| Author |
 Replies: 14 / Views: 7,953 |
|
|
Valued Member
United States
212 Posts |
I got this quarter in change a few days ago and immediately noticed the bust and eagle were sheared flat at the highest relief points, so I figured vending machine damage or whatever. Then I noticed it felt funny to my fingers and found that the edge was perfectly smooth, so I thought AHA!--somebody playing with power tools. But I figured I'd still look at it through the loupe when I got home, just for fun. That's where it got weird. First of all there's nothing to say about the reverse other than the flattened eagle chest and legs, and the die appears slightly deteriorated. The obverse is really odd though. Obviously details are missing in the flattened spots (cheek, hair curls, neck muscle and shoulder), but there are also missing details in the deepest recesses (ear, hair just above the ear, the line where the curls normally meet the ponytail, and the hollow in front of the eye). These spots are just empty and appear flush with the field, no trace of detail remnants like you could have with grease filling. The eye hollow looks especially freaky, like it would be a large, jigsaw-cut open hole through the bridge of the nose; one you could put a finger straight through, maybe two. I also noticed the coin appears a bit thick, but it's hard to tell without reeding, could just be fooling my eyes (see photo). And then on top of everything, this quarter weighs precisely 5.67 g. and stacks perfectly flush with other quarters, diameter-wise. This would not seem possible for one with so much metal scraped off the devices and enough edge shaved away to get below the reeding. I don't have a copy of Cherrypickers and it's obviously not a doubled die or anything easily searchable online. Also I don't know how modern minting differs from older, but is it possible this is what happens to a rolled thick planchet in a modern die strike?      |
|
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3180 Posts |
Edited by Tunnioc
06/02/2019 12:46 am
|
|
Valued Member
 United States
212 Posts |
Does a dryer completely erase reeding? And what about deep details like described and pictured?
Edited by Kawliga
06/02/2019 12:52 am
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
74770 Posts |
Post Strike Damage ( PSD). Not an error coin. Errers and Varietys.
|
|
Valued Member
United States
93 Posts |
Something unusual certainly happened to that coin, but not an error.
|
|
Valued Member
United States
212 Posts |
Anybody want to be specific about what kind of damage explains all the things I described and how they don't contradict each other? I'm trying to learn and I see that sometimes people post blurry or incomplete photographs, or are vague about what they see, so I tried not to be so inconsiderate, and put a lot of time into it. If I've described a flying saucer wtih colored blinking lights and visible aliens inside, I can handle "weather balloon" for an answer but some measured reasoning with it would be helpful.
|
|
Valued Member
United States
173 Posts |
wear and tear, and rolling around a dryer will erase reeding
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
571 Posts |
It's impossible to be 100% certain what damaged this coin. There are millions of ways a coin can be damaged once it leaves the mint. We can speculate what caused the damage, but in most cases, it will just be a guess. Some people have a lot of time on their hands, and can do some strange things to coins.
That being said, we can be sure that this is not a mint error because the minting process is well documented, and many people on this site have done the research into what can, and what cannot happen during the minting process to create an error or variety. There is nothing in the minting process that would create the issues seen on this coin, so therefore, it is post mint damage.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3237 Posts |
Based on the flat planes, I would say sanded, not a Dryer Coin. Definitely PSD, except for the septum "piercing" on the bridge of Washington's nose, which is a result of die over polishing. For some reason, a very common error in 1996. Edited by SamCoin
06/02/2019 3:57 pm
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
574 Posts |
Clearly sanded on the obverse and reverse.
The edges appear to have been sanded as well. If you look closely at the edges you can make out the remnants of the reeding as evenly spaced but very faint lines most noticeable below the glare spot in the center.
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
62064 Posts |
The weight is normal for that coin:  So the metal is probably all still there. So with a Dryer Coin that is tossed about in a commercial dryer, the fall is a lot further than a normal home dryer:  That fall flattens the reeds on the edge of the coin and often show flattening on the faces of the coin.  The longer is goes for a spin in the dryer, the more damage to the coin:    These are not collectable as they are just damaged coins. People who run a laundry mat see these all the time in the dryers and often get stuck in the machines. Edited by coop
06/02/2019 7:10 pm
|
|
Valued Member
United States
212 Posts |
THANK YOU SO MUCH GUYS. Muuuuuch better. So this coin's story is a multi-factor one, starting with a normal planchet. Then it got reeded, then pressed by a pair of dies with over-polished areas in the obverse, creating the featureless depressions. Then it had its' highest relief points mushed flat by something (I can see how it maybe happened with removing little or no metal, because note how George's cheek jowl is way lower, like it was pushed there). Then the reeding was smoothed down completely in a dryer, also without removing metal weight. I do get that's how it could make the coin appear thicker from an edge-on view, but neither the obverse or reverse rim appear finned, rounded, rolled-in or irregular like those coins in the photos. Perfectly flat (you can see that). Also there is zero loss in diameter.
So anyway I just have one question left. In modern minting (or whatever phase of modern there was in 1996), how far apart did the dies separate after the strike, to eject the new coin? No I'm not still trying to hold onto the 'thick planchet' theory, but just need this info to rule it out and be done with this quarter.
Edited by Kawliga
06/03/2019 12:35 am
|
|
Valued Member
United States
212 Posts |
Ha, I just realized what this reminds me of, much more than a flying saucer story with weather ballon explanation: The Elisa Lam water tank death. In that case, investigators (and many armchair "investigators") conclude that there was no clear sign of homicide, so that's all that really matters. People could disagree about whether it was suicide or accidental all they want, based on Lam's bipolar disorder and sketchy medication use/non-use. But I insist that it's worth at least trying to understand what DID happen, even if murder is unlikely. Bipolar disorder doesn't cause hallucinations as would be required to explain the video footage where she appeared to be hiding from someone in the elevator, and then looking at them and communicating with hand gestures in the hallway. Then there's the lack of any footage from any other cameras outside the elevator, and the missing segment of time in the elevator footage. So I've never been satisfied with ruling out homicide completely, and even if we could, it's worth trying to understand how she got herself killed.
And (forgive me, seriously, I'm not trying to be obtuse), the absolutely normal appearance of this coin's rim, as seen from the straight-on views of obverse and reverse.........that's like the Lam video footage to me. Doesn't mean I believe this coin is a mint error/variety, but not knowing the exact explanation with certainty bugs the heck out of me. I'm trained as a scientist (biologist, but still). So I think I should quit coins, because unknowables vex me so profoundly.
Edited by Kawliga
06/03/2019 12:15 am
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
62064 Posts |
The coin was a normal strike. All done in one step. Tossed in a dryer at some point and taken out and was damaged. Then spent. You found it. Your turn to spend it again. Not premium. Probably won't work in a vending machine.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2738 Posts |
Not a Dryer Coin, but damaged nevertheless. The reeding was mechanically removed while the high points of the central design were abraded. It's not an error. Error coin writer and researcher.
|
| |
Replies: 14 / Views: 7,953 |
|
Posted 06/02/2019 12:51 am
