SNAKES!!!!

leothelyon · January 24, 2003 3:42PM

I've just noticed these 3 little snakes on the reverse of one of my 55-D quarters. These are raised marks on the eagle's wing and they're in a triangle but the torpedo looks like a gash with feathers.
Do I have a $100,000 coin here?

Leo

mbbiker · January 24, 2003 3:43PM

they must be the mark of an unknown counterfitter.(sp?)

leothelyon · January 24, 2003 3:54PM

<< <i>they must be the mark of an unknown counterfitter.(sp?) >>

mbbiker
lol, What's 'sp? In another thread I was going to post a pic of the 94-P or 97-P nickels. I need to
check that thread......looks like I'm looking for the education now.

Leo

Placid · January 24, 2003 4:28PM

Are those "wheel" marks?

Cam40 · January 24, 2003 5:03PM

Contact marks from the edge of another reeded-edged coin is my guess

leothelyon · January 24, 2003 5:08PM

The s shape marks are raised up like the letters or mintmark so they must have been in the die but the gash is deep but seems to have some shape to it.

Leo

coppercoins · January 24, 2003 6:23PM

Really hard to say. It's not easy to get a good read on the amount of relief and whether there are pits to match the metal in the relief. In other words, a crater has a raised ridge around the edge to compensate for the missing material in the hole. If this has such compensating ridges, I would say a hit by something - probably not a reeded edged coin, though. If it were on the die, as in a hit on the die, it would be a raised area only, I would think.

At any rate, they do look like coin damage to me, but that's a guess, really. It's sort of outside my area of knowledge. If it's a mint product, it would be an error, and that's not my bag. All I'm really qualified to say is that it's not a doubled die or repunched mint mark, but that wasn't even the question. I'll sit down and listen now.

JohnsCoins · January 24, 2003 9:47PM

I have seen marks like on image #1 before. I looked like damage caused by a gear of some kind. I figured the coin must have been jammed in a vending or coin counting machine at some time.

John

LanLord · January 24, 2003 9:52PM

$100K? I think you'll need to ask KinCoin his opinion. Although I'm sure he'd somehow see the snakes urinating.

MacCoin · January 24, 2003 10:04PM

I think you'll find it is fiber from a cleaning rag use to wipe the die. hey its a guess

Dog97 · January 25, 2003 12:14AM

Reed marks from contact with another coin.

darktone · January 25, 2003 1:49AM

yes those marks are contact marks that have raised the displaced metal. You can experiment with producing this type of damage on a piece of sheet metal with a scribe. mike

quarterjack · January 25, 2003 2:05AM

Dog97, i agree with you 100%.

JMHO

Dave

coppercoins · January 25, 2003 2:19AM

My personal belief is that the marks are too rounded and too far spread out to be reeding contact marks, especially with another quarter. I'm pretty sure it's damage, but from what I wouldn't know.

leothelyon · January 25, 2003 2:48AM

Maybe I need better pics. There are a couple more of these things on the coin. The three in the triangle, each are exactly in the center of a feather. But one can see on a couple of them an outline of some sort next to the marks. But the space or area between the raised part and the outline is not brilliant as if something had hit the coin so the marks may have been from the die.....something damaged the dies.

Leo

Dog97 · January 25, 2003 5:59AM

They are in the center of the feather because that is the high part of the design which is subject to contact with other coins. To find out for sure simply match up the reeding on a quarter with the damage on yours.
You don't see this damage very often because it's not caused by simply dropping one coin on another. It's caused by one coin being perpendicular to another (column like) near the bottom of a mint bag then the bag is dropped on the floor. As the weight from the coins cause the column to collapse it leans over at an angle, twists around, the edge digs in then it lays on over flat against the other coins. Here's the same effect near the ear of a JFK:

Petescorner · January 25, 2003 6:03AM

Remember when Underdog, dressed as Shoeshine Boy, used to bite the coins that were given to him for shoeshines? Well, that's probably not your answer!

leothelyon · January 25, 2003 6:20AM

Dog97
To me this was amazing but now we have a simple explaination! I like your findings and others who may have tried to say the same thing.......lol, there goes my $100000 question! It might be interesting to see a collection of these in a variety of shapes and forms.
Thank you Dog97 and others, Leo

dabugler · January 25, 2003 7:00AM

Looks like some kid with braces tried picking his teeth with a quarter.

LanLord, that's gotta be the best picture of Shania I've seen. Trying not to drool!

JJacks · January 25, 2003 7:19AM

leo,

Just so you know, (sp?) usually means the poster is uncertain of the spelling of the word (in this case "counterfitter", so please don't bother telling them about it. They know it may be wrong, but don't want to waste a bunch of time looking it up.

Hope this helps!

JJacks

bushmaster8 · November 15, 2006 3:44AM

Do they look like my little buddy?

I put this guy in my coin case when I set up at shows. I don't even have to bother locking my case!

PawPaul · December 9, 2007 11:18AM

too bad he died

cheezhed · December 9, 2007 11:22AM

Holy thread revival Batman!!!

SNAKES!!!!

The more qualities observed in a coin, the more desirable that coin becomes!

My Jefferson Nickel Collection

Comments

The more qualities observed in a coin, the more desirable that coin becomes!

My Jefferson Nickel Collection

The more qualities observed in a coin, the more desirable that coin becomes!

My Jefferson Nickel Collection

The more qualities observed in a coin, the more desirable that coin becomes!

My Jefferson Nickel Collection

The more qualities observed in a coin, the more desirable that coin becomes!

My Jefferson Nickel Collection

Leave a Comment