I went to the PO to Mail an Express Letter, and something didn't sound right as I grabbed the change from the stamp machine. What drew me to it was the sound. It sounded....sharp. At first, I thought I had a Silver Quarter, but when I closely looked at the coins, I saw the brown of the Sac dollar. Is it something significant? Missing a layer? Or post-mint damage. The questionable coin is to the right of the pics.
Sure looks like it. Yours seems to be exactly 1/8" and the genuine ones are thicker. It's hard to tell for sure from the picture, but the reverse strike looks a tad mushy, which is consistent with there not being enough metal between the dies.
Looks like it mght be. But the very first step, as I always say in cases like this, is what does it weigh? Don't say "It seems lighter", or "it feels lighter", what does it weigh!
Yes they are clad. The core is pure copper while the clad layers are composed of an alloy of copper, zinc, manganese, and nickel. The coin here does look like it was struck on a planchet that was missing the clad layer on what was to become the reverse face.
Sorry, but I don't have anything that can measure grams. Not very practical in everyday use. Thats why I included the side view.
Look on ebay for a little digital scale. Or head to your local head shop. You really should own a scale. If your a in to collecting coins. You can get sone that will do just fine for about 5 bucks on the feebay.
i thought the Sac were famous for turning to a color like that. I have multiple ones that look similar
Got a pawn shop close by or anyplace that buys gold and silver? Give them a couple dollars and they would probaby weigh it for you. A gun shop might be a good possibility.
Yes, couldn't it just have been in the ground for the last eight years ? I would think corrosion would be far more probable than any fancy error.
Finally conned a Jeweler to get her to weigh the coin...cost me a couple of Canadian Silver coins.... She said it was 6 grams flat.
25% underweight (should be 8.1g) is very consistent with a missing clad error. While not common, they do regularly occur in all clad coins, probably on planchets struck from the end of a strip when two of the three discrete metal strips bonded together by rolling pressure is too short and the inspector is taking a coffee break. Click here for more about how planchets are produced.
I know. Freddie has two for $700. Expecting less than that. http://www.fredweinberg.com/inventory/item.asp?ID=4396 http://www.fredweinberg.com/inventory/item.asp?ID=4175 And $850. http://www.fredweinberg.com/inventory/item.asp?ID=4886 Oh, a $900 one! http://www.fredweinberg.com/inventory/item.asp?ID=4887 Nuts, this makes me sad.
