Barber Dimes: Circular marks in the center...???

kingmatt

To any Barber Dime experts... This has been bugging me for a long time. I have several Barber Dimes that have an identical circular mark on either the obverse or reverse. The mark is almost dead center and about a quarter inch in diameter. I didn't pay much attention to it until I saw the same mark on a Barber Dime for auction on ebay. Is this mark from some sort of mechanical device like a coin counter or something? Does anyone have an idea?


Thanks, Matt

MICHAELDIXON

Matt,
If you can post a scan of the coin, one of us will be able to identify the problem for you.
Mike

Dog97

Even without seeing it I can tell you it's from a change dispenser like gas station attendants used to wear on their belt.

ARCO

Some type of counting device or change dispenser made of metal. I had heard that banks used a metallic counting device. The top coin or perhaps the bottom coin touching the metal container was inevitably damaged.

Tyler

canadiancoinguy

Classic coin bank.

"Coin banks" are like tubes/rolls, usually made of steel to hold coins. The coins were held in (and preventing from rattling around) by a screw on the lid, hence these circular cut marks in the center of dimes. Many Barber dimes have been damaged by these "banks", including one of the 1896-S.

kingmatt

You guy (and gals?) are the greatest! I was thinking that it had to be some kind of coin counting device. When my dad was a kid, he worked for a bus line in Shamokin PA. He must have gotten these when he was working there. My dad died last year and I'm still trying to put his life together...

Dave99B

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT:
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For your interest, this is the oldest PCGS thread with the term "Barber" in the title.

Figures Tyler would be in it!

Dave

Bayard1908

I used to see these marks on Jefferson nickels. I always presumed that they were from gumball machines.

ldhair

Cool a 6 year old thread. Dog was right.

MrEureka

One of the low grade 94-S dimes has a circular mark like that on the obverse.

nicetoning42107

Hmm, I have seen some Mercs that bear these markings. Never knew it was from a coin dispenser. Thank you for bumping this.

seatedcollector

if the circular marks are in the center of the coin, about the size of a pencil eraser, here is the culprit. this is an old dime bank from who knows when, the coins are pushed through the slot, until the edge of a coin can be seen through each little hole, then when you use another coin to twist the screw at the top, the bottom pushes out and you have $5.00 worth of dimes in your hand. the tightening of the top screw is what causes these circular marks. because the threded end of the screw is staked so the screw wont come all the way out of the device. i have proven that this thing is what causes the central circular marks. thanks to this little piece of steel, made by the B&R manufacturing co of new york, (and similar devices) we have countless dimes that are basically ruined. along with a clad dime that i used as the test piece to see just how much damage would be done using this thing as it would have been used to count dimes. clad is not as soft as silver, and it really chews up a clad coin, so obviously it will do much more damage to silver.

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Smoker

Do these circles ever appear on both sides of the coin? The explanations above on how they got there makes sense, but I've seen several coins like this and always the ring is only on one side. To get this marking it seems like it would have been through the process several times. Would these counters or change makers deface the coin that much if it went through only once?

seatedcollector

smoker, yes, it only takes one time through this thing and the coins is chewed up. only the top coin is affected, because the screw is tightened against the top coin to push the rest through the bottom, it will usually only affect one side of one coin, i used this thing on a roll of clads, and it chewed through to the copper ! and all i did was use it normally. im going to see if i can scrounge up a roll of dimes and post a pic of the results.