A Dime Size Wheat Cent

I pulled this out of a junk bin. It looks like a 1950's something cent. Looks very close to the same size as a dime.

I heard somewhere that kids back in the 50's or 60's would use different methods to reduce them down in size to a dime and use them in soda and candy machines. Not sure if this is one of them. Your thoughts?

 

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I think you're correct in your assumption. That's a 900% gain just for a little grinding.

Steve

 

Stripper economics...

 

Yeah, that sounds plausible.

 

I can remember some kids rubbing the edges on cement sidewalks to reduce their size, so maybe your assumption is correct.

 

Laughing my butt off! Looks like a simple file could do that.

 

I found this in a CoinStar-type machine reject bin:


United States Cent 1946-S altered to pass as a dime
It weighs 2.67gm, is 19mm in diameter, and the sides are smooth.

 

That's exactly what that is!!! I've found several and like collecting them. A very cool piece of numismatic history.

 

But how do you know if someone made it yesterday or some kid made it 50 or 60 years ago?

 

I don't know that there's a definitive way to tell. But a couple of things to consider:
1) The damaged areas don't look fresh, they look aged. Surely that could be altered intentionally but:
2) What's the point of doing this today? These aren't valuable or really even collected so what's the point of trying to make it look old?

I assume these are all circa 1960's, +/- 5 years. Somewhere on the 'ole inter web I remember reading that there is a window where vending machines would take them and that can be used to help narrow the date made range.

 

Since you said you liked collecting them, I thought they might be collectable. Never mind.

 

Pay phones took them, parking meters took them, and vending machines.
When things cost a dime, and the metal just needed to be the correct size.
You could get a nice bottle of Orange Crush for a dime. (Or a worked penny.)

 

Thanks for posting that @willieboyd2!

 

Ha ha, I'm a weirdo. I don't think they're collectable. At least I've never met anyone else who ever expressed any interest in them, but I think they're cool.

 

By the date silly!

 

I've never even checked... Have you found them on-line or eBay?

 

In 2010 President Obama pardoned a former marine who plead guilty to "coin mutilation" in 1963 for doing this.

https://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/12/03/obama.pardons/index.html?hpt=T2

 

So I guess only "real" coin collectors are on CoinTalk during Thanksgiving dinner!

 

I’ve never looked. I could imagine someone paying a couple bucks for one.