Monroe Sintered dollars
packers88
Posts: 558
I found a few of these (sintered) after going through many boxes trying to find the Monroe dollars struck on quarter planchets. Unfortunately, no quarter planchet errors, but I did find some sintered errors. These have gone on ebay for $100 or more, but more commonly $20 to $25 is the going rate. Up until now I never knew about a sintered error and I was wondering what opinion others have of this coin? Furthermore, for some reason when I do a completed listing search of just "sintered" all I'm finding is presidential dollar sintered coins and no other types, so it appears that this so called sintered error is confined to presidential dollars only. I know they are rare, but is there a large market for these?
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Comments
With Ikes, sintering is created by an over-long stay in the planchet annealling drums, a succession of concrete-mixer sized (?8' in diameter?) baffled drums in which the newly upset planchets are kept in suspension as they are first heated to red-hot or close to it and then allowed to cool very slowly to room temperature.
Whilst in these revolving drums, the planchets undergo a fearsome beating against each other and against the drums walls and baffles, in the course of which the exposed copper on the edges gets pounded also.
The resulting copper dust can cling to the occasional planchet that overstays its welcome in the first hot drum and literally alloy itself to the nickel surface of the planchet.
The integral coating of copper is tough enough to withstand subsequent striking.
Because Ikes have yet to really catch on with the collecting public, heavily sintered Ikes do not carry much of a premium but in time higher grade examples will be valued in proportion to their scarcity.
The above is a product of my ignorance and any relation to truth is purely coincidental but it's my best shot.
Rob
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