Every time I go to the bank, I ask if they have any half dollars. The teller had $5 in loose halves this particular day. So I bought them. In this 10 coin lot was a 1974 P half that weighs 10.4 grams. When trying to research it, I Couldn’t find anything definitive. It appears to be the same diameter of others. When I held the 10 coins in my hand, I looked at the edges and thought I had a 40% half (the coin in question is in the very center of the stack of 7 clad coins), only to find a 1974 date. I checked my scales against the other 9 halves and they all weighed 11.2 grams. The rare earth magnet I use to check silver, reacts the same way to this coin as a 90% half does. Besides being cruddy and circulated, the devices seem to be weakly struck. Please let me know your thoughts guys.
Heavily corroded. That's what coin surfaces look like when they've sat in acid for a long time. It's light because some of the metal has been dissolved away.
Environmental damage was my first thought as well. The pitted surfaces are typical of a coin that has spent some time outdoors. And that would explain everything except for the way it reacts to a Neodymium magnet. The clad half-dollars weighing 11.2 grams slide down my magnet much faster than the coin in question. I wonder if it’s possible to post a video in Lou of a picture on this forum.
A planchet is the blank metal disc the coin is created upon after minting. If it is the wrong planchet, then it is not a half dollar planchet. Foreign coins are different sizes so they are not substituted for (usually) more valuable US coins. Since the rims are full and complete, it is on a half dollar US planchet. There is a possibility that it could have been a thinly rolled planchet. There is a weight tolerance +/- on all coins. These coins weigh 11.34 g. with a tolerance of ± 0.454 g. So the range is 10.886-11.794. At 10.4 yes it is slightly under tolerance, but prob. not enough to carry much of a premium, especially if it was caused by environmental damage. If it is a slightly thinly rolled planchet, then it is an error with a small premium.
That could be a simple result of lighter weight and higher friction, or it could be that the pure copper core is a higher percentage of your coin. The electromagnetic difference between copper and silver is less than most people think.
It appears that coin was in a fire, as the surface started to bubble and the dark spots and edges are from heat. IMHO
I have one as well I just found looking for more info now. My guess is both are Chinese fakes but I could be wrong.
I have one as well I just found looking for more info now. My guess is both are Chinese fakes but I could be wrong.
