I got some "junk" silver yeaturday from a coin shop up in oregon while I am visiting a friend and here's some of what I got... the 1st pic is a 1939 quarter that has a cresent of cyan-blue then yellowish then reddish on the outer edge of the coin on the left side from top to bottom. The 1956 D quarter is kinda awkward the rim is flat and the quarter seems to be a bit smaller in diameter then a normal silver quarter. also on the reverse of the quarter it is toned a goldish-orange color and the obverse is silver white. so tell me how you think I did Alex
more pics the 1st and 3rd pic are the 1956 smooth edge coin and the 2nd one is the 1939 with the rainbow toning more clearly even thought the coin itself is kinda fuzzy looking
Perhaps the '56-D was one that someone started to 'spoon' (no, not spoon WITH...lol)......early stage of creating a ring from a silver coin. That's my guess....and I'm stickin' with it (unless I'm wrong, which has been known to happen once or twice.. )!!!
The 39 looks to have been in an old album and I agree with NS as it looks like early stages of someone spooning it
I agree, but do you really think some of these young whippersnappers will know the old meaning of spooning? Chris
Personally, I think the 39 has been messed with since that golden hue looks like the first stages of artificial toning. With that in mind, perhaps its value is a little over melt.
the golden hue is from the lighting...I don't have any "white" lighting in the house only yellow...the coin itself is a silverish-white like any other normal junk silver would be it just has that toning on it. I was able to snap some more pics that actually look coheirent... Alex
IMHO the 1939 has been circulated to badly for the toning to have much of any posative affect on the numismatic value of the coin. In reality it is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. If someone was putting together a circulated Washington set it may fetch a dollar or two above spot price, but even according to the latest issue of coin prices magazine a 1939 in AU50 is only worth $7 and this coins is far from AU.
kinda confused why is it the price guides seem to not matter? I've seen a good amount of coins that the red book says say $200 for it's grade and yet it will sell for say $600+ and it seems the only difference is that it's toned similiar to the above pic...
Think of it this way. There are no price guides for toned coins. Some toned coins will fetch more than others, common dates could fetch more than keys, etc. It depends on how drastic the toning is, what the colors are, if it is market acceptable, etc. The Red Book shouldn't be used to determine any value of coins at all, if you are looking for a real estimate, eBay's completed listings, Heritage Auction Archives, PCGS, Numismedia and Grey Sheet are the price guides that should be used. Use as many as possible. For circulated toned coins, the values aren't as great as they would be if the coin was a BU example. A toned 1880-S Morgan that is EF versus a toned 1880-S Morgan that is BU will fetch far less money. People want the most for their dollar, and that means they want eye appeal. Uncirculated and a lot of AU pieces that are toned will fetch more money, depending on, what I said before, how the coins are toned, colors, how drastically toned they are, vibrance, etc. Your coin is worth a few bucks over melt value. It is well circulated, and isn't a key date. BEST case scenario, someone pays $10 for the coin on eBay.
We used to call that washing machine damage. The theory was that the coin was trapped in the washer and gradually had the edges flattened during the spin cycles. I don't know if I actually believed that, but similar examples have been around since I was a kid and still show up after 1964 where spooning isn't likely. Who wants a clad ring?
Toned coins are way overated IMO but the fact is people pay more for them because they stand out and look unique as well as pretty. You cant go wrong picking up old silver coins when you can find them cheap enough (no more than spot). If your looking for a coin to add to your collection but the best grade you can afford. Your quarter is silver and worn so it wont fetch much on the market as many of the dates in this series are available in stunning condition. Happy hunting (1 MANS JUNK IS ANOTHER MANS TREASURE!!!)