Just saw this post on Coin Week and I cannot fathom how this error occurred naturally and what were the factors that the Secret Service used the deem it legal to own.
@Byers any insight you can share?
https://coinweek.com/coins/error-coins/mike-byers-mint-error-news-washington-quarter-struck-on-half-eagle-gold-coin/?fbclid=IwAR3WkVfrlEe6b1jRA9BpmSH2Y3IoaZn0n0o1E9Qe2WeeY00nJSK3Ob5slj0
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Not a mint error. A worker created it to profit.
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$5 Type Set https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/u-s-coins/type-sets/half-eagle-type-set-circulation-strikes-1795-1929/album/344192
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Treasury can let this go but not the 1933 $20?? You gotta be kidding. Clearly an insider job.
Lots of shenanigans at the San Francisco mint in the early and mid 70s. A lot of these were part of the abandoned safety deposit box auction held by the state of CA with the approval of the secret service. I don't know if this coin was part of that group.
Not to worry. It's not an error and it didn't happen naturally.
edited to add for Mike Byers... Yes, some people like this sort of thing.
This is the key to the 1970s Shenanigans Set.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
You forgot to include The Mint Sport Olympics...
Well you see, an 1898 $5 gold piece got stuck in the bin at the Mint and was loaded up with Washington Quarter planchets shortly after, er...72 years later, and we'll, uh...you know how the story ends
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"Coin collecting for outcasts..."
Sure, jail the Mint employee if you can catch him, but don't hold that against the coin. Or in other words, as the Bible says, "The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father".
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I want to see "1970-S Jefferson overstruck on 1870-s half dime." Let me know when that one turns up.
Any coin struck on a foreign object (in this case, another coin) is an error by definition. The error designation is given to coins that were made incorrectly. Most often, error coins result from mistakes in the minting process, but sometimes they are intentional/assisted.
No doubt the OP coin was made with assistance, but it is an error, nonetheless. Such coins are prized by many collectors, with the understanding that they are assisted errors.
Originally, the Gold Quarter was part of this group of proof errors ( among others):
Mint worker was having fun
"You can't get just one gun." "You can't get just one tattoo." "You can't get just one 1796 Draped Bust Large Cent."
The coin has no appeal to me aside from its value. But if others enjoy collecting this sort of error, so be it.
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No, it was a deliberate criminal enterprise, but the Secret Service says that they are legal and so they are legal.
This gold Quarter article broke last week in Mint Error News, and today in CoinWeek.
https://minterrornews.com/discoveries-10-17-22-unique-gold-quarter.html
Prior to this, the Quarter on the Canada Quarter received the most publicity.
These U.S proof error coins were auctioned by the State of California, after the U.S. Secret Service inspected and released this collection, determining that they were legal to own.
Sorry, it’s not an error if made intentionally!
A error is a mistake
Martin
Am sure these errors will sell for “Moon Money “ but cannot help but think this degrades our hobby…
Yup. This, along with the other 70-S quarters shown above, is an "on purpose", not a pure error. To me it's like the drug-assisted home run records.
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I'm all-around not impressed. The only think I'm impressed by is that this was kept secret for 50 years.
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How long until someone shows up here, certain that they have one?
Made to order?
On a very popular series of modern day baseball cards there is a code to tell whether the card is an error.
I love real error coins, but I have no interest in purposely made by a mint employee garbage. Like a shamrock Ike or the coins pictured above. It boggles my mind that the Secret service even deemed these legal to own.
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An intentional error is the same as a forgivable loan. Both are oxymorons.
Is there any info on what the basis was for the secret service to deem these legal to own?
Latin American Collection
While I agree on intent with this piece, there are some borderline examples, at least in my GB series where experiments were undertaken with the coming decimal coinage and there are what appear to be off metal strikes that would IMHO be patterns......
Well, just Love coins, period.
