US Coins Specifications? - Coin Community Forum

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Author	Replies: 4 / Views: 2,026
cyberfish2 New Member United States 18 Posts	Posted 04/25/2011 4:18 pm Is there a book for US coins that gives specifications for size, weight, specific gravity, thickness, composition, and tolerances? This would be very helpful information for detecting unmarked counterfeits. Report this Post to the Staff

biokemist6 Bedrock of the Community United States 12437 Posts	Posted 04/25/2011 4:35 pm Size, weight, and composition can all be found in the RedBook. Thickness is not a recognized tolerance as thickness can vary with striking pressure and then you have the problem of where exactly to measure the thickness. Weight Tolerances are published in at least one reference, The Official Price Guide to Mint Errors by Alan Herbert. As far as I know, The Mint has not published SGs for coins but it should be easy enough to figure out based on the expected silver or gold content. Report this Post to the Staff
jbuck Moderator United States 188770 Posts	Posted 04/25/2011 5:33 pm There is also a lot of information right here on CCF... US Coin Facts Coin Collector Since 1978 Avatar Old Avatar 7070 Eisenhower Australia Canada World CCF Members on eBay CCF eBay Search Engine Report this Post to the Staff
just carl Bedrock of the Community United States 20753 Posts	Posted 04/26/2011 09:20 am Quote: This would be very helpful information for detecting unmarked counterfeits. That confused me. Not many counterfeiters mark their coins with fake, counterfeit, phony, etc. If they did, you wouldn't need the info your looking for. Actually on a Dime there is really no room for the word Counterfeit either. As already noted though most info is in the Red Book, here on this forum, other forums such as PCGS, etc. Weights for that is sort of like thickness. Of little to no value for circulated coins. Wear changes all such statistics. Regardless of what people think they know about counterfeit coins, I suspect many experts have a fake in their collection and don't know that. Report this Post to the Staff
Conder101 Bedrock of the Community United States 17884 Posts	Posted 04/26/2011 1:47 pm Quote: Is there a book for US coins that gives specifications for size, weight, specific gravity, thickness, composition, and tolerances? Coin World Almanac. It has everything you asked for except thickness, but as mentioned the thickness of a struck coin varies depending on the pressure of the strike. If needed the thickness of the blank can be calculated from the SG and the diameter. It also give the weights and tolerance in both grains and grams. There hasn't been an issue published since 2000, I would recommend you try and find one of the older issues (1984 or preferably 1990 Abesbooks has a hardbound 1990 for $11, paperbacks can be had for as low as $4) I am a strong supporter of the CWA. I have all of the editions and I refer to them constanly Report this Post to the Staff
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