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 Replies: 16 / Views: 4,017 |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
864 Posts |
Hi. I'm hoping for some opinions about this Lincoln Cent. I hope I have the "railroad rim" (collar) term correct. Googling brings up similar rim/collar effects and terms like "partial collar" "railroad rim" to describe the overlapping obverse and reverse edges of the rims. Like railroad tracks ;) The cent is slightly larger than a normal cent, which the partial collar/railroad effects probably explains the size as the inner coin looks normal size compared to other Lincolns. The colour and surface is very odd. Think slate greyish, absolutely no hint of copper colour anywhere, no luster (but silvery shine peaks out in spots where its probably been rubbed against other surfaces. I think its just a silver coloured planchet with no plating at all, and not a coin that had plating removed by someone. I could be way wrong but thats my uneducated opinion for now. The coin otherwise looks like a normal strike of a real Lincoln. For the record, it's non-magnetic. Next week I'm hoping to have my computer and scanner all properly working again so I can scan and post photos again. I apologize for no photos and hope my descriptions are enough to form a bit of an opinion. Thanks :) |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1219 Posts |
Dottir, without a picture, we would just be grabbing explanations out of the thin air. Post again when photo equipment allows.
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Pillar of the Community
 Canada
864 Posts |
Thanks for the suggestion MorgansRmine. I guess I'll wait until I have pictures then, although I've been googling images and sites for something comparable looking, and reading responses to other peoples queries.
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Rest in Peace
United States
3039 Posts |
 Pictures are worth thousands of words. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
62064 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2734 Posts |
Sounds like you have a " Texas Cent" -- an alteration. These often have the copper plating stripped off. Error coin writer and researcher.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
864 Posts |
I know it's tough to try and "diagose" what might be up without photos. Can hardly wait to get my system working again!!
This coin, since it's not magnetic, sounds like a zinc planchet, and I've read some comments online about how zinc easily corrodes and darkens when exposed to environmental things, so I suspect some of that is going on and explains the slate gray/bluish (charcoal gray) tinge and mostly flat/matte non-smooth overall surface and silver color underneath.
I have what I believe is a "quarter" blank (was mixed in with the box of pennies and a bag of varied paper coin rollers. Probably fell out of a quarter one. The blank is magnetic (steel?) and its colour is a bit lighter and lustery than the cent. The blank may have vague struck images on it and looks like it may have a collar and hints of reeding. Will post an image of it too, beside the cent, when I can.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
62064 Posts |
If the blank is magnetic, then it is steel and probably not a real planchet/blank. Could be from a electric box punch out. The cent as Mike mentioned is not a mint error. It is PMD. Probably someone placed a cent covered by leather on both sides into a vise and squeezed to make the coin wider in diameter. The gray showing through is the zinc planchet and the plating comes off because of the stretching it loosens the plating and just falls off. |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
864 Posts |
Thanks Coop. So PMD means post mint damage I believe (re the cent). Am hoping to be able to scan and post pics anyways by the end of this coming week. By the way, our Canadian quarters ARE all magnetic as far as I know. At least our modern ones are. I just checked a lot of quarters with a magnet and they all stuck. Edited by Dottir
09/26/2010 3:41 pm
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
62064 Posts |
Those and some Cents are steel from Canada. They have been the plague of U.S. soda machines for years. They always stuck to the magnet and no one could use after one got hung up on them.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
864 Posts |
Yeah, they had trouble with the test steel plated (P) coins and vending machines here too when they first tested them out. People complained about them not working in vending machines and stores had to adjust their machines or something.
Sure is confusing with all the different metals and combinations, especially in single years. Makes it more complicated to ID what variety coin you have and looking for transitional variety errors too. I think I'm going to make little note cards for EACH year with all the varieties and things to check for and refer to them as I check dates. Impossible to remember so much info, especially when new to collecting.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
864 Posts |
OK then. My scanning is functional again since yesterday and I've been scanning up a storm  Here's a scan of this coin as I promised. It's slate or charcoal gray, no plating, coarse surface. Some silver shows through (zinc. it's non-magnetic) The rims/collar edges look "pushed" outwards from the coin obv&rev surfaces and overlaps the collar area, sticking out and over a bit, leaving a "2 railroad tracks" looking effect. I kind of wonder if someone tried to bezel set the coin, that could explain some of how the collar rims seem forced over the edges? Have a look.   |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4846 Posts |
definitely environmental damage
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4846 Posts |
the "railroad rim" is also a form of PMD. I'm not exactly sure what caused it, though(probably the beginning of a Texas Cent like mike said). |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
864 Posts |
Yeah, I'm thinking its been messed with PMD altered now too. Did I forget to mention? by the way, its NON-magnetic, therefore zinc ;) |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4846 Posts |
no American coins are magnetic.
EXCEPT the 43 steel penny
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Replies: 16 / Views: 4,017 |
Posted 09/25/2010 02:33 am
