unusually thick 1968 us quarter

I went to pit a quarter into the machine at work. Would not take it. Tried every other machine and still no. Laid it down next to another quarter and it's very noticeably thicker. While it had normal circulation wear on the heads and tails the ridges around are extremely prominent. Much more so than other quarter I've compared it to.I'm new at this please help

 

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Most likely a "dryer" coin, where the edges of the coin are flattened and sometimes rounded due to the rotary action of the dryer drum. The center of the coin is not as visibly affected. The rim is very prominent. Jim

 

Jim

But if a dryer coin, then the reeds would be long gone

 

I suspect that it's some sort of "sandwich coin" and nothing that was produced by the Mint.

Chris

 

Yep. Look closely at that edge-on shot -- you can see two copper layers instead of one, and the reeds on the top half are offset slightly to the left of the reeds on the bottom half.

Now, the only reasons I've seen this done are to make a two-headed/two-tailed coin, or a fake mule -- I don't know why someone would do it with a normal obverse and reverse, and I don't know why they'd get the thickness wrong. Maybe they were practicing on this one. Maybe they were trying to make a fake rotated-die example, although that would seem kind of pointless.

 

I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss this one. The photograph of the edge is too poor to say anything about abnormalities in the exposure of the copper core or any discontinuity in the reeding. Quarters struck on rolled-thick stock are known from several years, and I believe one of them is 1968. These rolled-thick specimens approach 7 grams in weight, so I would go out and weigh this one.

 

It would also be helpful to see the other side of the coin.

 

Well, I'll defer to Mike Diamond every time.

That being said, though, the blurry edge-on photo still looks like a sandwich coin to me. Here's a "sharpened" and contrast-stretched crop of the image:



Now, I know that all sorts of odd things can happen as a clad surface layer gets dragged across the edge of the coin during striking, but I don't think I've ever seen this "double Oreo" effect. Note the distinct bright layer consistently stretching along the middle of the edge, not sloping toward either face. And look at the reeds in the middle of the image -- I see a distinct "twist", as though the top half of the coin has been slightly rotated clockwise relative to the bottom half.

I'd love to see a well-focused image of those reeds, although that might be a tough shot to get. My suspicion is that we'd see a well-defined discontinuity at the middle of the edge, maybe even a visible seam.

It's certainly possible that this is a rolled-thick example; I've never seen one, so I know nothing about their characteristics. It's hard for me to imagine, though, how you'd get slanted/twisted reeds, assuming that's what the photo actually shows. It's also hard to imagine that you'd get that middle bright layer, although I'm on even shakier ground there.

Mike, have you seen these actual effects on a rolled-thick-stock coin, or are you thinking they're just artifacts of a blurry image?

 

The enhanced image does raise suspicions, but the poor quality of the photo leaves open the possibility of a photographic illusion. In the absence of a better photo, another test to apply is the "ring" test. Although a genuine thick quarter won't have much of a ring, it will still be better than a spliced quarter, which will give off a dull thud. It's best to drop the coin from a low height onto a smooth granite countertop.

 

There does some to be an almost visible seam in some areas. I'll post new and more pictures shortly. My dad has some very nice cameras and software due to his profession. Within a few days I'll upload even more and better photos soon after. I also believe he has a scale. A few more pictures up soon.. and very high quality soon after. Thanks for everything

 

The one half of the coin in my opinion is slightly turned clockwise. The pictures I hope do some justice or at least arose further speculation. This quality of picture and lighting is about the best I can do for now.

 

The reeded edge appears dimpled at the center as if from compression you can actually see a "3" dimple at the top, middle, and bottom. An I-E-9 planchet (numistmaster.com) could account for this.

 

it is dimpled. More prominent on the reverse side. On both the eagles had and chest and in the "plu" in e. Pluribus. I looked further into it. I'm fairly convinced it may be an i-e-9. I'll be weighing it very shortly. Further updates and pics tonight.

 

What is the weight of the quarter? Aren't the rims just much higher, raised, upset, etc.?


Nevermind, I guess that's not the 1968, but the 1997. I agree, some clear and quality photos would be helpful...

 

Nice, thanks... http://www.error-ref.com/rolled-thick-planchets/

 

The weight ha come out to exactly that of a 1965' 1997 and a 2006 state quarter at 5 grams!!???

 

Check scale, check batteries, you should have 2 decimal points after the five +/- .67

 

This scale does not display decimals. Although I would like to know for sure the exact weight it's quite odd it would come out to 5g regardless. I'll see what can be done

 

Unfortunately, that scale won't do you much good. A nickel weighs 5.0 grams. A clad quarter should weigh 5.67 grams, and should show up on your scale as 6 grams; a thick planchet should weigh more than that, whether it's from a mint error or from gluing coins together.

 

Seems like you got a quarter that was struck on a thick planchet. These are the blanks that the coin obverse and reverse are presses or made from. It is unusual for this to happen, so, I would say hang on to it. If you can find a very accurate weight scale you can weigh it. Washington quarters weigh 6.25 grams normally. It sounds like yours weighs more than that. There are 31.103 grams in a Troy ounce. It may have more weight and you can weigh it on a balance with a normal quarter and the heavy one should tip the scale down on its side. Good luck and keep looking. When I was a young boy of 9 I found a 1909 VDB penny in my change I got from an old country store in Canton, Mississippi. I was really excited and I will never forget that day.
Richardbarkley654@yahoo.com