Experimental Manganese Brass Planchet Quarter?

FireBornDragon

I opened a fresh roll of quarters from the bank and found this, a Philadelphia mint golden colored Connecticut quarter from 1999. Everything I can read online suggests that all the dating and minting and state is correct for the type of quarter this may be. It seems to be 5.8 grams and all discovered ones so far have been 5.9 or above so I’m wondering if someone had it plated to look like the real deal, but also it came from the bank sealed in a roll of quarters and that’s how others have been discovered so I’m not too sure. Any help? Thanks.

davewesen

many 'investment' sets are selling gold and platinum plated quarters that are basically worth face

ctf_error_coins

Plated

FireBornDragon

@davewesen said:
many 'investment' sets are selling gold and platinum plated quarters that are basically worth face

I figured it’s likely fake, but is there any way to check what it’s made out of without like a mass spectrometer or something?

FireBornDragon

@ErrorsOnCoins said:
Plated

Forgive me for asking, as I’m not a coin collector or expert but may I ask what makes you so sure? What are the telltale signs of fake or plated coin? Thanks.

FredWeinberg

Plated - the reeded edge is plated too.

Not any error or special planchet, etc.

It's a gold-plated novelty item.

jmlanzaf

@FireBornDragon said:

@ErrorsOnCoins said:
Plated

Forgive me for asking, as I’m not a coin collector or expert but may I ask what makes you so sure? What are the telltale signs of fake or plated coin? Thanks.

It's not fake. It's just gold plated. I throw these into circulation all the time. When I buy estates, many of them have some version of the plated state quarters. They are hard to sell, so I just recirculate them so some lucky soul like yourself can find one.

The telltale signs are:
1. It is the correct weight for a regular planchet Washington quarter
2. It is the correct design, it is not a fake.
3. The color is gold. The manganese brass is more yellow, looks more like the dollar coins the mint strikes.
4. Occam's razor - the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. There are millions of gold-plated state quarters and a handful of off planchet quarters, all of which have different weights than a standard quarter.

If you really want to be sure, take it to a coin shop or pawn shop that has a handheld XRF gun. They can shoot the composition.

Weiss

@FireBornDragon said:

@ErrorsOnCoins said:
Plated

Forgive me for asking, as I’m not a coin collector or expert but may I ask what makes you so sure? What are the telltale signs of fake or plated coin? Thanks.

Occam's razor. Modern clad quarters are supposed to weigh 5.67 grams. Your scale is showing a difference within tolerance of the scale. And gold plated sets are made and sold by the thousands or tens of thousands.

So is it possible that a rare metal trial got out into the wild? Yes. But it's orders of magnitude more likely that it's just a plated quarter.

FireBornDragon

@jmlanzaf said:

@FireBornDragon said:

@ErrorsOnCoins said:
Plated

Forgive me for asking, as I’m not a coin collector or expert but may I ask what makes you so sure? What are the telltale signs of fake or plated coin? Thanks.

It's not fake. It's just gold plated. I throw these into circulation all the time. When I buy estates, many of them have some version of the plated state quarters. They are hard to sell, so I just recirculate them so some lucky soul like yourself can find one.

The telltale signs are:
1. It is the correct weight for a regular planchet Washington quarter
2. It is the correct design, it is not a fake.
3. Occam's razor - the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. There are millions of gold-plated state quarters and a handful of off planchet quarters, all of which have different weights than a standard quarter.

If you really want to be sure, take it to a coin shop or pawn shop that has a handheld XRF gun. They can shoot the composition.

Thanks so much! That was very informative!

jmlanzaf

https://mikebyers.com/exp25cset.html

jmlanzaf

@FireBornDragon said:

@jmlanzaf said:

@FireBornDragon said:

@ErrorsOnCoins said:
Plated

Forgive me for asking, as I’m not a coin collector or expert but may I ask what makes you so sure? What are the telltale signs of fake or plated coin? Thanks.

It's not fake. It's just gold plated. I throw these into circulation all the time. When I buy estates, many of them have some version of the plated state quarters. They are hard to sell, so I just recirculate them so some lucky soul like yourself can find one.

