I have a 1990-P dime with unclad reverse. On the obverse, it's clad thinly around the word, "Liberty," so copper tone shows through. Are such coins interesting to anyone but me? This is my first post in a coin-related forum. Thanks for your time.
Hello onDvine Interesting coin,, but the pic is a little small,, Perhaps you could post another pic just a bit bigger and also one of the obverse,, Thanks Rick Welcome to the forum,, I hope that you continue to post , Im always glad to share your interests with you.as are many others here.
Thanks, Rick. I hope that these images will be more helpful. I’m using the scanner as a camera. There’s a microscope put away somewhere in the house that I can connect to my computer after I find it & the cd to install related software. It should do a better job if the scanner is insufficient I see that the dime’s reverse looks rough, but perhaps that’s because the surface wasn’t intended to be exposed and held up badly. That seems more likely because of how thinly it’s clad on the obverse...but that's just a guess. Can I go to my bank and buy coin rolls they’ve made up from what came in rather than new coins? I never thought of buying rolls to look through and return, but it’s a great idea as long as the banks don’t mind. Again, thank you.
onDvine Looks chemically altered to me,Just my opinion and does not mean its correct, it looks like there is still some of the clad high on the rim on the reverse and the roughness are what make me think chemical.the copper core of these coins would not wear like that (think 1962- 1982 cents !!!also the outer layer of the modern cent is pure copper just like the inner core of the modern dime) The obverse with the overall grey tone also looks like it has been in contact with some kind of chemical. there are more Knowledgeable error collectors in the forum,, perhaps we can both be enlightened by their responses. Circulated coin rolls are a good way to look for coins, I do that with Lincolns and dimes all the time,and as far as im concerned that is what banks are for. Rick
May I show more/ask more? Thank you for your reply. Just because it would be fun if it was HUGELY SIGNIFICANT TO COIN COLLECTORS WORLDWIDE doesn't mean I'll be a poor sport or a grouch if it's not. I'm not unhappy with what you've told me. If nothing else is said in a month or two, I'll probably just spend it because the damage isn't all that interesting-looking if it didn't come from the mint that way, IMO. The obverse side's thinly clad area could've been caused by a chemical that dripped on top while the reverse was fully submerged in whatever it was. The edge seems to have that kind of contour. I noticed the rim of the reverse was clad, too, but didn't know how relevant that was to whether the middle ever had been. May I post other pictures of coins that are probably just damaged, to confirm? I don't know enough about the various things that could have happened to be sure of anything and have hung on to some of these for years.... For example, I have a penny of unknown ('59 or later) date that's convex/cave with odd markings on the reverse and a flat, somewhat distorted face on the obverse that almost looks like it could have had little bubbles at the liquid stage. That said, the surface isn't broken on either side, as I've seen when a penny has been run over or subjected to abrasion. None of the core material is exposed. So I've wondered about it...as well as at least one that has tiny, ragged holes that look like something dripped and ate all the way through (and partway through in other spots) w/o distorting or damaging any of the metal remaining. Etc., etc. You get the idea, I'm sure.
onDvine Your welcome to post any pics with any questions that you may have ,, on any coins that you come across,, also do not be shy about giving opinions on others posts as well, we are all here to learn and share this hobby. Like I said there are error collectors here with vast experiance and Im waiting just as you are for their opinions. Rick
I appreciate that! I'm not holding my breath, though. Your educated guess makes sense. Until I saw the photo on my monitor, I didn't realize just how rough the surface on the side w/o cladding was. I've gotta find the microscope we got a few years back that connects to the computer and, I believe, takes pictures. I think I know where the cd is. That should do a better job than the scanner.
Howdy onDvine - Welcome to the Forum !! It appears that the coin has been treated with acid which ate away the clad layer.
Hi, back at 'ya, and thanks for the welcome. That's what Rick was thinking happened, as I'm sure you saw. Are coins "treated with acid," [deliberately] or is that another way to say they fell into something caustic & were retrieved eventually?
You can't begin to imagine the things I used to do when I was a kid. Gimme a chemistry set and stand back !! We lost most of the top of our house that way once It could have been anything - from an accident to kids playing to a collector trying to clean a coin.
I guess I'm pretty ignorant about the chemicals that would do this kind of damage, too. Your remark about what kids will do reminds me of a story I've heard about my husband sewing (or somehow catching) his finger while trying to use his mother's sewing machine on sheet metal. Needless to say, she wasn't home when he did his experiment! I think raising a daughter was easier... <laughing>
