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 Replies: 19 / Views: 4,584 |
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New Member
United States
7 Posts |
Hi all, This coin came through my drawer at work the other day and I bought it because it was novel. I can't find any information on gold-toned SBA coins anywhere (Other than the gold-plated versions for collectors). This coin is gold-toned but clearly not real gold. Is this something worth-while or just a Susan B that someone did a good job of plating?  |
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Moderator
 United States
187950 Posts |
Cupronickel coins can tone that way. I have found several over the years. Not just SBA dollars, but nickels, dimes, quarters, and half dollars. For the record, I wish I had found an Eisenhower dollar toned like that.  |
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New Member
 United States
7 Posts |
So how would a coin like this come about? Is it just a mistake in the minting process? In a chemistry class one time we plated some pennies gold and they came out roughly the same color as this but I don't believe that I have ever seen a circulated coin this color. Does the tone of it have any effect on it's value (really just curiosity more than anything...I just think its novel)
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
Can you see the clad layers on the side of the coin? If not it is plated after it left the mint.
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New Member
United States
7 Posts |
Nope...no layers...its solid gold-toned all around.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
632 Posts |
The relief on the coin looks a little more dramatic than usual making me lean towards plated but maybe that's just the lighting or maybe that's just how the Susie B's normally look.
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New Member
United States
7 Posts |
I don't think that I could get a good picture of what I want to describe here so hopefully my words won't fail me...here gos: There are a few scratches on the face of the coin. The areas around the scratches have a very faint almost frosted texture (I hope that makes sense) but the scratches are smooth and mirrored and in the same gold tone. Either the coin isn't plated or it was plated after the scratches were made on the surface. I don't know if that helps at all but it was just an observation that I made that made me wonder if it was plated or not. This coin was being actively circulated-the parking lots in the area give out dollar coins for change so it, no doubt, has been through a machine at least once and who knows how many hands...I would think that if it were plated that a surface scratch like that would show the material underneath the plating...? Correct me if I'm wrong. Also, the pennies that I plated in school seemed to have lost their luster very quickly as the plating wore off...but, needless to say, a high school kid plating a penny over a bunsen burner hardly qualifies as professional work.  |
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Valued Member
United States
462 Posts |
In my opinion the coin is definitely plated. No coin is going to tone that uniformly.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4867 Posts |
I would spend it. I am one of the very few who find toning undesirable.
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Rest in Peace
United States
7075 Posts |
Look up gold-plated SBA's and see if your coin looks like those. |
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New Member
United States
7 Posts |
It is more orange in color than gold typically is. Of course it is difficult to compare metal tones through pictures and I do not wear any gold jewelry to compare to in "real life". Is there any other way to test if its gold (other than some complex chemistry experiment)? If not, I may just have to wait until the next time that I visit my folks...my mom has a wide array of gold jewelry to compare to and, if I'm not mistaken, my dad has some gold-plated coins in his collection.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4867 Posts |
I have seen some strong toning on clads. A few years back, somebody paid for an order with a OBW roll of Vermont quarters. They were insanely toned a golden yellow. I think it may have been the improper storage that reacted with the paper to create such toning.
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Moderator
United States
187950 Posts |
Quote:
In my opinion the coin is definitely plated. No coin is going to tone that uniformly. I disagree. As I said earlier, I have a number of golden toned coins. Quote:
The relief on the coin looks a little more dramatic than usual Plating will not affect relief. Quote:
Nope...no layers...its solid gold-toned all around. To be clear, we are talking about the reeded edge of the coin. Can you get a picture of it? |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6478 Posts |
Quote:
To be clear, we are talking about the reeded edge of the coin. Can you get a picture of it?  |
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New Member
United States
7 Posts |
Here it is...  |
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Moderator
United States
187950 Posts |
Excellent photo! That definitely looks plated to me now. The lighting and contrast makes it more apparent!  Stuff gets plated all the time, oftentimes sold at inflated premiums by businesses specializing in "collector products." You will find a lot of gold and platinum plated Statehood and ATB Quarters out there. None of these things are worth their original sales price. At this point it is a curiosity. I would keep it just for fun. |
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Replies: 19 / Views: 4,584 |
Posted 11/11/2015 12:13 pm
