Posted 03/21/2014 11:32 am
We'd need better pictures to tell for certain.
Try putting the coin on a white sheet of computer paper under a bright flourescent light so that we can see the color difference more clearly. Your coin is likely one of three things:
1. Normal toning on the copper-nickel surface of the coin. This is especially likely if your coin was in one of those cheap map displays... the cheaper examples were not made from coin-safe materials and would discolor the coins over time.
2. Plating. Gold-plated State Quarters are very popular novelty items in tourist shops. They aren't worth anything over 25 cents, and lots of people spend them once they learn this... it takes a fair bit of circulation to rub the gold electro-plating off.
3. Error. All quarters since 1965 are a "sandwich" of pure copper coated with copper-nickel. Sometimes the coins aren't plated on one or both sides; this error is noted in pretty much every year in the past 49 years. If your coin is a distinct, deep, even copper color, you might have such an error. They're worth something in the ballpark of $10-$30.
Try putting the coin on a white sheet of computer paper under a bright flourescent light so that we can see the color difference more clearly. Your coin is likely one of three things:
1. Normal toning on the copper-nickel surface of the coin. This is especially likely if your coin was in one of those cheap map displays... the cheaper examples were not made from coin-safe materials and would discolor the coins over time.
2. Plating. Gold-plated State Quarters are very popular novelty items in tourist shops. They aren't worth anything over 25 cents, and lots of people spend them once they learn this... it takes a fair bit of circulation to rub the gold electro-plating off.
3. Error. All quarters since 1965 are a "sandwich" of pure copper coated with copper-nickel. Sometimes the coins aren't plated on one or both sides; this error is noted in pretty much every year in the past 49 years. If your coin is a distinct, deep, even copper color, you might have such an error. They're worth something in the ballpark of $10-$30.
to CCF! Unfortunately, without pictures it's hard to help. Having said that, if you "just found the exact same thing", then most likely your answer is exactly the same as cryospartan's. Read through the answers on this page, especially Finn235's post. Jack
