Brockage (BRK)
A brockage is "an incuse, mirror-image version of the design," produced "when a coin is struck into a planchet or another coin" (Error-Ref). In practice it happens when a struck coin fails to leave the press and stays on one of the dies. The next planchet is struck against that stuck coin instead of the die, so it comes out with one normal side, struck by the working die, and one side carrying the stuck coin's design pressed in and reversed.
Brockages and capped dies are stages of the same accident. The first impression a stuck coin makes is a first-strike brockage. If the coin stays on the die, it keeps striking new planchets, spreading and wrapping around the die face until it becomes a die cap.
How Does It Happen?
During normal press operation, a planchet is fed between the two dies, struck, and ejected before the next planchet enters. On U.S. cents the obverse is normally the upper (hammer) die and the reverse the lower (anvil) die. A brockage occurs when ejection fails:
- A struck coin stays in the press: it either rests on the lower die or sticks to the upper die.
- A new planchet is fed: the press keeps cycling and feeds a fresh planchet into position.
- The new planchet is struck: the side facing the working die receives a normal impression. The side facing the stuck coin is pressed against that coin's design and receives it incuse and in mirror image.
- First-strike brockage: the first impression, made while the stuck coin is still flat, is the sharpest.
Which design ends up on the brockage side depends on which face of the stuck coin it met. A coin resting on the lower die with its obverse facing up impresses an incuse obverse into the underside of the next planchet, so that coin shows the obverse design on both faces, one raised and one sunk in.
Types of Brockage
Full and Partial Brockage
A full brockage covers the entire face, obverse or reverse. A partial brockage covers only part of it, for example when the stuck coin and the new planchet overlap off-center. Error-Ref notes that a brockage "can be complete or incomplete" and can be struck inside or outside the collar.
First-Strike and Later-Stage Brockages
A stuck coin's first impression is a first-strike brockage. When the coin stays on a die as a die cap and goes on striking planchets, Error-Ref calls those later impressions early-stage, mid-stage and late-stage brockages. Each later impression is more spread and less distinct, until the coins are classed as capped die strikes.
Mirror Brockage
Every brockage is reversed, but "mirror brockage" means something narrower. Error-Ref reserves it for the sharpest, most complete first-strike brockages, which "occur when both the coin (the 'brockage-maker') and the planchet are confined by the collar."
Counterbrockage
A counterbrockage "occurs when an error coin with a brockage is struck into a planchet" (Error-Ref). Because the brockage side was already incuse and reversed, impressing it again produces a design that is raised and normally oriented, usually expanded and distorted. Counterbrockages can be in-collar or out-of-collar, centered or off-center, and aligned with or rotated against the die-struck side; how expanded and distorted they are depends on how many planchets were struck before and whether the collar held the coins.
How to Identify a Brockage
- One normal side, one incuse side: the side struck by the working die looks normal; the other shows a design recessed into the surface rather than raised.
- Mirror image: lettering on the brockage side reads backwards, and portraits face the other way. Held up to a mirror, the brockage side reads correctly. This is the definitive identifier.
- Detail fades with each strike: a first-strike brockage shows a complete design; later-stage brockages are weaker and more spread.
- Size depends on the collar: a brockage struck inside the collar keeps a normal diameter, while one struck outside it spreads wider.
Brockage vs. Capped Die Strike
| Feature | Brockage | Capped Die Strike |
|---|---|---|
| Incuse design | Clear on a first strike, then progressively weaker | Weak and spread |
| Stuck coin | Still flat | Wrapped around the die as a cap |
| Where it falls in the sequence | First strike, then early- and mid-stage | Later strikes, after the stuck coin becomes a cap |
Notable Examples
Lincoln Cents
With their enormous production runs, Lincoln cents are the denomination where brockages turn up most often. A first-strike brockage shows a sharp incuse Lincoln portrait on one side and a normal reverse on the other.
Other U.S. Coins
Brockages are known across U.S. denominations, including state quarters and pre-1965 silver coins, and on early U.S. coins too. Error-Ref illustrates an early-stage brockage of the reverse on the obverse of an undated Indian Head cent, struck early in the life of an obverse die cap. Historically, the screw press sharply reduced the number of brockages that escaped a mint compared with hand-hammered coinage, and more appear once high-speed machinery spread in the 19th century.
Civil War and Hard Times Tokens
Privately struck tokens show brockages as well, and token collectors catalog them. The Fuld references give token brockages their own variety numbers, such as the 1863 Stand By The Flag patriotic token (Fuld 213) and the Good For 1 Cent token (Fuld 393a).
Collecting Tips
- Identify the stage: sharp incuse detail with little spreading points to a first strike; expanded, distorted detail points to an early-, mid- or late-stage brockage from a die cap.
- Check the mirror image: confirm that lettering reads backwards and the design is reversed. That separates a genuine brockage from post-mint damage or a fake.
- Authentication matters: brockages can be faked by pressing two coins together in a vise. Third-party grading from PCGS or NGC provides authentication.
- Look for companion pieces: occasionally the stuck coin, often flattened or distorted from serving as an impromptu die, survives alongside a brockage it produced.