Everyone makes mistakes, but some mistakes are easier to forgive than others. A typo is one thing, but a typo that makes it all the way into production is something that’ll usually get you yelled at, or worse. As it turns out, during the 2008 year, Chile’s mint churned out thousands of 50-peso coins with a typo on them. Rather than reading “Chile” as they should, the coins were embossed with “Chiie.” That’s a pretty bad typo, considering money isn’t the kind of thing you can just melt down and redo. The government of Chiie had egg on their faces, and mint director Gregorio Iniguez has received a pink slip thanks to the screw up.
Really, they need to be promoting this guy. That one mistaken letter just turned the 50-peso coin from something you could exchange for a US dime into a collector’s item. As any coin collector could tell you, the coins with the misprints are the more valuable. A misprinted coin is like finding an ancient cache of gold to the right person.
Image: Friggin’ Loon
Tags: Chile, Santiago, Gregorio Iniguez, typos, misprinted money, mint fires director over typo on money, misprinted pesos, currency, 50-peso coins, Chiie, rare coins