Copper dime?

If the layer came off post strike the details would be a LOT weaker and the surfaces on the copper side "rough".

Compare to the copper side on this half dollar that lost half the clad layer post strike, It shows what the details and surfaces would look like.

 

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My elementary reasoning is/was that if the coin was that thin when struck. wouldn't the weak strike be most noticeable in the details of the coin which were in the highest relief, particularly the ear?

 

But the ear is also in the center of the coin. The dies are slightly convex so they come together in the center first and around the periphery last. Also the copper being a soft metal tends to fill the design easier than copper nickel does, so even with the thinner planchet you could still get pretty good filling in the center of the coin.

 

Hello,

 

To those who have shown interest and provided help to my question I apologize for dropping off the face of the Earth. I misplaced the dime in the midst of a divorce but I have recovered it and just got it weighed. I'm not sure the most appropriate type of measurement to help get to the bottom of this so here are three.

1.8 g
.055 ozt
1.1 dwt

Thanks again!

 

I am very sorry for what happened. I am glad that you have recovered successfully.

I think it may be the real deal. I just read this thread https://www.cointalk.com/threads/dime-missing-clad-layer.289284/ and in the second post, Paddy says his is 1.85 grams, which is close to your 1.8 grams. However, the difference in weight may be caused by the lost material that you were talking about around the edges. Notice that Paddy's dime has not lost any detail. This may be a bit far-fetched, but I think that the planchet was missing the clad layer on the obverse and then the coin was struck through grease. "Struck through grease" errors are the main cause of loss of detail on uncirculated coins. If this is what happened to your coin, then you would be in luck.

Now that your coin may be a real error, you should get it checked by multiple dealers around you and maybe even consult someone that deals in error coins. This might not work, but you could even try contacting PCGS or NGC and asking. They probably won't respond so thoroughly, but it doesn't hurt to try. I truly hope others will respond because I am no expert in errors.

 

If I saw a picture I could possibly help! Maybe someone else knows.

 

There are quite a few photos of the coin in this thread.
@paddyman98 is this a normal weight for a missing clad layer?

 

I see it now, must've been my internet connection. That looks like it could be good!

 

.7 grams seems like a lot to me.
I am not really sure how much a clad layer should average?

 

Louisville and Ashland...my area of the woods. From Prestonsburg and went one year to Huntington East High School and went my first year in college to U of L. Interesting dime...good luck with it.

 

I am another Louisvillian by way of Lebanon, KY. and Columbus O-H-I-O. This dime’s path to the present is far more complicated than by travels to the present. I collect non-layered coins and cannot offer a knowledgeable opinion. In my experience in person and on this forum with Conder101, his opinion carries weight.

 

As info, as a metal detectorist I frequently clean dirty clad coins by tumbling them in water and Dawn detergent. It is critical to separate any pennies from the clad. If you miss even one you get pink to orange colored coins back and I’ve yet to find a way to restore the silver appearance. I have a number of coins that color if anybody wants some. Lol.

Not saying that this is one that suffered this fate. But it might be.

 

The weight is just about right for a missing clad layer

The OVERALL composition of our clad coins is 91.66% copper and 8.33% nickel. So if we assume that the two clad layers are the same thickness that means one clad layer has half the nickel which would be 4.155% of the total weight of the coin. 2.27 grams * .04155 = .0945 grams of nickel in a clad layer. Now since copper and nickel weigh almost the same and the nickel makes up 25% of the clad layer, the weight of the clad layer would be .0943 * 4 = .377 grams. So a dime missing a clad layer should weigh close to 1.89 grams.

So the color looks right, the strike looks right, the weight is right, odds are VERY good this is a genuine pre-strike missing clad layer dime.

 

It could also be improperly annealaed. They look similar

 

Ok let me learn something here. I posted pictures of this quarter I found that has some sort of tar on it but looks like its copper ( both sides). It was put in a spectrograph and analyzed as 87% copper and 10 % nickel ( I assume whatever is stuck to it makes up the remaining 3%) and it weighs less than a standard quarter, well it was called “environmental damage”.

Help me understand the differences between it and this dime, which I very much like, by the way.

Curious!

 

Oops. Forgot the picture

 

I lost a lot of coins in my divorce 12 years ago..

 

The clad layer was affected by Environmental Damage.. In your case.. The tar

 

Still my favorite. I want one