Home U.S. Coin Forum

blank copper quarter

I have a piece of copper that is the exact size of a quarter, but thinner (as if it were missing the nickel layers). I was wondering if there were any way to authenticate it. What would the weight of one of these be? I would post pictures, but it's just a round piece of copper. The copper is Red/Brown though image
imageimageimage

Comments

  • lathmachlathmach Posts: 4,720
    If it were mine, I'd get a black sharpie and draw Washingtons head on one side, and one of the State quarter reverses on the other and put it up on Ebay.
    Some sap would buy it.

    Ray
  • lathmachlathmach Posts: 4,720
    Oh, I'd have Washington grinning. image

    Ray
  • CaptHenwayCaptHenway Posts: 31,471 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Does it have smooth surfaces and a reeded edge? If so, it is one of a huge quantity of slugs made in the early 1980's, sold in quantity to pass in vending machines.

    Supposedly they came out of New Jersey. According to rumor the local mafia put an end to the (free-lance) slugging business when the slugs kept appearing in mafia-owned vending machines.

    A clad quarter weighs approx. 5.67 grams. Each cladding layer is approx. 1/6th of the thickness of the planchet, so a planchet missing both cladding layers would weigh approx. 3.78 grams. However, if they split off after blanking the surfaces would be rough.

    It is theoretically possible for the end of a coil of clad material to have the clad layers run out before the copper core runs out, so that a blank shows nothing but copper, but highly unlikely.

    TD
    Numismatist. 50 year member ANA. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner numerous NLG Literary Awards.
  • The coin has smooth surfaces, but not a reeded edge. It has a plain edge, but you can see the scrapes from where the punching-cutting machine (if it is a coin) had cut it from the strip.

    The coin weighs 5.2 grams, but does visually appear to be 2/3 the thickness of a regular quarter like CaptHenway pointed out.
    imageimageimage
  • CaptHenwayCaptHenway Posts: 31,471 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Weight is more reliable than visible thickness. Remember, a struck coin is thicker than a planchet because of the raised designs and rims.
    Numismatist. 50 year member ANA. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner numerous NLG Literary Awards.
  • FredWeinbergFredWeinberg Posts: 5,709 ✭✭✭✭✭
    And a nice scan of both sides of it would be
    very helpful too.
    Retired Collector & Dealer in Major Mint Error Coins & Currency since the 1960's.Co-Author of Whitman's "100 Greatest U.S. Mint Error Coins", and the Error Coin Encyclopedia, Vols., III & IV. Retired Authenticator for Major Mint Errors
    for PCGS. A 49+-Year PNG Member...A full numismatist since 1972, retired in 2022
  • notwilightnotwilight Posts: 12,864 ✭✭✭
    Holes are punched in various metals in fabrication of a myriad of products by many industries...seems that would be the most likely explanation unless you have more evidence (like it came out of a fresh mint roll of quarters). --Jerry


  • << <i>And a nice scan of both sides of it would be
    very helpful too. >>



    Here you go Fred:
    Edited to add that they are not the best of scans and (if wanted), I can get some nice photos when I get more batteries.
    image
    imageimage
    imageimageimage
  • << Supposedly they came out of New Jersey. According to rumor the local mafia put an end to the (free-lance) slugging business when the slugs kept appearing in mafia-owned vending machines.>>

    So that is what happened to them. I used to find them in machine wrapped bank rolls along with occasional nickel Canadian quarters.
    I though the machines knew better than that.
  • FredWeinbergFredWeinberg Posts: 5,709 ✭✭✭✭✭
    That's a copper slug - it doesn't appear to
    be a coin/medal/token blank - at least to me.

    The copper slugs that Tom D. is talking about
    came out in the late 70's, and had reeded
    edges. I was told at the time that the 'mob'
    put 'em out, and they were mostly used in
    subway turnstiles in the NY area.......

    I still see a few of them every single year........
    Retired Collector & Dealer in Major Mint Error Coins & Currency since the 1960's.Co-Author of Whitman's "100 Greatest U.S. Mint Error Coins", and the Error Coin Encyclopedia, Vols., III & IV. Retired Authenticator for Major Mint Errors
    for PCGS. A 49+-Year PNG Member...A full numismatist since 1972, retired in 2022
  • CaptHenwayCaptHenway Posts: 31,471 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Maybe one family put them out, and they showed up in another family's cigarette machine!!!
    LOL
    Numismatist. 50 year member ANA. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner numerous NLG Literary Awards.
  • mikeygmikeyg Posts: 1,002




    I have seen bagfuls of these.An electrician friend who had them told me that they are used as washers when installing electrical boxes.He gave me handfuls because they were exactly the size of a quarter and as he said I havent used a quarter in a phone for years.At one point he told me that the supply had dropped because the price rise in copper made them rise just above 25 cents.
  • <<I have seen bagfuls of these.An electrician friend who had them told me that they are used as washers when installing electrical boxes.He gave me handfuls because they were exactly the size of a quarter and as he said I havent used a quarter in a phone for years.At one point he told me that the supply had dropped because the price rise in copper made them rise just above 25 cents. >>

    There are 80 clad quarters to a pound. So if copper hits $20 a pound, the slugs are worth face so to speak. It sounds like quite a markup by the washer folks.

Leave a Comment

BoldItalicStrikethroughOrdered listUnordered list
Emoji
Image
Align leftAlign centerAlign rightToggle HTML viewToggle full pageToggle lights
Drop image/file