Silver 2011D Gettysburg Quarter?

Hello People. I’m new here and this is my first post. Hoping one of you might help me out.

I’m a beach metal detectorist and I clean and run a lot of clad through bank coin machines. I always check the reject tray before I begin and a couple months ago I found (what appears to be) a silver 2011D Gettysburg quarter in the tray.







* I don’t find anything on the internet about modern silver coins minted at Denver. Am I correct; only San Francisco mints modern silver coins (90% silver proofs for collectors)?

* If Denver does not normally mint modern silver coins, would they store silver blanks in case something happened to the San Francisco mint? If so, wouldn’t those blanks be under strict security to prevent a silver coin from being minted without authority?

* Using my jewelers scale, this coin weighs 5.82 grams; slightly more than modern clad (5.67g), but less than a silver proof (6.25g).

* I’ve taken the quarter to two local coin shops. One said this coin is very common (but again, I don’t find it on the web). Both tested it and said it is 90% silver, but then one also tested a modern clad coin in front of me and it also tested at 90% silver.

* What should be my next steps to verify the authenticity, composition, and value of this coin? Might I have an error coin?

Sorry for the many questions. I’ve exhausted local references and don’t really believe the coin shops understand the odd circumstances I’ve discovered. Given the weight, my conclusion is silver plate, but I honestly don’t understand why someone might take the effort and expense of doing this.

Any insight is much appreciated.

 

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A lot of companies plate coins with gold or platinum and sell them as "collectibles". Yours is probably one of the platinum-plated examples. It's not really collectible, but but they make good conversation pieces.

People plating coins often apply a layer of nickel plating first, then apply the precious metal on top of that. In those cases, the coin is slightly attracted to a strong magnet. If you haven't already tested this one with a magnet, it would be worth a try.

I don't think I've heard of off-metal (silver) strikes coming out of Denver. If this were 90% silver, as you say, it would weigh 6.25g.

Welcome to CoinTalk!

 

I'm not a collector of post 1982 coins, sorry. Welcome to CT, thanks for sharing, and good luck.

 

Sometimes the copper layer doesn't show on the edges. It's rare, but it happens. I had a 1982 quarter like that. Sold it for a couple bucks - a novelty, really.

Also, it doesn't look silver, and Denver wouldn't have silver blanks.

 

There are 2 silver quarters for Gettysburg in 2011, both with a S mint mark. Neither was made for circulation. One is a proof only. With a D mint mark, yours would be plated.

Welcome to CT.

 

A quick look at a Red Book would answer your question. If you don’t have one I recommend you buy one. It doesn’t have to be a new one. A couple of years old is fine. BTW I agree with the plated theory.

 

I’ve completely forgotten about the red book and blue book. Thanks for the reminder!

 

I love the Gettysburg theme, my father
grew up not to far away and we visited
the battlefield many times

 

Well, I think I would like the theme a lot more if I had found a silver error coin! I kind of figured it was plated, now most of the responses confirm it. I appreciate the help though, so thanks to everyone for the insight.

On another note, my beach metal detecting did yield me about 45 silver coins and a few pieces of gold last January. Sticking to the coins for this forum, a lot of them are pretty beat up, so I’m pretty sure they have absolutely no numismatic value what so ever.

 

I've seen a few clad quarters with no copper visible on the edge over the years. Since the dates were well past 1964 and they didn't ring like silver, I figured it was a fluke and tossed them back into circulation. I guess I'll have to check for plating next time.

 

Welcome to CT @Ra1der5. I really like your questions and deductive reasoning. That skill is what is needed when dealing with some aspects of coin collecting.

Looking forward to seeing more posts from you. Nice photos btw.

 

Well, I’m a recovering auditor, so there’s that!

Thanks for the warm welcome people. I mostly hang out on the Friendly Metal Detecting Forum in the beach hunting section. The format is very similar, if not almost exactly like this CoinTalk forum, so posting pics, etc. is familiar.

I’ll likely be back if/when I find rare coins, but again, mine are going to be pretty beat up by the ocean. And we do have some silver handed down from previous generations, so I need to go through that.

 

The first (and only) time I ever came across a plated coin was when I went to our credit union. My wife taught most of the tellers and I've gotten to know them well. Anyway, one of the tellers that knew I was a retired accountant, told me that a customer had given her a "gold" quarter. It threw me at first, so I asked to see it. It was an Indiana "Indie" 500 quarter that was gold in color. I looked at it first (not that I had to) to see if there was a chance it was a real gold quarter. I exchanged real quarter for her "gold" quarter, so that I could check it out. After many inquiries, I found that the "gold" quarter was platted with some type of gold paint. I gave her the bad news the next day and I asked her if she wanted it back. She told me that it wasn't necessary and that I could keep it. I put it in a flip and filed it with my other weird coins.

 

Hey. CT has threads about finds and detecting stuff. I for one love in ground finds

 

Would be great if it was real. Was smart to ask cuz I know that there is a Ike dollar that had something like a D silver.

 

I’m glad to hear that you’ll be back. Let’s have fun

 

The best thing about the coin is there’s more then a few who enjoy the Gettysburg theme

 

Found it.

 

sooo… you’re saying I’m not alone?

 

I also have a 2011D Gettysburg Quarter that has a solid silver colored rim. It doesn't look like the quarter is made of silver, but I see no traces of any copper colors on it at all, just like the one in your pictures. I find it hard to believe that we both just happened to find the same exact mint and year of quarter that was plated. Not sure what part of the world you live in, but I live in Spokane, WA. Have you learned anything new about this quarter? I'm trying to research mine to see what it is or what it might be worth. Please email me at [edited]
*email address redacted, per forum rules. For your privacy, please share that information via the private messaging system. ~Mod.

PS- you’re not very likely to get a response, anyway. This was a sixteen-month-old thread when you replied to it.