Question on a dime I got as change today

Krems

Hello,
I am pretty new to coin collecting, but have been getting a ton of useful information off of these boards. I pretty much collect a little of everything in any condition (starting to build up a nice little hoard)...Anyway, today while I was at KFC for lunch, I went to pay for my meal and pulled two dimes out of my pocket and realized one was quite a bit thicker than the other. On one side if the rim it is as thick as a quarter. The other side is about the same as a normal dime. The rim feels quite a bit higher on one side than the other. Is this normal? The dime is a 1999 P. I kept it because I it was different. What causes the thickness to vary like this?

Sorry if it sounds like I don't know what I am talking about, cause I don't. I figured the best way to learn was to ask.

Thanks,
Jared

Placid

It might be a coin struck on the wrong planchet.

rip13

could be a change in the roller thickness from one planchet size to another. post apic if you can.

rip

cladking

It sounds like a problem that has been plagueing the mint for some years now. They
refer to it as finning and don't seem to have a real handle on the cause. For some reason
metal is forced up around the collar causing a high rim. In the past they've gone so far
as to tumble these in a device like a cement mixer to knock these rims down. They do seem
to have a particular problem with dimes the last few years. Some won't even work in vend-
ing machines.

Krems

Cladking,
That sounds like exactly what happened with this dime. It looks as if there is an extra rim on one side where the metal was forced around the collar. Thanks to everyone for the replies. The amount of information I get from these boards is unbelievable. I guess I'll put the dime into my collection. Probably not any value over face, but its different.

1jester

Welcome to the boards, Krems, and to the fascinating hobby of coin collecting. I've never encountered the type of error you have described, but it certainly sounds like a fascinating coin. Good decision to keep it. Maybe it is only worth face value, but I rather want to believe it's worth more! Try looking carefully at every coin you ever put your hands on, and I bet you'll find many errors, over time. Especially look at very shiny coins, they might be double dies or overstrikes of some kind, or maybe die/collar clashes. You might also get a coin that is one of the first few from a new die; they look almost proof. Remember to never touch a coin on the face, even your common everyday pocket change. Always hold coins exclusively by the edges; get in a habit of it, and it will pay off handsomely.

Happy collecting!



P.S. Never let your coins touch PVC.

Krems

Thanks for the advice jester. There is so much to learn about the hobby. It seems like the more I read on these boards and the more coins I pick up, the more excited I get about collecting. I already have the collecting bug from sportscards, but coin colllecting appeals to me because there are many similar challenges in finding high grades, errors, sets, etc. and with the guys on the coins we don't have to worry about them going on strike unlike those guys on the baseball cards. Then there is always a rush when you find something whether or not there is a lot of value.

And I must admit it now...I like money which makes coin collecting a good fit (even though I don't have any money)