Kennedy Half Dollar Looks Brass? - Coin Community Forum

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Author	Replies: 9 / Views: 1,678
mikep Valued Member United States 322 Posts	Posted 05/31/2008 02:44 am Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum and coin collecting. Been reading through the site for a few days, very informative and everyone seems so helpful. I picked up a couple half dollar rolls the other day and found a Kennedy half 1985d that was not silver in color? It looks bronze/brass, even on the coins edges. Like it skipped the plating process. Is this common? Is it collectible? http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/...IMG_1009.jpg http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/...IMG_1008.jpg Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks,Mike Report this Post to the Staff

Amazon99 Pillar of the Community United States 2443 Posts	Posted 05/31/2008 02:55 am It looks gold plated to me. Not worth anything, but it's pretty cool to find. Report this Post to the Staff
mikep Valued Member United States 322 Posts	Posted 05/31/2008 09:31 am Thanks for the reply Amazon. I really don't think it's gold plated. I'm using a 4x photography loupe in reverse. On the coins edges, there is a tiny chip, and the metal color is the same throughout. If it were plated wouldn't the layer be revealed underneath? Like you said, pretty cool to find. Report this Post to the Staff
madzdad71 Valued Member United States 377 Posts	Posted 05/31/2008 11:58 am Unless the chip was there when/if it was plated. Does it feel different in weight from a normal clad? Report this Post to the Staff
arthrene Pillar of the Community United States 1713 Posts	Posted 05/31/2008 11:58 am I tend to agree with Amazon on this one. I think it's gold plating. Could you get us a picture of the edge? Report this Post to the Staff
pyrbob Rest in Peace United States 1943 Posts	Posted 05/31/2008 2:07 pm I agree with everyone here. The first post said "Like it skipped the plating process." Kennedy half dollars are not plated at the mint. They are a copper core in the middle with a nickel clad layer bonded on each side. This is made in a coil strip and then the blanks are punched out of it. Gold plating appears to be the best guess. The nick on the edge could have been there when it was plated or if the nick is from a bump the plating could just be pushed in and not scratched off. Report this Post to the Staff
mikep Valued Member United States 322 Posts	Posted 05/31/2008 6:07 pm Thanks for all the replies. I took some other photos with a better camera and lens. When a coin is gold plated, is the nickel removed first? It's hard to tell any difference in weight, but it seems a smidge thinner, compared to another Kennedy of similar quality? Take a look http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/...dyhalf-4.jpg http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/...dyhalf-5.jpg http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/...dyhalf-6.jpg http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/...dyhalf-9.jpg http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/...yhalf-15.jpg Report this Post to the Staff
ziggy9 Valued Member United States 499 Posts	Posted 05/31/2008 7:58 pm Comparing different years really doesn't help as there are differences from yoar to year. 1985 was the 25th aniversary of Kennedy's election into office. You can find all sorts of things done to the 85 as a result. some have the dates 1960 and 1985 stamped post mint into the face of the coin, and gold plating is another very popular post mint addition to the 1985 Richard Report this Post to the Staff
arthrene Pillar of the Community United States 1713 Posts	Posted 05/31/2008 10:29 pm I still stick with my original opinion that the coin is gold plated. Quote: When a coin is gold plated, is the nickel removed first? Nope. The gold layer is just put on over the top. If you take a look at the edge of your gold plated coin you can still see the clad layers. Report this Post to the Staff
mikep Valued Member United States 322 Posts	Posted 06/01/2008 12:49 am Very informative. Thanks for the excellent info! Mike Report this Post to the Staff
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