Hey all, thought I’d share this cool find. I was at my local Target and went to self check out and paid cash which I rarely do. Glad I did this time, I believe this to be a quarter with its clad layer as its this copper tone all around the whole quarter, not sure if I can save it from its damage from being circulated. What do you guys think? I think it’s pretty awesome if it is a clad layer missing quarter.
Huh. Maybe it’s just me, but usually environmentally damaged quarters look different. I think the only way to tell for sure if it’s real is if the OP weighs it...
Look at the obverse rim from about 12 o'clock to 3 o'clock. It looks like it still has some of the clad layer present. If it were copper it should be apparent.
While the copper color is quite peculiar, this quarter strikes me as likely suffering from fire damage. If you're up for it and feel confident you can do so safely, take two regular state quarters and put one over the flame of a gas stove and put the other into a wood-burning fireplace, campfire, or charcoal barbecue grill for 7-10 minutes. Take them out and let them cool and see if they look similar to this one. Then report back here with pictures for comparison.
Strangely enough I ran into different type of one just a couple days ago. The consensus in another forum is either copper plated or buried in the right kind of stuff to cause a copper color. More likely plated, but I haven't taken an exacto knife to an edge groove to see... yet...
Definitely damaged by the environment. A coin missing the clad layer is usually limited to one side and it’s a beautiful copper color.
Sorry, no go. Over the past few years I’ve looked at, literally, thousands of “missing clad both sides” coins on eBay. Three were mint products - 2 of them certified. It is the most misidentified error type. 99% can be solved by weighing them. I had them cleaned out recently, so there is only 5 today. There were close to 50 listings before.
This is another one that has been cooked for a while in a flame. Clad coins turn black and have a sooty appearance over them when they are heated over fire. You can still see some remnants of the soot on this one. And this one looks different than the one from the OP because it was cooked either not as hot or not as long. I suspect the OP's coin was placed into a fireplace or campfire and was left to cook for a good long while and at a consistently high temperature. The one from you I'd say was likely placed over the flame of a gas stove for 3-5 minutes before being removed and allowed to cool.