Coin Error, 1935 Mercury dime/Wheat Penny We have recently stumbled upon a U.S. 1935 Mercury dime/Wheat Penny. The front has the Mercury dime face, the back has the one cent wheat penny back. The dime side of the coin is silver, and the penny side is copper. It is the same size and thickness as a dime. The edge of the coin has ridges on the dime half and the penny half of the edge is smooth. Below are pictures of the front of the coin, back of the coin, edge of the coin, and the penny side compared to that of a normal wheat penny, the normal one is on the left.
Howdy chairie - Welcome to the Forum !! Sorry to tell you that you have an altered coin - one that was manufactured by placing halves of two different coins together. Simply put - it is impossible for a coin of two different planchet materials to be struck at the mint. If the coin were struck on one planchet of the same material - then maybe, stress maybe, it could be genuine. Otherwise - not a chance.
Thats what we originally thought until we studied the coin closer, and its put together perfectly, the dime side is exactly half and the penny side is exactly half.
Coincidentally, I bought one of these in a lot of coins on ebay not too long ago. A magician’s coin of an earlier era, I imagine.
Welcome to the forum chairie. You are absolutely right - its put together perfectly. The thickness, the multiple metals, and the partial reeding are each a conclusive tipoff that you have a "magician's coin", made by machining two genuine coins and putting them together with a strong adhesive. A true "mule" results when a genuine planchet for one coin somehow gets struck with unmatched dies. Such a coin could not have been in the proper collars for both sides, so an "11¢" piece would either be reeded or plain, not half-and-half. Someone went to a lot of work to make that piece.
