so, with a miserable run through the halves last week, I decided to increase my dimes searched. Well imagine my unluck when I get 4 boxes of 2007D dimes. Little did I know, that it really was luck. Halfway through the second box, I find a Blank Planchet. I now have a blank planchet for the cent, half dollar and dime. I still need to check to see if my cent planchet is copper or zinc. Would be cool if its copper as I will have plenty of chances to find a zinc one. Continuing my stellar week of halves (meaning lack of), I come across a damaged, stained 1970S Kennedy Halve. This brings me one coin closer to having a set of 1964 to present proof halves (SMS for 65 to 67). Believe it or not, I'm more convinced than ever that I will complete such a set exclusively pulled from circulation. Oddly enough, I still have not found a 1970D from circulation, but I've seen enough reports here on CT to know I will probably find one eventually. I also found a 1945S Jefferson Nickel this week which filled a spot in the coin book. (still looking for that 1950D Jefferson) I also found a roll with a buffalo on the end. I set that roll aside for my son, but he hasn't opened it yet, so I don't know what year it is. I'll upload pics of the 70S kennedy tomorrow if anyone wants to see them.
Query: how many of each did it take to find blank planchets? (i.e. 10 boxes cents and bingo! There it was.) Just curious what my odds are.
The cent planchet was found in a box of circulated cents, so there really is no odds to go with it. To me, it's probably the same as finding a proof. Someone spent a coin that was obviously collectible. The half dollar planchet was also found in a box of circulated, but I had been getting an excessive amount of BU 97P, 98D, and 2000D that I suspect it came from one of those three. With brand new coins, it all depends on how many blank planchets get released. With the Dimes, the mint ships them out in bags of $50,000 (that's 2,000 boxes). If there is one blank planchet in that bag, then you would need to search the entire run of 2,000 boxes to be sure of getting it. I assume that the most common source of blank planchets is equipment malfunction where a planchet gets ejected without having been stamped. I have no idea what the frequency of that mistake happening is, but maybe someone else can comment on that.
The reeds are applied by the collar when a coin is stamped. All three of the blank planchets that I have found already have been milled (aka had the edges upset).
