Part VI. Striking Errors:

Saddle (Tandem) Strikes:

Saddle-struck quarters

Definition: Saddle (tandem) strikes occur when a planchet or coin straddles the gap between two adjacent striking chambers. This error type can only occur in a dual or quad press and has been largely restricted to lower denominations (1c – 10c). These three saddle-struck quarters are the only known examples from a denomination higher than a dime. They were reportedly retrieved from an unclaimed safe deposit box containing exotic errors dating from 1965 to perhaps 1977. They were apparently struck in the San Francisco Mint using business-strike dies. One coin carries a date of 1966, while the design characteristics of the other two specimens suggest they were struck around the same time.

It’s possible these coins were struck in an experimental dual press set up for quarter dollars. Alternatively, since the output from the San Francisco Mint was modest, it’s possible that all but three saddle strikes were intercepted before leaving the mint. In any event, using a dual press to strike quarters seems to have been a brief flirtation restricted to the San Francisco Mint.

This 1966 quarter dollar received a normal first strike that was followed by a saddle strike.

Probably struck around the same time as the previous specimen, this saddle-struck quarter features an inverted hump.

A third saddle-struck quarter probably dates to around the same time as the other two specimens shown here.