As we have determined with other issues (i.e. AT vs. NT), 'intent' is a determining factor in designation. No doubt in my mind that the OP 'coin' was intentionally created. Cheers, RickO
Don't forget an "illegal" 1898 $5 gold.
You can forgive a loan... as long a you're the one that made it.
Maybe they intended to strike a nickel
Hard to imagine how many people were involved in this. One person did not “walk” this through. Easy to get this 1898 $5 gold into the Mint, much harder to get it out.
One thing about this particular group of Shenanigans (the 1970-S Quarters struck on older coins) that is different than the other Shenanigans is that the other stuff was all theoretically possible because it was struck on things that are found in Mints, i.e. blank planchets, but these were struck on things that had to be deliberately smuggled INTO the Mint to be struck. They have zero plausibility.
TD
In that case it's no longer a loan, it's a gift. A loan by definition is paid back.
Regardless of the creation of this and some of the other "errors ", I could definitely make room in my collection for these coins.
This coin was not a secret for 50 years. It was certified 20 years ago along with the others. It recently was re-holdered by NGC. It has traded hands several times among some of the biggest names in numismatics, who are internationally respected and leaders in our industry.
Why didn’t I list the impressive pedigree here?
When I sold the unique gold Buffalo Nickel for $400k to a Trust, the owner requested confidentiality and privacy, which I respected. Later on he posted in the thread regarding his purchase, and identified himself.
Any of the previous owners of this gold Quarter are obviously welcome to post in this thread.
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Me, too!
And the gold represents the crown jewel required to complete the four-coin set.
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Most strange coins of that era coming out of San Francisco were all "made" coins. There are numerous examples of really bizarre combinations and errors that were made on purpose and secreted out of the Mint for profit.
Pete
$400k for a coin that just sold for $78k in Heritage?
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@Rexford asked:
“$400k for a coin that just sold for $78k in Heritage?”
Yes $400k. There is a thread on this gold Buffalo Nickel. And the buyer knew that it had sold for $78k in the Heritage Auction. It was originally in a PCGS net graded holder. Now it is in a regular NGC holder.
Full disclosure in the Mint Error News article:
https://minterrornews.com/news-6-29-22-unique-gold-buffalo-sells.html
The gold quarter is an amazing error coin and yes this should be classified as an error coin because it is not what the mint intended.
This coin is highly collectable. The mystery just adds to the collectability. What a fun coin to own.
"The mystery"? You mean like making up nonsense stuff because you have the opportunity to? And that some people will be impressed by your efforts? That sort of mystery?
The mystery is why some are so enraged by coins like this.
Many numismatists prize these coins and pay up for them.
However they happened to be "made", it was done over 50 years ago, get over it.
Just a suggestion, if you don't like these types of coins, don't buy them. For sure someone else will.
The mystery is how much more material like that is out there. Speculate on that over a longer period?...no thanks.
Not a historically significant coin. The significance is the spurious circumstances.
I disagree. The mystery is why those who embrace them do not understand why those who do not, do not.
Yes, they do. So?
"However they happened to be "made""? Everybody knows how they were made. Illegitimately, and on purpose.
I don't buy them. Or any other error coins. I'm sure you'll be relieved.
This coin is not an error since it was created intentionally.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
Forget it, Jake- it's Errortown.
Those who derive income from these sorts of things are less likely to find fault with them than those who don't.
I think it actually helps the hobby - although like you I don’t particularly like it
Many of the greatest numismatic treasures are by their very nature clandistine strikes. The five 1913 Liberty nickels struck only 57 years earlier come to mind.
Obviously some aren’t fans of exotic proof errors. That’s fine! Everyone collect what they enjoy.
Regarding ‘moon money’ and proof error coins helping the hobby…
I think that Heritage Auctions answered this one without even posting here.
For their Central States Platinum Night session, they promoted the proof Ike Dollar clover leaf set, giving it the entire inside cover, and it sold for a record $105k.