The telltale signs are:
1. It is the correct weight for a regular planchet Washington quarter
2. It is the correct design, it is not a fake.
3. Occam's razor - the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. There are millions of gold-plated state quarters and a handful of off planchet quarters, all of which have different weights than a standard quarter.

If you really want to be sure, take it to a coin shop or pawn shop that has a handheld XRF gun. They can shoot the composition.

Thanks so much! That was very informative!

I also added the color. Although color can be a little deceptive on the computer. The gold-plated ones are gold in color. The experimental planchets look more like dollar coins which have a more "yellow" hue. Also, see the link from Mike Byers. All known examples are 5.9 grams and above.

Hydrant

I grade it as MS64/65 Details Late Night T.V.

FireBornDragon

@jmlanzaf said:

@FireBornDragon said:

@ErrorsOnCoins said:
Plated

Forgive me for asking, as I’m not a coin collector or expert but may I ask what makes you so sure? What are the telltale signs of fake or plated coin? Thanks.

It's not fake. It's just gold plated. I throw these into circulation all the time. When I buy estates, many of them have some version of the plated state quarters. They are hard to sell, so I just recirculate them so some lucky soul like yourself can find one.

The telltale signs are:
1. It is the correct weight for a regular planchet Washington quarter
2. It is the correct design, it is not a fake.
3. The color is gold. The manganese brass is more yellow, looks more like the dollar coins the mint strikes.
4. Occam's razor - the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. There are millions of gold-plated state quarters and a handful of off planchet quarters, all of which have different weights than a standard quarter.

If you really want to be sure, take it to a coin shop or pawn shop that has a handheld XRF gun. They can shoot the composition.

Sorry for calling it fake, I just label it as such because with the specific state year and minting it’s seems like it’s trying to imitate the experimental ones that are actually valuable.

jmlanzaf

@FireBornDragon said:

@jmlanzaf said:

@FireBornDragon said:

@ErrorsOnCoins said:
Plated

Forgive me for asking, as I’m not a coin collector or expert but may I ask what makes you so sure? What are the telltale signs of fake or plated coin? Thanks.

It's not fake. It's just gold plated. I throw these into circulation all the time. When I buy estates, many of them have some version of the plated state quarters. They are hard to sell, so I just recirculate them so some lucky soul like yourself can find one.

The telltale signs are:
1. It is the correct weight for a regular planchet Washington quarter
2. It is the correct design, it is not a fake.
3. The color is gold. The manganese brass is more yellow, looks more like the dollar coins the mint strikes.
4. Occam's razor - the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. There are millions of gold-plated state quarters and a handful of off planchet quarters, all of which have different weights than a standard quarter.

If you really want to be sure, take it to a coin shop or pawn shop that has a handheld XRF gun. They can shoot the composition.

Sorry for calling it fake, I just label it as such because with the specific state year and minting it’s seems like it’s trying to imitate the experimental ones that are actually valuable.

No. They plated these coins with EVERYTHING: gold, platinum, copper, rhodium. No intent to deceive. Just trying to make a collectible set. As I say, I don't even know how many I've dumped into circulation.

JBK

@Weiss said:

@FireBornDragon said:

@ErrorsOnCoins said:
Plated

Forgive me for asking, as I’m not a coin collector or expert but may I ask what makes you so sure? What are the telltale signs of fake or plated coin? Thanks.

Occam's razor. Modern clad quarters are supposed to weigh 5.67 grams. Your scale is showing a difference within tolerance of the scale. And gold plated sets are made and sold by the thousands or tens of thousands.

So is it possible that a rare metal trial got out into the wild? Yes. But it's orders of magnitude more likely that it's just a plated quarter.

Ditto.

What is very likely vs. what is almost very impossible.

ricko

@FireBornDragon.... Welcome aboard.... You have the answer to your question in the previous posts. Good pictures. Cheers, RickO

7Jaguars

Although plated, it still could be an off-metal strike and an XRF test (such as at a jeweler or at coin dealer) will tell composition of the surface of the metal.

jmlanzaf

@7Jaguars said:
Although plated, it still could be an off-metal strike and an XRF test (such as at a jeweler or at coin dealer) will tell composition of the surface of the metal.

