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1979 Kennedy Half that weighs 10.3 grams
SHAWNK4368
Posts: 45 ✭✭
I do a lot of coin roll hunting and came across a 1979 clad Kennedy Half dollar that sounds almost like a silver half and only weighs 10.3 grams instead of 11.25. It is not damaged or a magician coin, looks fairly nice and rim looks normal. Anyone have any info on why it would be so light? Wrong stock maybe? Thanks
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Images might help, whereas the lack of them makes it nearly impossible to provide any help.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Here are some pics.
Are you sure about that weight? My first thought before you posted the pictures was of a half dollar struck on a blank punched from quarter dollar stock, but this seems normally struck. I would expect it to be weak in some areas.
Positive on the weight. I do a lot of half dollars and have a good scale. Weighed a bunch of coins before and after multiple times. I agree that the coin looks normal. Size, thickness, strike. I know quarter stock Halves are thinner as I have seen some of those. An I have had a lot of modified magician coins and can't see any signs of machining.
Does the coin show normal alignment of the obverse and reverse with no rotation?
I think it’s probably just punched from strip rolled too thin.
Any chance your digital scale is not in calibration?
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No die rotation at all. Scale has been calibrated. I have weights of different sizes for testing. 1 gram, 5 gram, fractional etc.
I read a previous coin collectors submission of finding many of these, especially from 1979. No one seemed to have an answer. The thread was from 2015.
I think you have a genuine thin planchet, the planchet strip was rolled too thin on the rolling mill.
What would an SBA stock planchet weigh?
Ed. S.
(EJS)
Will do the math tomorrow.
I calculated 10.54 grams for a Kennedy planchet rolled to SBA thickness
Probably a rolled thin planchet. Semi-common in my experience.
Professional Numismatist. "It's like God, Family, Country, except Sticker, Plastic, Coin."
Interesting... with a one gram difference, apparent wear does not seem to be the issue... Cheers, RickO
Appreciate all the input.
According to the mints website, a Kennedy should be 2.15mm thick. DO you have any way to measure the thickness?
I calculate the expected weight of a Kennedy half on SBA stock to be 10.807 grams.
Edited to add: I would say punched from randomly rolled thin planchet stock.
TD