Hello everyone I was just going to inquire about this quarter I found at an estate sale it is a 1971 Washington quarter and it appears to have zero clad on either side it is very thin and it only weighs 2.47 g is it possible that this is a quarter missing clad on both sides? Or is it just a quarter struck on a penny planchet? It is much bigger than a penny it is the size of a quarter except for the thickness which is about the thickness of a dime maybe a little less input would be much appreciated thanks in advance.
No.. That quarter has environmental toning Damage to both sides. Prolonged exposure to the elements, soil, dirt, clay, water and the weather will darken the Cupro-Nickel clad layer.. The copper mixed with the nickel tones and darkens. Here are many examples of my metal detected finds.. It occurs on Nickels also
Missing clad layer usually involves only one side of a clad coin. Here are examples from my collection. The other side of the coins look normal.
Or it can be a quarter where the clad was stripped off post mint (chemical corrosion) and the copper core was exposed Still not a mint error
Sure can Mr. P. and for @Cheech9712, here it is again for your viewing pleasure. I found this coin in a $100 Mixed P&D bag that the Mint released in 2004, and it is one of only two known to exist for this date/mintmark. It's cost to me was 68c, and I can almost guarantee that nobody will ever find one that looks this bright while searching circulated coins.
It looks like it was soaked in acid. I made a few of these in the college Chem lab back in the day. Took the clad off but kept most of the detail. Nitric acid can be nasty.
You have a quarter that has been damaged by the environment. Not an error and not missing the clad layer.
Acid removed and cladding and then proportionally removed the interior until it reached the size and weight. The design also is reduced similarly and stays fairly sharp. IMO, Jim
@SavageBud, having been a member here for over a year, I'm surprised you haven't read many of the posts on this, and recent ones too. None the less, I hope you continue looking at your coins and asking questions when you can't find an answer for yourself. Good luck.
The coin weighs 2.5 g it is super thin I'm pretty sure no one ever soaked it in acid I guess I'm going to send it off to PCGS paddyman98 it is definitely missing the clad layer on both sides it is not a coin that was found with a metal detector in the ground this was found in a jewelry box at an estate sale
Savagebud, why do you think it couldn't have been reduced in size ( and loss of surface if it was in a jewelry box at at an estate sale? Really, it is done often and the product sold on Etsy and other media where people have little knowledge of coin production processes. It will be less expensive to find a dealer to send it in, as otherwise the fees are somewhat high if only 1 coin by a non PCGS member. Good luck, Jim
Savagebud, I'd like to save you about $80 Take a $10 bill, flush it down the toilet, then imagine doing it again 7 more times. It will not be certified as anything other than a 'damaged surfaces' coin at PCGS, NGC, ANACS, or your local garden.
Hey, if you want to ignore the opinions of other people who have hundreds of years of combined experience collecting errors and choose to waste your money by sending it in, who am I to stop you! If you do, I can almost surely foresee that you will never come back here and tell us the results when you find out that you were wrong.
How does the diameter compare to a normal quarter? Exactly the same size or slightly smaller? I'm betting on smaller. If it was missing both clad layers it would weigh 3.85 grams and be the same diameter as a normal quarter. If the coin has been soaked in acid the weight could be less and the diameter will be less than a normal quarter.
