I stumbled across a dime at work with a bump in the center. It looks (at first glance) like it got hammered with a punch from one side, until you flip it over and the other side has a bump on it too. It appears to have an extra drop of metal in the center or some other error? I do not know the first thing about error coins, but I want to know if i have stumbled onto a big money dime. It has the print printed over the bump on both sides. The only way it could have a bump like that after being pressed is if it has had an injection with a syringe. That of course, is impossible. It looks like a mosquito bite on both sides of the dime. It really is a weird this.
Please post pictures here in this thread. We should be able to tell you rather quickly what you have. I also would not post my email address like that as it is sure to attract spammers.
Hey, we need pictures, and also you should edit your post and take out the email you so gloriously provided to everyone and their dogs! Most at CT don't care, but spamming software can pick it up. Also when you post pictures here, others can look at them and give their opinions on the forum site. Oh, and Welcome to CT! :welcome:
I don't know if you can see it or not, but it has been printed over the bump on both sides. My best guess is that when it was being pressed, the nozzle or whatever the metal it is made out of comes from had a drip that fell into the dime, and then got pressed over. I don't have any good clues though. You can see the last two pictures, which is heads side up and then tails side up. its not the same side.
You may want to watch these videos about how coins are made. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkHFNnOK3Bg http://www.usmint.gov/faqs/circulating_coins/index.cfm?action=coins
I watched it, and the whole "nozzle slag drip" theory i had is wrong, now I know. But, how did the dime get a bump in the center which has been printed over? Either the press that punches the raw circle shapes out had metal saw dust stuck up in it and the coin was imprinted with the dust in a heap on top, or something like that fire damage theory has happened to it.
That might be a realistic idea, but if you look at it, not one part of the rest of the coin is damaged or out of place or anything like that. The whole coin is in good condition except for the one small bump in the center. That is the only thing wrong with it. Is there some type of store or expert that I might be able to take the dime to and have it looked at in person? The pictures don't do it justice at all, to be honest.
Just better pics would help. Borrow a camera with macro on it and get a few close-ups. Or..... http://www.cointalk.com/t114269/
I was thinking a gas bubble trapped between the laminate layers (a relatively common error), but I'm not sure that would effect both sides to this degree.
It is the result of heat. The coin is heated to just a little below the melting point of the metal. At that point the metal is "plastic". Any gas bubbles trapped inside the coin can expand and "blow bubbles". The design of the coin can still be seen on the surface of the bubble. As the coin cools the metal solidifies and holds the shape of the bubble. Since the dies are essentially flat this is the only way you can have the design on the raised bubble. Some people have suggested in the past that the bubble came for the heating of the planchet created during the striking, but that isn't possible because the temperature rise from striking isn't more than 200 degrees at the most (a coin straight out of the die after striking is hot enough to burn you.) and that is WAY below to point at which the metal becomes "plastic".
Great explanation. I am used to metal fabrication, but I bet most here were not aware of the temp of coins coming off the press. I have seen these coins too, and actually have an idea. I have seen some people use blanks of metal to "cool" the tips of a welder if they are working on something and the tip got to hot. I wonder if these coins were touched by a welder tip. That would explain the heating in the center. Like I said, I have seen these rarely, I remember 3 to be exact, two looked just like the OP coin, with dots in the center, the third the dots were off to the side a bit. I have seen coins out of a fire as well, so much so that they were slightly melted, but did not see any evidence of these raised bumps, which is another reason I am postulating a welder tip to explain them. Its an idea at least. Chris
Trapped gas bubble in coin between the layers...coin was in a fire & expanded trapped gas...bulges out both sides...coin is worth face value only. Coin is dark - looks like it was in a fire - yes damage is from being in a fire.
The folks on here that said fire damage got it right in my opinion. We have a place where we burn our paper trash and I have picked many quarters and dimes out of the ashes with these raised bubbles in them. these clad type coins are made of three layers of metal , two super thin outer layers of copper nickel and a inner core of copper. when the coins are heated by getting burned with the trash they become softer and air bubbles builds up inside of the coins between the thin outer layers and the thick copper center core , this forces the thin outer layers to swell outwards and creates these raised bumps. sometimes a entire outer clad layer can come loose from the inner copper core. I suppose this same thing could be caused by other heat related things also .
I got one with bump on one side I got one to with only bump on one side and must have been circulated as it is kinda black on both sides with the high spots showing I tried putting it in paint remover as I thought it was black paint, but after two hours it was still black can this be cleaned some how like ultra sonic? John