late Proof Style Reverse AKA Type 2 Reverse
In 1956 the proof half dollar dies were modified to enhance the design of the coins. The main pick up point is the design and number of the eagles wing feathers. On the proof dies that started the 1956 year the feathers were weak and “flat”. There are 4 feather tips located to the left of the branch the eagle stands on. However early in the year the modified dies started striking coins, yielding a stronger and bolder feather appearance. This die has 3 feather tips located to the left of the branch. This change by the Mint is what makes these Mid-Year Die Change coins.
The type 1 dies were only used for a very short time. The estimated percentage of type 1 proof coins struck is 5% of the yearly total or less than 34,000 coins. This makes them valuable and very hard to find.
The type 2 die was used throughout the rest of the Franklin Proof half dollar production run. The business strike coins were struck with the type 1 reverse, except for a few coins in 1958 and 1959. Let’s take a look at those coins now.
1958 Philadelphia Proof Style Reverse AKA Type 2 Reverse
1959 Philadelphia Proof Style Reverse AKA Type 2 Reverse
The next 2 halves we will look at are Wrong Design Variety Coins, as they are a proof style reverse die used with a business strike style obverse die.In 1956 the proof half dollar dies were modified to enhance the design of the coins. One of the modifications on the reverse is to the eagle’s right wing feathers (the views left side). These dies have 3 strong feather tips while the standard business strike style coins (or Type 1 dies) have 4 weaker tips. Some proof dies were used on the business strike coins of 1958 and 1959.
Numismatist author Walter Breen has stated in his book: “The Complete Encyclopedia Of U.S. And Colonial Coins”, that up to 20% of all 1958 and70% of all 1959 business strike halves have the Type 2 dies. As the details are quite big, this variety can be noticed even without a magnifying glass. These coins can be found on E-bay or in most dealer’s inventory.
1959 Philadelphia Doubled Die With The Type 1 And Type 2 Reverse AKA Type 3 Reverse
The next half dollar coin shown here is a 1959 half that has a doubled die reverse. This die was made first using a Type 1 hub to start the working die then later a Type 2 hub was used to finish this working die.
This single unique working die shows both the weaker wing tips of a type 1 die and the strong wing tip of a type 2 die on the same coin. This is a very special Wrong Design Variety Coins, and has been called a hybrid “Type 3” coin. The die in question also shows some doubling on parts of the bell handle and the motto areas of the reverse as well.
As this is the only 1959 die affected this way, the estimated number of coins stuck by this die is 250,000 to 500,000 coins. The total number of halves stuck in 1959 at the Philadelphia Mint was 7,349,291.
The Kennedy Half Dollar Story
With the assassination of President Kennedy on November 22, 1963 America was in morning. Congress and the U.S. Mint wanted a coin in remembrance of President Kennedy. They started working on this right away by modifying the dies that were used for President Kennedy’s inaugural medal.
By December 13th the mint had the first dies ready and produced a few trial strike specimens. On December 27th Mrs. Kennedy was shown the first and original designed coins. She commented that the Presidents hair at the part line was not quite right. This led the Mint to make a change in the dies. The new dies had the hair modified slightly by removing some of the heavy cut lines in the hair. However on January 2, 1964 the first die design, the Accented Hair Die was already striking Proof 1964 halves.
The new dies had not been produced yet, and Proof production was already underway. Production of regular coins began January 30th at the Denver Mint, then at the Philadelphia Mint. The day of March 5th the new halves were being released to the general public. Within 4 months a bill had been introduced, Congress voted yes on that bill, dies were produced, and the coins were made and started to be distributed. But what about those first Proof dies and coins that were made with them before the new modified dies were produced?
1964 Philadelphia Accented Hair AKA ODV-001
The coins that were created by the first proof dies have extra lines in the hair below the part line in the shape of an upside down wishbone. They also have a broken bottom left serif on the letter “I” in LIBERTY. The standard coins do not have this broken serif or the extra hair lines. A majority of the Accented Hair Proof Coins tend to have a milky hazefor some reason. Finding unblemished high grade examples can be a challenge. It has been estimated that the mintage of the Accented Hair coins are somewhere between 100,000 and 120,000.
These dies were put into production and some proof coins were produced before the new dies were created. Then the mint introduced the new style Proof dies. The Accented Hair Dies were not supposed to have been used. By using our definitions we see that we should call them Wrong Design Variety Coins. These are proof strike obverse dies that were not intended to be used with any reverse die at all.
1964 P Accented Hair Reverse AKA RDV-001
1964 D Accented Hair Reverse AKA RDV-001
1964 Proof with the Accented Hair Reverse AKA RDV-001
The 1964 accented hair proofs had a reverse most people call RDV-001. This reverse has the rays near the stars on the reverse broken and going around the stars. The rays do not touch the stars.
RDV-002 which was used after the start of production shows the rays behind the stars, not broken. The Rays do touch the stars.
Both RDV-001 and RDV-002 can be found on 1964 Philadelphia and Denver circulation halves. The RDV-001 are slightly scarcer but how much more, we do not know yet. There has been no studies of these coins published yet.
At the same time the RDV-001 and RDV-002 reverses can be found on proofs that are not accented hair. These RDV-001 proof coins are again scarcer but we do not know how much as no studies on these have been done either.
This would be a Mid-Year Die Change that does not bring much extra value at this time. If it were to catch on, who knows what the premium for these coins could be.
