i got 2 rolls of halves today (walmart had them) ... and in one of them i found a half that felt extremely light compared to the others .... has both sides clad, but i went to weigh it and it weighs 8.09536 grams (MUCH less than the 11.5 gram norm). could this be missing the core? if so, how much could it be worth? (RAW, Circulated)
no one has any input on this?? been 2 and a half hours since posted (sorry, i'm just a little impatient to find out if it has any value)
It seems quite strange to me. Can you post a picture of it? That will help everyone here (i'm a rookie compared with many other posters) in their assessment of it.
It's possible that it was struck on a dollar coin blank. However, since it's silver in color, it would have to have been the susan b anthony blank, which weighs 8.1 grams. I really can't tell what year that is from your picture, but if it 's 1998, it's more likely as susan b.'s were struck for 1999. Possible that the coin was modified somehow. Possible that it was struck on an aluminum blank, although that was only seen on a few 1973-1974 coins. You should go get it checked out. I would.
it happens to be a 1993-s (didn't post this at first, but am now). and i don't think it was on a Susan B. because i have a couple of them, and their shape is different from the other coins (the ones i have are from '79).
That's even more interesting as 1993-S is actually a proof coin. What I'm saying is that the coin was stamped on a susan B blank platchet. Those are round. If it were to happen to your coin, your coin would be a lot thinner than a normal half dollar. But if it was 1993, it would be unusual. Does the coin itself look like a proof coin? I cant tell from your pictures. To me, it looks like a normal strike, which is also unusual. There's a version of the 1998-S half that has a "matte finish", which is worth $200-$300. Can you tell if it's silver?
i haven't really seen any known proof coins in person, so i wouldn't know what to compare this one to as far as that goes. i checked the thickness compared to a bicentennial half that i have, and it's thinner than normal. hopefully i can get an estimate on value?
This is what a proof looks like. The background is highly mirrored. If your coin looks like the other half dollars you've been finding, then it doesnt have a proof finish. If its real, dont think it's possible for someone here to give you a $ value. It's pretty unusual. Why not have it checked out by a reputable local dealer. Then consider having it graded.
it looks (for appearance) just like any other half i find. only upon closer inspection do you feel the weight difference, and the thinness of coin. whenever i have taken coins in to the only local shop i can find (it's a fairly small city, only other "shop" is a P.O. box), they have said that what i have isn't worth anything above face ... even without looking at it closely. for that reason, i don't really want to show this coin to them (if they won't look at my other coins, what would make me think that this one would make any difference?)
I hate to hear about coin shops like that. It sounds like they are there to make money and are not collector oriented. If your 1993 S doesn't have the copper core than maybe it is a 90% silver proof broken out of one of the silver proof sets from that year. But the weight is confusing. You mentioned the thickness of the coin. What are you comparing it to? Keep in mind halves from the 1980's look thicker when you look at the edge of them compared to other years. From what I was told the mint used a higher striking pressure in this period and that causes the metal flowing into the collar that forms the reeding to spread out more creating a wider edge. It can sometimes be misleading to look at the edge to determine the thickness of a coin. Your weight is very low and is interesting. The problem is I would expect the coin to have a weak strike with such a low weight and your coin looks well struck. Coinage dies have their stroke distance set for the planchets being coined in them and a thinner planchet should be a weaker strike. Are you sure of the weight? Could you recalibrate (tare) your scale and weigh it again?
To me I would probably pay about $4.00/$5.00 but thats what it would be worth to me It may be worth much more or much less who knows ask an expert
Nope - right color, but wrong size. The Dollar is quite a-bit smaller in size, so it wouldn't be that.... And for what its worth - it doesn't look like a proof - I wonder if this could be either a test strike, or a fake. Speedy
i compared it to the other coins i had gotten in that roll, which varied from 1975 to 2001 (looked directly at them from the sides; flat on my computer desk). i re-weighed it and it came up with the same weight. looks EXACTLY like the other ones out of the roll, so i don't think it's a fake.
Since the weight is only about 2/3 of normal, what about the thickness and the diameter? If these are about normal, look carefully with a loupe or scope around the inside of the flattened rim portion to see if you detect a very small seam. If both diameter and thickness are normal and a seam => magician hollow coin. If both are normal and no seam => Has to be a "bubble" in the inside core portion. If the diameter or the thickness is off enough to account for the weight discrepancy then we still have the question. Jim
Kennedy light weight Interesting coin ...when comparing your picture to inventory I have the mouth of Jack on yours is well rounded smile where as mine are more a straight lip ...and the 3 in the date looks different than most I've seen... don't know if that helps or makes it worse but light weight is an issue for sure.. Good luck solving the mystery will be looking for other thoughts on this
thickness is 14/32 (centimeter side), normal is 17/32 (according to my tape measurer). diameter is 1 and 9/32 centimeter across middle by same tape measurer. i have looked over the coin on both sides with a 40x magnifying lens, and i saw no seams.
