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 Replies: 15 / Views: 2,476 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
632 Posts |
I don't think this is an error or variety but I had confidence that the trollers of this forum could probably find out what this is that I've found. Its a North Carolina 2001 State Quarter with no clad band on the reeding. When I first saw it while searching coin changers at my job, I thought "Oh cool, a canadian quarter (or possibly a silver quarter but I didn't want to give my hopes up) and out pops this thing. I then thought it was a silver clad quarter but it doesn't have any poof surfacing and plus its a 'P' mint. I don't know what happened to it. It weighs that same as a regular clad quarter in grams and down to a 1/10th of an ounce. When dropped on a granite counter it sounds the same as a clad quarter. Could this quarter possibly be dipped or plated? I think I would be able to tell if it was. Is it possible that the metal wasn't mixed right? Do some quarters just naturally have missing clad reeding? Heres some pictures...      |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5318 Posts |
I think this is very interesting.  I would notice this one immediately too, as I sort Canadian coins from change out of habit. Is it possible this coin is missing the copper core? A solid cupronickel coin would be a very similar weight, as this alloy is very close to pure copper in density (750 Cu, 250 Ni) SG = 8.9, 1.00 copper = 8.96) So if this coin proves to be missing the core, is this possible for quarter planchets?  |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
632 Posts |
I was thinking around the same lines of it being solid nickel or something like that.
It reminded me of this thread we had a long time ago about a silver 1970 quarter, and nobody believed that the dude actually had one. But sure enough when the coin was inspected it was a 1964 quarter stamped over with a 1970 die.
It kind of makes me want to send this coin to someone who would be able to unravel such a mystery to me.
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Rest in Peace
United States
2668 Posts |
Could it be clad with the copper all internal?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5318 Posts |
I don't think I would be able to distinguish a solid cupronickel coin from one that is nickel plated, unless the plated one is slightly magnetic? |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
632 Posts |
Should I have posted this in the modern coin forum? I expexted more traffic than this.
Man, I kinda want to know what this is. Even a nice google search online still didn't give me much.
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Moderator
 United States
6563 Posts |
Sometimes it takes the right member to come along and know exactly what this is. Most times it's a day...sometimes it's longer. Did you get a chance to weight it?
This is the best forum section for this
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2737 Posts |
All the quarters I've inspected that had no exposure of the copper core on the edge were plated. No such error has ever been authenticated on a State Quarter. Two or three "coreless" quarters are known from the pre-state era, but their origin is generally obscure. One turned out to be a foreign planchet; the others may be "orphan" off-metals. All have weights that are significantly different from the norm. The copper core can also sometimes be obscured during blanking. If the edge of the hole in the perforated base plate is a bit dull, then when the blank is pushed through it, the clad metal from the bottom layer will be dragged over the edge of the blank. The only sure way to tell if this is solid copper-nickel is to submit it to an expensive analysis under an electron microscope. This will cost in excess of $100. There's a cheap, invasive way to test it, though. Place the coin under a microscope and shave a little metal from one side of one reed with a small scalpel. The damage is microscopic and will not be visible to the naked eye. If there's no copper, you have a case. Error coin writer and researcher.
Edited by mikediamond
01/09/2009 09:48 am
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
Another inexpensive test would be to use a metal detector. The sound made by a regular quarter and a plated one (or one where one layer has been dragged over the copper) will be the same. A solid copper nickel coin will have a little different sound. The problem is you really need a coppernickel coin of the same size as a quarter for an additional comparison. A 50 Sentimos 1983 - 1990 from the Philippines would be about right.
(Different distortions of the magnetic field generated around the coin result in different sounds. Different metals distort the field in different ways. So two objects of the same size but different compositions will result in different distortions and sound.)
Edited by Conder101
01/09/2009 11:45 am
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Valued Member
United States
245 Posts |
Condor101 is on to it. I'd start with the Metallurgy department of you're local University.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5318 Posts |
Quote:
Different distortions of the magnetic field generated around the coin result in different sounds. Different metals distort the field in different ways. I've heard this claim before, but I'm very skeptical that a consumer electronics product can detect any difference at distance between a pure copper coin and a US CuNi coin (75% Cu, 25% Ni). Much less produce an audible signal that could be discerned objectively. Not to beat this point into the ground, but detectors that claim to discern between buried metals should come under proper scrutiny. Outside of a calibrated lab setting, there are far too many variables that could obscure any possible signal to be conclusive. Well, that's just my take on that particular ongoing claim--what about the science, any thoughts from chemists/physicists here? In regards to this quarter--I think it could be sent to a TPG or error expert for analysis far cheaper than expensive SEM or XRF work. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5611 Posts |
I have been reading along with this thread and must say, this is what the forum is all about, informative, educational, expertise at it's best, great job to all, I will be, like others, waiting to see the conclusion, be well, Mike...  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
632 Posts |
I think I'll just cut to the chase and see if this is an actual error or just plated pocket change.
Anyone reconmend an error expert I can send this coin to? And how I go about contacting them to send them this coin.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1745 Posts |
There are people that plate things, just for fun. An young engineer at work brought in a bunch of coins he plated at home, just for kicks and to learn how to do it. It's not hard to do. Do you have access to a good scale?
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
12437 Posts |
Quote:
Anyone reconmend an error expert I can send this coin to? CONECA
Edited by biokemist6
01/09/2009 5:23 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7123 Posts |
HSN platinum plated State Quarter . If it weighs the same as a quarter that you can see the copper core on , then it is more than likely one of the HSN quarters , there is not enough difference in weight to make a difference . |
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Replies: 15 / Views: 2,476 |
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Posted 01/06/2009 02:15 am