Wrong Die Varieties, Transitional Die Varieties and Mid Year Die Changes on Dollars
1971 Denver RDV-006 AKA Friendly Eagle Variety
The Friendly Eagle Eisenhower Dollar is a funny coin. This die was intended to be used in standard production, but the U.S. Mint decided to not use it. It has been worked out that this die did not stand up to production test for the Copper-Nickel planchet. These dies were put into use at the Denver Mint as they did not have the standard type 1 dies to begin with. They are the First Design Dies for the Eisenhower dollars, but were not given a RDV number till late so they are listed as RDV-006.
The original drafted look the designer Frank Gasparro wanted has a furrow cut above the eye of the eagle. This gave the look of being a angry eagle. However the Mint director wanted a more friendlier looking Eagle of Peace. Mr. Gasparro had to remove the furrow creating the dies that we are talking about, the Friendly Eagle Variety. After testing showed that these dies would not stand up to the pressure of the Copper-Nickel planchet, Mr. Gasparro had to hurry and change the die design. This gave him the opportunity to add the furrow that he wanted and that we now see on the common reverse dies.
Funny, the original draft was a Angry Eagle, the first designed dies are the Friendly Eagle, the dies used for the standard common coin is the Angry Eagle, and the rare 1971 Denver coin is the Friendly Eagle. What should we call this coin? The mint did not want this die used in coin production, as it would not stand up to the striking pressures. We should call it a Wrong Design Variety Coin. This is a strange and different story for a coin die, but if we use our definitions, it is a Wrong Design Variety Coin never the less.
A WRONG DIE and a MID-YEAR DESIGN CHANGE in the same year!
The three 1972 P reverse designs.
1972 Philadelphia Type 1 AKA Low Relief AKA RDV-001
1972 Philadelphia Type 2 AKA High Relief AKA RDV-002
In 1972 three different dies were used on the reverse of the Philadelphia Eisenhower dollars. The Type 1 dies were made for business strike coins and the type 2 dies for the proof coins. The Type 1 dies were made as a low relief die. The Type 2 dies were made as a high relief die. The difference between the two dies can easily be seen by looking at the planet Earth. The area to look at is the islands that are located below and to the right of Florida on both dies. On the Type 1 die there are 3 islands that are raised from the field. On the Type 2 dies, these islands are seen as sunken water lines that are used to represent the location of those islands.
In 1972 one of the type 2 dies was used at the Philadelphia Mint by mistake, creating a Wrong Design Variety Coin. This is a proof style reverse die and a business strike obverse die on the same coin. The 1972 Philadelphia Type 2 dollars have been a very hard Eisenhower dollar coin to find.
1972 Philadelphia Type 1 AKA Low Relief AKA RDV-001
1972 Philadelphia Type 3 AKA Modified High Relief AKA RDV-003
Later, around September of 1972, a new modified high relief die was formed using a new die steel. These dies were made to be used on business strike coins. This Type 3 die has the three raised islands located directly below and left of Florida. On a Type 1 die the three islands are located below and to the right of Florida. The Type 3 coins are a Mid-Year Die Change Coins from the original Type 1 coins, as they were an intended design change. The Type 3 dies were used for the rest of the time of the Eisenhower dollar run.
The Type 2 dies are very hard to find and quite valuable. The Type 1 and Type 3 dies have no difference in price tags, even though there are less type 3 than there are of the Type 1s. However to form a complete coin set of the 1972 Philadelphia Eisenhower dollars, you will have to locate all three types of dies.
With searching dealer stock both type 1 and type 3 dies can be easily found. The Type 2 die is now listed in most guides. This makes it harder to located the coin without it being listed as a Type 2 and paying a higher price. However with some searching and a little patience, they can still be found in shops.
1979 Philadelphia Wide Rim AKA Near Date
This is our first coin where we will look at the obverse, and not the reverse. In 1979 with the start of the Susan B. Anthony dollar (SBA dollar) the mint was trying to get dollar coins to circulate by reducing the size of the coins. This created a problem as they now were similar in size, shape, and color to a quarter. For this reason the mint made a 11 sided rim so the public could tell them apart. This small detail was not enough of a difference for the public, but did create a neat and valuableMid-Year Die Change Coin.
Sometime after the start of the production run, the rim was widened. This made a new die design type that was used by all three mints starting in 1980. Because of this change the date looks nearer to the rim. This is clearly seen by examining how close the “1” is from the rim. On the Wide Rim coins the “1” is less than the thickness of itself from the rim. However, this design was used late in 1979 only at the Philadelphia Mint. This created a Mid-Year Die Change Coin. Because the change happened so late in the year this style coin is harder to find than the more common narrow rim coin.
The wide rim die change is a highly collected special variety, and people will pay a premium for them. However they may still be found while looking through circulation. Most Susan B. Anthony coin collectors try to include this coin in their collection.
The American Silver Eagle
2008 West Point Burnished Reverse of 2007 Silver Eagle
In 2008 the reverse die of the Silver Eagle one dollar coin was changed. Among the differences was the addition of a straight line on the bottom right side of the “u” in UNITED. The 2007 Reverse dies had no straight lines and looks like a plain “U”. At the time of the change three different finishes were being created. A standard coin finish or bullion coin, a proof coin finish, and finally a burnished or sandblasted finish.
Around April of 2008 a coin collector from Georgia reported that he found a burnished finished Silver Eagle with a 2008 obverse and a 2007 straight “U” reverse. This is a Transitional Design Variety Coin.
By May 31 2008, the U.S. Mint estimated that there were no more than 47,000 of the 2008 W reverse of 2007 Silver Eagles minted. These coins carry a very high price tag and most have been found.