GTG--and now for something completerly different!

TPRC

Ha Ha Ha....not sure how they grade these but somehow I think they got it right.

lordmarcovan

Plastic inside plastic! You've gotta love it!

7Jaguars

Uhhhh, AU55? Hope that's not blood in the curve of the "5".
These grades are relative IMO, and an EF specimen is not necessarily better than VF or worse than AU.

I always wondered how these plastic chits got into the catalog and wider acceptance than many other such similar items from around the world.

Broadstruck

I'm also in the CH AU camp as on this ivorine it's just red paint loss & yellowing that established the grade.

TPRC

Once again, the peanut gallery is correct. AU-55 and it really is almost new, though I don't really see it with the pics. When I bought it years ago, the dealer said it was high grade. This piece has a pretty low mintage, even if these pieces are not valuable. Thanks for the guesses. And the blob is just the red paint.

coinkat

Okay... so this was not a late April fool's prank.

Not sure about the grade- interesting item.

How rare is this anyway?

TPRC

Krause lists the mintage at 5000 but I have seen estimates elsewhere of between 3000 and 6000 so I am not certain. The photo in Krause is for serial number 3348 so I am guessing the 5000 mintage is correct as they all have individual serial numbers. They go for $200 - 300, or so and the 25 cent is the most common and the least expensive. Made of plastic ivory. It sits off to the side in the 3 pronged pcgs insert and looks a bit awkward. They almost didn't accept it, but I had seen one graded before so I knew they were OK to take them. Now, whether or not I should have slabbed it is another story. You will see them from time to time at the larger shows, but not too often.

Zohar

This is cool!

LINK TO PCGS CERT VERIFY

lordmarcovan

<< <i>This is cool!

LINK TO PCGS CERT VERIFY >>





<< <i>View this coin in PCGS CoinFacts >>

Ha! Yeah. Right.

LochNESS

If it's plastic (or ivorine) ... is it really "mintage?" or molded-age? (moldage?) or cast-age? production run?) I guess what I'm really asking is, did they strike it?

I am more surprised that someone paid for a TruView on this item, then I am about the slabbing and catalog acceptance. I've seen too many things in slabs to be surprised by ivorine. Especially considering it's over a hundred years old, made way before world coin collecting in the USA (aka NCLT) became popular (mid '70s?).

LochNESS

PS: this is very cool congrats

lordmarcovan

<< <i>If it's plastic (or ivorine) ... is it really "mintage?" or molded-age? (moldage?) or cast-age? production run?) I guess what I'm really asking is, did they strike it?

I am more surprised that someone paid for a TruView on this item, then I am about the slabbing and catalog acceptance. I've seen too many things in slabs to be surprised by ivorine. Especially considering it's over a hundred years old, made way before world coin collecting in the USA (aka NCLT) became popular (mid '70s?). >>

I guess "moldage" would be the correct term, even if you just minted it (the term, I mean).

And yes, these are neat. They're the only nonmetallic "coins" I can think of that are classified as coins rather than tokens, unless someone can correct me? I mean, I know there's porcelain notgeld and fiber tokens and such, but those are all considered exonumia.

I can think of one other exception offhand, which are those 1942 pattern cents minted (er- molded?) in plastic and other materials by the US Mint (presumably in the leadup to the adoption of zinc-coated steel cents in 1943).

As to TrueViews, I think that's neat, too, if a bit crammed-up looking. And the OP is not the only person who's had a non-round coin TrueViewed.

LochNESS

I likey the non-round coins. I have no TruViews, though. I intended to take advantage of our hosts' recent TruView quarterly special but I missed the boat. I plan to postmark some crossover specials today before that ship sails. Fingers crossed.

lordmarcovan

I too have long been fond of square and rectangular coins, for some vague and indefinable reason I cannot explain.

PS- and not just square and rectangular, either. I want one of those "Bermuda Triangle" gold pieces. There's a modern series I really like.