"Frosty Quarter" What makes a coin "frosty"?

Discussion in 'Coin Chat' started by jake1932, Jul 19, 2018.

  1. jake1932

    jake1932 Active Member

    I don't mean frosty like residue left over from cleaning (I would refer to that as cloudy). I mean frosty like a very attractive finish almost like a glaze over the coin.

    I have heard (or was told by a coin dealer friend of mine) that frosting on the surface of a coin indicates an early die state coin... Is this true? If so I don't understand why.... I find this to be common in 1935 dated Washington Quarters quite frequently. Of course, there are many coins out there with this characteristic. I just used the 1935 as an example. What are your thoughts on frosting?? IMG_3272.JPG IMG_3273.JPG
     
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  3. Mojavedave

    Mojavedave Senior Member

    My thoughts are, that that is one beauty of a coin.
     
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  4. YoloBagels

    YoloBagels Well-Known Member

    When it's luster is vibrant it tends to reflect more light and color, on a silver coin being white, thus "frosty"
     
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  5. TheFinn

    TheFinn Well-Known Member

    The luster is caused by microscopic flow lines radiating out toward the edge. This is caused by the wear of the coin blank against the die face. Although the planchet is made of a metal softer than the hardened steel, over thousands of strikes if slightly wears the die - like water in a stream against the rocks. The more wear, the frostier the luster. If you burn the coin at angles, you will see how the luster moves like looking at a vinyl record. If there are breaks in that luster, it is usually from wear (it can be from weak strikes, but the luster of some sort will be there).
     
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