1919 Standing Liberty Quarter--Broken Planchet After Striking--AU-58 (PCGS). This is a particularly impressive split planchet error, the coin breaking almost exactly in half vertically from 11 oclock to 5 oclock relative to the obverse. The break is quite straight, as well, with minimal jaggedness and only the expected roughness to the texture caused by the error. It is undoubtedly the <strong>finest known</strong> example of this error in the Standing Liberty quarter series. Each half of the coin is mounted in a separate PCGS holder, the inserts consecutively numbered 5781169 and 5781170. The surfaces are uniformly and lightly toned in pale golden-gray, luster nearly full with only light rub to the highest elements of the design. This important piece is featured on page 80 of the fourth edition (2007) of J.H. Clines standard reference <em>Standing Liberty Quarters</em>, where the author describes it as:<p><em>"1919-P [sic]. This is the only known broken planchet that is struck, obverse and reverse. Its been authenticated by several experts and was [the] featured coin on the cover for the </em>Error Collectors Magazine<em>. Certainly one of your authors pride and joys, and the only coin of its type known to exist. Rare and most unusual. Now slabbed by PCGS in two different holders. Why?"</em><p>We point out to readers that a second split planchet Standing Liberty quarter has since come to light, although clearly this type of error remains exceedingly rare in this series, as it is for all classic U.S. Mint coin types.<p>Split planchet errors as caused by an improperly produced planchet with impurities trapped inside of it. Often such planchets split apart before striking, resulting in only a portion of the blank receiving an impression from the dies. Sometimes, however, the split occurs after striking, but even in that case the split usually occurs laterally with the coin breaking into two pieces much like the slices of bread in a sandwich (as described by Arnold Margolis and Fred Weinberg, <em>The Error Coin Encyclopedia, Fourth Edition</em>). A particularly rare variant of the split planchet error is that offered here, where the split occurs vertically as opposed to laterally. (Total: 2 pieces) PCGS# E5728. NGC ID: 243B. From the David Lorenzo Collection. Earlier from our sale of the J.H. Cline Collection, August 2019 ANA Auction, lot 3441.
