I have read thread on here about 1977 D silver Quarters. I found this one in my change about a year ago and set it aside. Is there somewhere i can take it and have it checked? Here are some pics. What do you guys and gals think. I have weighed to on a cheap scale and it does weigh more than a clad quarter.
While this coin turned out to not be silver...I would advise against this kind of test in the future. It is damaging to the coin and had it turned out to be silver, it would have hurt the value. There are other ways to determine metallic content that do not damage the coin. That said, I don't think this coin is plated. It does not look plated, it has the normal nickel color. Sometimes, the copper doesn't show on the rim. The reeding on the rim appears a bit flattened too which happened in circulation and might have also served to cover visible evidence of the copper.
Weren’t the Bicentennial 1776 – 1976 Eisenhower dollar, Kennedy half dollar and Washington quarter uncirculated “S” coins manufactured on 40% silver stock? Not sure what the 60% of the Bicentennial quarter was but it has been documented that Ikes and Kennedys were accidentally struck in 1977 on leftover Bicentennial 40% silver planchets. I haven’t heard of anything about the 1977 quarters but if the Mint did it for the larger two denominations; I wouldn’t put it past them to use any leftover 40% stock on the quarters too.
I have heard of this, but I have never seen one or even seen a photo of one. I'm not sure how it would have happened because those silver coins were exclusively minted in SF. It's not like the few known accidental 1965 silver quarters from the P/D mints where the silver planchets were already in the building.
It's very likely...because it happened. I personally don't really understand how because the known examples were minted in Denver (and none of the 40% silver coins were), but it did happen. Here is a half: http://coins.ha.com/itm/kennedy-hal...-a-40-silver-planchet-ms62-pcgs/a/1202-5175.s Here is an Ike: http://coins.ha.com/itm/eisenhower-...er-planchet-ms63-ngc-breen-5774/a/1202-5287.s There hasn't been a 1977 silver quarter sold by Heritage...but clearly it did happen with the half dollar and the Ike.
That a mintmark punch for the Denver Mint ended up in SF or a 40% silver planchet from SF ended up in Denver. Take your pick! Chris
I agree that it's very unlikely...but it clearly happened because the coins exist. My guess is, somehow a few 40% silver half dollar and dollar planchets somehow made it to Denver. Like I said before, HA has no history of a quarter...but there is a 1977-D dollar a couple 1977-D halves 40% that have sold.
I jsut checked the ANACS Pop reports and they have one 40% silver 1977-D listed grade of AU50. So I guess it was all three denominations.
So are the 77-D 40% silver halves and dollars, but they did happen so it would be possible that it could happen with the quarters as well. It is standard practice for rejected proof planchets to be shipped from San Francisco to Denver to be used for business strikes. Now the 40% silver planchets would not normally have been shipped. But if a tote bin for the silver planchets was then used for clad planchets it would be possible for some silver planchets to accidentally get mixed in with the clad blanks shipped to Denver. (Same way wrong planchet errors occur, an "empty" tote bin gets used for something else and a couple stuck planchets get mixed in with the wrong ones.) It IS unlikely but not impossible, and apparently it DID happen with the halves and dollars.
Well, that would explain how it happened then. I knew these coins existed...but I couldn't figure out how the planchets ended up in Denver. Your explanation makes perfect sense.
