Okay, so my coin microscope arrives tomorrow, but I have been trying to figure this one out for a while now. I thought this quarter was struck through grease, OR was a gold plated quarter at one time and wore off... HERE THIS COIN NOOB OUT.... I examined this coin with a magnifying glass and still couldn't figure anything out except the discoloration (which does look greasy LOL) and the obvious ring that looks to be another coin on the obverse. So I decided that I was going to just take pictures and upload it here for help. What I could not see before came to light through photography. Right above the "P" mint mark on the Obverse you can faintly see the word "Liberty", and it is written in cursive just like it is on a nickel. But the size of the "liberty" on my quarter does not seem to be consistent with the size on a nickel...?? The side of the coin is not the classic silver OR copper, it looks blackish. Also, t he coin weighs 5.8 grams. The exact weight will be determined since my scale does not do 100ths. I will follow-up with shots from my coin microscope tomorrow, but in the meantime i want to hear from you all! Thank you
I hate to say this ... but you "think" it says Liberty in script, when it actually doesn't. When you look at pixelated images the computer processing may make you think something is there when it isn't. Best to view coins with your eyes and try to be "unbiased" in what you see.
ED, environmental damage. It appears to have a stain that slightly changed the color. Pretty common in circulation. The "LIBERTY" you are seeing? Pareidolia probably. Better photos of the area might show what you see, but with these photos, I don't see it.
It might help if we knew where you found or acquired it. It doesn't appear to be a silver proof, so that is out. It looks to me as if it was overlayed by a smaller coin in a chemically reactive environment. I hate to admit this, but coins in my truck's cup holder where I often spill a little Diet Coke look pretty much like this, even has the outline of cents where it is on yours. And no I don't pee in my cup holder Jim
LMAO, I got it out of a circulated coin roll (non Fed roll), I used a microfiber cloth that I use for my eye glasses to rub it a bit, but nothing changed. Was thinking about dish soap and water, but afraid to attempt to clean coins at all, unless dish soap and water are safe for coin cleaning?
Pure acetone won't damage coins and will usually remove stains. You shouldn't "rub" any collectible coin.
**Also I see what appears to be a "T" right after the last "A" in America. using a magnifyin glass I spotted this and used my fingernail to verify that it is a raised letter and not a transfer...
I do have pure acetone, but with all due respect, I will wait until others chime in. just out of caution...and thank you for the advice!
Acetone will only loosen/remove substances of an organic nature. 15 minutes then rinse with distilled water. Repeat if needed
Okay, before I do the Acetone soak etc... I changed the filter on the picture so all can see the alleged "Liberty" that my blind butt thinks I see...
The coin is environmentally stained. You can see the circular stain where another coin sat on the quarter. What you think you're seeing with the extra letters are nothing more than more staining transfer and/or corrosionfrom other coins. Not an error of any kind. Btw. Acetone won't do anything to the inorganic stains
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo...rubbing with anything is not a recommended practice. Even if it is soft as a baby's butt, you can scrub debris around and scratch the bejeebers out of it. First step should always be to soak in water (distilled preferred) and pat or blot dry to remove grit and water soluble stuff. An acetone soak can remove any organic stuff...again with no rubbing, blot or pat.
