Die errors or damage?

I have two separate coins with some oddities that I was curious about. One is a German 10 cent coin from 2002 which has quite a few marks and a break on the top right. The other is a 2002 20 cent coin from Italy with a clear line on it. I am wondering if these are minting errors or just damage?

Hello — Just damage.

If  the German coin has a raised area (not incuse) above the Brandenburg gate, it could be a cud / die break, hence mint error.

Generally, if the thing you see is raised, there is a better chance it is an error than if it is lower than the rest of the surface (scratches, gouges, etc).

That's true. My interpretation was that the coin had been hit with a flat metallic object. If so, then there should be some damage on the other side, i.e. an area of flatness.

Camerinvs

Hello — Just damage.

Thanks!

tdziemia

If  the German coin has a raised area (not incuse) above the Brandenburg gate, it could be a cud / die break, hence mint error.

 

Generally, if the thing you see is raised, there is a better chance it is an error than if it is lower than the rest of the surface (scratches, gouges, etc).

 

Ah, I see. Thanks for the explanation! When looking at the coin from the side, it looks as if it is slightly bent around the crack. So that makes sense that it would be damage.

Camerinvs

That's true. My interpretation was that the coin had been hit with a flat metallic object. If so, then there should be some damage on the other side, i.e. an area of flatness.

Thanks for the info! The other side has some odd dents in it around the area of the crack.