Off center strike

Off-center strikes are a type of coin error that occurs due to a horizontal misalignment of the planchet with respect to the position of the dies installed on the money press in operation. This error happens when a planchet is fed into the press and falls into the spinner improperly. The result of an off-center strike is a coin that has an off-center imprint.

Unlike a wide strike, an off-center strike is characterized by design elements cut at the edge, although both errors always produce a totally smooth outline. Coins with an off-center imprint may have varying degrees of cap deformation ranging from 10° to 90°.

In many cases, the cause of an off-center strike is not apparent. In other cases, the non-minted part of the coin is pushed upwards by a rigid shell. Regardless of the cause, the percentage of the degree of horizontal misalignment of the planchet with respect to the position of the dies can vary from 10% (slightly off-center strike) to 99% (strongly off-center strike).

When the degree of misalignment is at 75% or more, the resulting coins are designated as planchets minted on a lateral appendage instead of real coins.