Hey guys! Long time lurker, first time poster here! I have this kennedy half that has an odd shimmering sparkle to it. When I first pulled this out of circulation I assumed something was sprayed on it. I have tried to wipe, wash and shine it off to no avail. I don't know if I have found something nifty here or what... Here's a You tube video I uploaded about 10 minutes ago. Pics don't seem to this any justice. Thanks in advance for your anticipated input! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEcJKAE67TA
Odd. mabye a little girl thought if she put her glimmer on it, it would be special? I dont know cleaned mabye.
Lol! I thought the same thing. But it wont come off, its as if its part of the coin. It's not damage or chipping or anything like that either.
This coin looks very fishy... It's noticeably smaller than the normal half you have next to it. Everything just looks wrong.
Maybe some kind of impurity in the metal itself . I'd ask DesertGem as he knows chemistry and metals . Shoot him a PM .
Your right I didn't even notice that till you mentioned it . Could you weigh it and measure it accurately .
I never noticed that until you said it. But yes, it is in fact smaller then the other 68. Could this be counterfit? Or some kind of error??
If you did indeed find something nifty you destroyed most (if not all) of the numismatic value by wiping, washing and shining it.
I would guess counterfeit. Compare the shape of Kennedy's nose and the curve of his chin. If the overall diameter is smaller and it still has the reeded edge (which it appears that it does,) then I'm assuming this is a fake coin. But weigh it as well. I'm not an error expert.
That's odd, that it looks so much smaller than the other guy. Do you know for sure, or somewhat sure that it's silver? It didn't sound right in the video but I could be wrong. Does the edge look silver or is that metal flaked as well? Welcome to CT! :thumb:
I was easy on it to say the least. The coin in no way looks any different then the way it was received. But yes I agree it was not a numismatic friendly course of action. I was ultimately more interested in it for its "cull" value due to its condition.
Hey thanks man! Glad to be here! It does sound like a normal 40% half when flipped, and the edge is also intact with what looks to be silver clad. However, the thickness of the coin itself is definitely "thinner" then the other 68's in my collection. The more I look at this coin, the more perplexed I get. I don't want to call it a fake just yet, but its certainly not looking good with all these striking differences in the coin. I sure am glad I brought this to this forums attention, I have definitely not noticed all these differences when looking at it before. I actually scored this from a gas station. I leave $5 bucks at a couple gas stations in my area, and they set all the half's and IKE dollars aside for me with the money. I end up paying face value for silver coins almost once a month. You would be surprised how well this works, especially in certain "low income" areas.
I suspect it is a victim of an acid reaction. Probably a 'dirty acid' ( one with other reactants in it.) Remember an acid will reduce all of the dimensions ~surface details, thickness, diameter and of course weight. Normally, one might suspect a full silver luster as with Morgans or ASE that have met acid fates, but the silver clad layer is 80% silver and not the 90 or higher, and an inner core of 21% silver, which would have a duller surface. Maybe the acid ate through most of the clad ( except for the 'sparkles' and exposed and damaged the inner core ( dull part). All speculation as just going from photos. PMD , never the less, IMO.
I would say this is a very likely assessment of what this coin may have been through. Someone possibly tried to "milk" the silver out of this coin with some sort of caustic reaction.. On the edge of the coin there does seem to be some evidence of pitting, even though the edge is intact. I would certainly surmise by looking at the pitting that this coin met some sort of acidic fate.. I think you may be spot on here. But would it actually shrink the overall diameter of the coin? I checked for a while last night for all the hallmarks of a Chinese fake. It doesn't appear to have any of them. So before I conclude that this coin has been dipped in acid, is there any body out there with any acid dipped coin specimens to observe for comparison? Thanks again for all the help guys!
Acid can differentiate a little in its activity due to crystallization changes from striking, but not much with silver. The weight if accurate is really just slightly below tolerances ( 11.5 grams +/- 0.4 grams). But yes, since the acid can react from all surfaces ( submerged) the diameter will be reduced also. It will be hard to tell, since the acid activity ( unless a resistive material is used to prevent it) will be even all around. Again, this is only my speculation, but I think fits better than counterfeit, wrong planchet, etc. When you get a ASE, submerge it is acid for a while, checking it occasionally and see. The removed silver in solution can be reclaimed chemically.
