I saw an interesting error coin today

samingeorgia

Today I was visiting a pawn shop client and the owner happened to be talking to a customer. The owner said, "Hey let's ask Sam", and the customer showed me a 1987 quarter which appeared to be an error. The obverse and reverse looked normal, but the edges were not reeded. In fact, there was a "flange" on both sides along the rim.

I told him that I thought that this was caused by the metal not being forced into the part of the die that puts the reeding on and that I thought that the error was called "capping" or "capped die", but that's pretty much all I could tell him. He seemed to think that it was a great rarity, but I honestly don't know much about error coins and post-1964 coins are kind of out of my interest area. The only error coin I have is an off-center cent that I bought at a flea market as a curiosity to show my granddaughter.

Did I give this guy correct information? What would such a coin be worth? The pawn shop owner said that he's in there all the time, so if the esteemed members of the board think it's a good idea, I may buy it off him for a reasonable price.

Incidentally, the pawn shop people are going to set me up next week with a customer who inherited some silver -- an that whets my appetite. If I find anything other than common date stuff, I'll post it.

Conder101

When you say flange alonge the edge on both sides do you mean both obverse and reverse or do you mean on one side and on both edges like at 9 and 3? If it is the second case then it may be a broadstrike or a capped die. But I suspect it is the first possibility, in which case it is a mutilated coin. The edge has been spooned or lightly tapped around it's circumferance flatting out the reeding and causing the edge to spread (the flange on both sides).

seanq

Coins like the one Conder (and I think you) described, with a high raised flange around the entire circumference, are sometimes called 'spooned'. Once upon a time people (the story I heard was prison inmates) would tap around the edges of a coin with a spoon until it became a cylinder, after which the center could be drilled out and the coin worn as a ring.

More recently I've seen many coins with the same sort of damage as a result of being tumbled in a commercial washer or dryer. The amount of reducvtion of the diameter and the height of the flange depend on how long the coin remained inthe machine before being dislodged.


Sean Reynolds

coppercoins

Another very realistic possibility is a coin that spent a long time in a casino going through slot machines. They tend to wear faster on the edges than on the obverse and reverse. I saw a number of them with weak - or no reeding when in Tunica a few years back feeding the slots.

samingeorgia

Conder's statement raises a question: when a coin is minted, does the force come from both directions or only one direction? The flange was pretty even around the rim and appeared to be on both obverse and reverse. Also, the width of the flange was not more than a millimeter or two, so I don't know about the "spooning" or "hammering to make a ring" theory.

If the coin got that way from mechanical damage (slot machine or washing machine/dryer) I would have thought that the flat surface would have more scratches on it.

I think I'll get pawn shop man to see what the guy would take for it. Maybe I can get hold of it and post some pictures.

poptopsRus

I've seen quite a few that went through the dryer a few too many times.

D

Before you buy it, take a look at this. Sorry about the poor image, my camera ran out of batteries and I had to rush to take the pic.

This is a spooned coin, if it looks anything like this, it's safe to assume you could do it yourself and it's post-mint.

PS: who can guess what page of the newspaper that is?




-Daniel

samingeorgia

It looks to me like your example has a rounded edge, sort of like a tire. Is that right?
The coin I saw had a flat edge and the flange was thinner.

MAD4MORGANS

<< <i>Before you buy it, take a look at this. Sorry about the poor image, my camera ran out of batteries and I had to rush to take the pic.

This is a spooned coin, if it looks anything like this, it's safe to assume you could do it yourself and it's post-mint.

PS: who can guess what page of the newspaper that is?

-Daniel >>



Answer: The obituaries

Now where's my prize??

Conder101

"Spooned" coin edges are not always rounded over like the exemple shown above. That can be flat. Especially if they have used a light hammer rather than a spoon to do the tapping.

errormaven

More likely it was rolled and squeezed in a mechanical device set up for the purpose. Regardless of the cause, it's definitely post-strike alteration.