Private U.S. Mints and in house metal refineries have numbered in the dozens over the years. Major minting errors from silver rounds to gambling tokens are very popular and eagerly sought by collectors. Erratic record keeping of mintage numbers and identifying which private mint produced major errors can be a challenge to research. It is in-fact on occasion impossible because many rounds and tokens were struck with no identification such as a specific mint's name, privy mark, or mintmark.

The first error is a 1993 $1 brass Luxor Casino gambling token. It is a low pressure strike, (AKA die adjustment strike). Even more exciting, this token was struck with mismatched dies.





There were two versions of this $1 brass 1993 Luxor Casino token. The first was struck with a ringed pattern of Egyptian hieroglyphics on both the obverse and reverse. The second version was struck without a ringed pattern of hieroglyphics on either obverse or reverse.

This error has the larger portrait of Queen Nefertiti without the ringed pattern of hieroglyphics on the obverse. The reverse however; does indeed have the ringed pattern of Egyptian hieroglyphics. This Luxor gambling token is both a die adjustment strike and was struck with mismatched dies. It was minted by Nevada Coin Mart (NCM) which was started in the late 1960's and is still operational. NCM is located in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Next, is a silver 1 Oz silver round that is a beautiful deep walled reverse die cap. It was stuck with the ever popular Morgan dollar design. This die cap has a mirror brockage of the reverse design on the obverse. The letters and numerals ".999 Fine Silver" and style of script located between the wings of the eagle helped me to identify which private mint struck this round.





Research indicates this round was struck by Golden State Mint (GSM) sometime in the 1980's. At that time GSM did not date or strike their rounds with any identifying features. Today, most GSM products are marked. GSM began operations in 1974 and is still in operation. GSM is located in Sanford, Florida and is one of the most trusted private mints in the United States.

Next, is a 1988 Rambo III, 100 Rambo Units, 1 Oz silver round that is a large un-centered broadstrike.





Carolco Pictures Inc had the rights to the Rambo Franchise of action movies for a number of years. I bring this up because Carolco Pictures felt the need to have the design on this silver round copyrighted and struck as seen on the reverse.

Carolco was an independent American motion picture studio from 1975-1995. They went bankrupt in 1997 and were bought out by Miramax Films. This Hollywood Celebrity silver round was struck in the mid 1980's by the Crown Mint (CM) located in Scottsdale, Arizona. CM doors have been closed since 2022.