I have come across a 1974P Washington quarter with no notches around the circumference of the coin. There are no indications of any attempt to produce the notches as the outside is as smooth as a Penny's or a nickel's. I didn't bother to add a photo, I don't feel it's necessary. Anyone else find one of these? (even on other coins.)
#1, since you don't feel a photo is necessary, an answer is probably not necessary either. BTW, the "notches" is usually referred to as reeding.
Photos would certainly help, but the lack of reeding is most likely due to having been stuck in a dryer for a while.
Yes, photos are necessary because the coin could have been altered......post-mint damage (PMD). However, try googling "spooned quarter" and see what pops up. Chris
Hi Tim, A photo is really necessary if you want a reasonable answer to your query. I'd tend to lean towards Chris' spooned answer and the reeds can be worn down with a fine emery cloth or a Dremel with a buffer but this is typically someone with way too much time on their hands trying to make us look like we have found something special.
Thanks for the pic. It might be slightly smaller but the only way I know to tell for sure is if you used a micrometer and also weighed this coin to tell the difference. But from your pics, I can see traces of the reeding so I would, for now, lean towards PMD.
Agree with above mentioned. The reeding is engraved in the collar. which holds the planchette in place. and is part of the minting process. the planchette expands upon impact. forcing the reeds into the design...no way for this one to be a mint error. once you study how they make a coin, its an easier thing to figure out
Spooned? I think it's just wear. Vending machine, slot machine, parking meter. I bet the obverse and reverse are worn and very "scratchy looking." Not a proper term.
Is it completely impossible for something like this to slip through the cracks of the minting process or just highly unlikely? Unless I have spoken to someone whom has worked for the U.S.mint, doing the exact job of operating/observing the reeding process and hear some of the stories about the job, I will continue to believe anything is possible.
Tried to take more pics, came out bad. Both sides of the coin have the normal nicks and scratches but nothing excessively scratched up.
It's physically impossible. The rim is formed, the diameter is at or less than normal, it therefore had to be in a collar. The fact that you don't know this stuff (yet, you'll learn) doesn't mean that any reasonably experienced numismatist doesn't. This level of knowledge - a complete familiarity with the die production and minting process - is expected of a coin collector. I lived in Atlantic City for twenty years. Quarters with the rims worn off by slot machines before reaching a low AU level of surface wear are still common there, years after the casinos quit accepting coins. By the way, the sample coin you compared the reedless Quarter to is pretty worn itself. Or a poor strike; that can have an effect on reed development too. These things will come in time.
