coin struck on one side only

HI, I was wondering if a dime that only has one side struck would be worth anything.

I am assuming it is an error but wonder how it would get out of the mint. Don't they check for things like that?
I also wonder how something like that might happen to the coin blank.

It is a Canadian dime and only has the Bluenose side the other side is plain with a slight 'hump in the middle.. sort of flying saucer shaped.

I have asked at a couple of places like booths at a gun show, a flea market and some coin collector tables set up at the mall but they will say nothing at all except 'we would have to see it before we could possibly give you any information on something like that.'

(they all seemed rather vague and some just seemed 'shady' to me so I never bothered to return and show them the coin - not a one would say if they thought it was some sort of error or not)

Any thoughts or info would be appreciated.

 

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Without a pic it's hard to really say but it's

Without a pic it's hard to really say but it's really not possible for a coin to be struck on only one side. This would require the mint personal to have removed one of the dies and they just don't do that and continue to coin.
The anvil die and hammer die must be locked in place to continue coining.
There could be another cause but because you mention a hump, or bump on the blank side it was probably reduced in a laith by someone fooling around.

 

Hi Gehn welcome to CoinTalk, now what bhp say is spot on how can someone give a decent opinion on something that they have not seen. You will find that most coin dealers are quite conservative when it comes to giving a deffinate opinion LOL

 

Please post a photograph & several members here can then give you advice.

There is an error type which could occur if two planchets are in the press at the same time. One could be hit with the reverse die & the other could be hit with the obverse die.

This weekend, I was looking at a certified French coin which was deliberately made as a 1-sided pattern.

Please post a photo of your coin.

 

Actually, by law, a dime that's struck on just one side is only worth a nickel. However, if you send it to me...I'll give you a dime.

Seriously though...I'm not an error collector, but my guess is that it's worth something more than a dime...if it is a true error and not PMD. Hard to say without a pic.

 

The bump in the middle would indicate the the obverse was machined off.

 

A picture speaks more than 1000 words.

Yep, it could be anything. The opening post stated "hump in the middle.. sort of flying saucer shaped" which could be anything (post mint or mint made).

The OP should get an accurate weight on the coin and compare it to the weight of other business strike coins. If it is the same weight as a normal coin, then he may have something good.

Very best regards,
collect89

 

Thank you all for responding.

At least I now know there could be various reasons the coin is like that. (Even an answer that someone may have purposely done it to the coin is better than no answer at all.)

I shall endeavor to get a photo of it somehow so I can post it on here.
Now I am even more curious as to what happened to the coin.

As to the weight, how does one go about weighing something as small as a dime? what type of scale would you need?

 

Yes, Please post pic it would be most helpful!!

 

I have seen others at CT recommend taking the coin to a jewelry store or any place that deals in gold items. They may have a sensitive scale & could weigh your coin for you.

 

Do a search for "magician's coin" .

Your dime is probably an insert that would likely have been machined to fit into a shell made from a cent. These are sold in magic shops all around the country.

Thanks,
Bill

 

Yes, if it is part of a magician's coin, then it might have originally had a cent reverse on one side & dime obverse on the other side. If those two split apart, then the OPs coin could result. Of course, it would be very thin & very light weight. I hope that Gehn will post a photo along with the weight and the dimension.

 

If you were to remove a die from the press you would get a "coin' struck on neither side.

It IS possible to have a coin struck on one side only but it is very unusual. Two planchets have to enter the coining chamber at the same time. When this happens the struck side will be extremely sharp due to the increased pressure and the unstuck sides WILL NOT BE FLAT. Also the coin on the hammer die side will probably show a partial collar because with two planchet in the coining chamber, the planchet on the hammer side won't fit completely down in the chamber.

The raised lump in the center of you unstruck side tells us it has had the one side milled off and they just didn't finish the milling.

 

I am surprised no one has mentioned a split plantchett as a possible explanation, or a mid life struck thru cap(brockage) which may/may not show any details at all..

 

Lol...
I think the aliens made it...
Insert it as an image I want to see it..

 

It wouldn't be a split planchet based upon the original description. The "blank" side would have a rough surface if the coin were a split planchet and a shadowy version of the "Blue Nose" would be visible. The hump in the middle is a dead giveaway that the coin was machined.

 

1997 USA Quarter Struck on One Side





Please see the above attachment pics. They are of a 1997 USA quarter that appears to have been struck only on 1 side. I weighed the quarter (5.45g) along with 4 other random quarters with different dates (5.74g, 5.61g, 5.72g and 5.68g). Non-struck side is completely flat with only very minor surface roughness - no swirls whatsoever.

Anuy thoughts as to its authenticity, value, further homework needed etc.?

Thanks,

 

my understanding is that the latest mint presses have almost no chances of making such errors. Is that true?

Ruben

 

How terrible. They wouldn't guess and say they were certain!

Just so you won't call me "shady", I'll come right out and tell you that you have a one-of-a-kind error, worth between one and three million dollars.

 

Unfortuneately the slightly lighter weight indicates that metal was removed from a normal quarter. Neat looking but definitely not made that way at the mint.