What are the odds that an off-metal strike (about 20 known) accidentally got plated in a souvenir set?

You could just as easily argue that all Lincoln cents could be copper-plated off-metal strikes and need an XRF test. Should probably scratch all your silver eagles to make sure they aren't silver-plated on a gold planchet.

By the way, related true story. Local coin shop was trying to find the person (3 or 4 suspects) who sold them a proof AGE. They had shot it with a gun and got 0.999 and decided it was a heavily plated counterfeit. I think they actually had an off-metal strike but didn't know it.

Zoins

I would do an XRF test if you're really interested. While it's true that many quarters are gold plated, the 1999 Connecticut Quarters is known to exist on experimental planchets. Heritage sold this one for $5,060.00 in 2003.

https://coins.ha.com/itm/errors/1999-p-25c-connecticut-quarter-struck-on-an-experimental-planchet-102-grains-ms66-pcgs-in-the-first-year-of-the-stateho/a/308-10032.s?ic4=GalleryView-ShortDescription-071515

Rare Experimental Planchet 1999-P Connecticut Quarter

1999-P 25C Connecticut Quarter--Struck on an Experimental Planchet, 102 Grains--MS66 PCGS. In the first year of the Statehood Quarter series, 1999, approximately 15 pieces surfaced with an unusual color and weight. Specimens are known for each of the five designs of that year. According to a Coin World cover story of November 26, 2001, there are four separate categories of these planchets. Type One has a copper core and the color of a Sacagawea Dollar. Type Two is similar but lacks a copper core. Type Three has a greenish color and a copper core, while Type Four has the same color but is without a copper core. All four types are heavier and thicker than a normal Quarter, and have a raised and somewhat rough rim. The alloy for these types contains copper, zinc, manganese, and nickel. The first two types have greater eye appeal due to their golden color. The PCGS holder prevents direct examination of the edge, although it appears that there is no copper core. As the color is identical to that of a Sacagawea Dollar, the present coin is likely Type Two. The weight of 6.61 grams is among the heaviest known for these experimental planchets. This Quarter has a needle-sharp strike and a lustrous obverse. The reverse, which features the Charter Oak, is somewhat prooflike but has modest cartwheel luster as well. For pedigree purposes alone, a miniscule planchet flaw (as made) is mentioned on Washington's forehead, with another at 8 o'clock on the reverse. A tiny lintmark (as made) is on the obverse at 3 o'clock. These trivial mint-made features are the only surface disturbances on this pristine Gem.

Here's a different description, also from Heritage:

1999-P Pennsylvania Quarter, MS64
On an Experimental 'Golden' Planchet

1999-P 25C Pennsylvania Quarter -- Struck on an Experimental Planchet -- MS64 PCGS. Each of the five state quarter designs from 1999 are known struck on "golden" manganese alloy planchets. Sacagawea dollar dies were apparently unavailable for testing, so state quarter dies of similar diameter were used instead. One could argue that such pieces are patterns more than errors, since their striking was intentional and presumably authorized. In any event, they are all rare. This well struck example is smooth aside from a few hairlines. The rim is coarse, especially near QUARTER. The fields have an orange peel texture, suggesting the dies earlier struck many quarters. Spreading on PLURIBUS UNUM implies a broadstrike or undersized flan.

https://coins.ha.com/itm/errors/1999-p-25c-pennsylvania-quarter-struck-on-an-experimental-planchet-ms64-pcgs/a/1311-5062.s?ic4=GalleryView-ShortDescription-071515

7Jaguars

My point was for the people that instantly dismissed the OP coin is that we can tell little from the photos and so stated the "gold standard" test (like the pun?) would be the definitive test. I really don't give a rip about the odds, you would naturally look at the coin & perhaps even a scan under 10x or so. If possibly still in doubt the XRF would then be the way to go, and I stand by that. Ignorance or denial are passe these days....