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 Replies: 9 / Views: 2,009 |
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New Member
United States
17 Posts |
Have a friend in my small town whose family had to move their mother into a retirement facility and when going through the house, they found some old and some odd coinage & currency items. One item he is interested in figuring out is shown in the attached photos. This appears to be an unstruck copper planchet. It weighs 2.26 grams, and by finger feel has the same thickness as a dime and the diameter of a Lincoln Cent. But to have both errors show up on the same blank planchet seems almost not possible to me. Could the US mint have also made copper coinage for another country that had specifications for a copper coin of this weight and thickness and diameter? Curious what others think. Loren    |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
4618 Posts |
 to the CCF! Blank planchets are common. I have several copper, copper plated zinc and even a few unplated zinc planchets. I'm sure you know that the copper planchet should weigh around 3.11 grams and copper plated zinc planchets should weigh around 2.5 grams. With the weight of 2.26 grams, I'm not sure what you have. It could be a foreign planchet or maybe just a copper plug that has nothing to do with coins. If you can answer a couple of questions, someone may be able to help. I can't tell from the photos, but does your example have a raised rim or is it totally flat on both sides? Do you have a set of calipers to accurately measure the diameter and the thickness of the item? Any information on where it might have come from? ANA ID: 3203813 - CONECA ID: N-5637 Clean a coin that may be worth collecting? Please DON'T! When in doubt, leave it dirty!! 
Edited by Yokozuna
11/16/2019 12:25 pm
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
62064 Posts |
Looks like an acid dipped coin. (Possible Memorial) Worth copper melt. PSD |
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New Member
 United States
17 Posts |
No raised edge. I do not have a caliper and did ask my friend as he is in the Heating Plumbing & AC business but I don't think he said he did either. Just being a copper plug did occur to me. I'll ask him if he has any information on where it came from. If it had been acid dipped, would the surfaces still be smooth?
Loren
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
62064 Posts |
While acid removes the metal, it does so evenly. Is your coin thinner? Is it reduced in width? Are there a hint of remaining design? Is the weight reduced? If yes to one or all these questions , then that is what you have. Acid does give the appearance of a rough surface.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1620 Posts |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
62064 Posts |
Edited by coop
11/17/2019 8:57 pm
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New Member
United States
17 Posts |
No sign that it has ever been struck as the surface is flat with only some scratch marks from just being handled. I hadn't thought about the OPA tokens and I do have 1 Blue Point version. I was hoping there was just a simple explanation that I didn't think about. While it most likely is just a copper plug, why would someone have saved that?
Loren
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
62064 Posts |
Well years ago they used to make roofs with copper. So it maybe an old slug?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4618 Posts |
Coop said... Quote:
Well years ago they used to make roofs with copper. So it maybe an old slug? I was a Tin Smith at one time. We had lots of copper, brass, aluminum and so forth that we would work with. Coin shaped plugs were common place. We even had a few that would work as coins in the Coke machine. I'm really starting to think this is just a copper plug or "slug" too. I think in the condition it's in and with no real way to trace it back, it's not going to be worth much, if anything. @Coop I used to make Standing Seam copper roof panels. I worked in the shop and never had to install them. I'm really glad because the copper in the Texas sun was not a lot of fun. ANA ID: 3203813 - CONECA ID: N-5637 Clean a coin that may be worth collecting? Please DON'T! When in doubt, leave it dirty!!
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Replies: 9 / Views: 2,009 |
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Posted 11/16/2019 1:21 pm
