A Radioactive Silver Dime

LeeBone · June 25, 2011 5:35AM

Bought this at my local B&M 20 years ago as a fun coin.

Anybody ever seen one of these

Date on coin is 1956 and looks Unc.

19Lyds · June 25, 2011 5:37AM

I've not seen the card but have seen the dime.

Mine's a 1947.

llafoe · June 25, 2011 5:38AM

How long have you owned this dime? When was the last time you had a child? How's your eyesight?

LeeBone · June 25, 2011 5:39AM

llafoe · June 25, 2011 5:39AM

<< That was quick...

>>

I knew this was an alt! Honey, is that you?

19Lyds · June 25, 2011 5:43AM

<< How long have you owned this dime? When was the last time you had a child? How's your eyesight?

>>

I've never had a child.

I left that up to my ex-wife.

OldEastside · June 25, 2011 5:47AM

Did'nt Goldfinger want to do that to all the gold in Ft. Knox?

Steve

llafoe · June 25, 2011 5:49AM

<< 

<< How long have you owned this dime? When was the last time you had a child? How's your eyesight?

>>

I've never had a child.

I left that up to my ex-wife. >>

LeeBone · June 25, 2011 5:49AM

<< How long have you owned this dime? When was the last time you had a child? How's your eyesight?

>>

1) 20 years, how`s you`re eyesight

2) Last time was a little over eight years ago, and my Ex-Wife had it, not me.

This isn`t her, it`s her older sister after the Balt. show 6-17-11. She is a great 11 yr old who spent quality time with Dad at a coin show then was rewarded with lunch, paddle boats, and the Aquarium afterwards.

3) Eyesight? Not as good as it used to be, but then again that`s just another thing my Mom was right about

Rampage · June 25, 2011 5:51AM

My local shop gets them in every now and then. He just takes them out of the packaging and puts them with the rest of the 90%. I've thought about buying them, but then it would just be somethig else cluttering the safe.

MrSpud · June 25, 2011 5:52AM

here's mine

llafoe · June 25, 2011 5:53AM

<< 3) Eyesight? Not as good as it used to be, but then again that`s just another thing my Mom was right about

>>

That's why Larsen only reads comic books!

Speaking of Larsen... he's 10; he'll be 11 in December. I'm still looking for someone that will improve his coin collection... do you want to wait until they graduate college or should we move to Kentucky now?

LeeBone · June 25, 2011 5:54AM

<< here's mine

>>

Yours even glows

keyman64 · June 25, 2011 5:54AM

Neat! Too bad it isn't a high grade FB Variety Merc.

19Lyds · June 25, 2011 5:57AM

<< 

<< 

<< How long have you owned this dime? When was the last time you had a child? How's your eyesight?

>>

I've never had a child.

I left that up to my ex-wife. >>

>>

I watched while she had them. Sheesh.

JamesMurray · June 25, 2011 6:02AM

Why did they do this ? As in why make dimes in particular radioactive ?

OldEastside · June 25, 2011 6:05AM

<< 

<< here's mine

>>

Yours even glows

>>

Cool, maybe it'll grow a 1 over the 2

Steve

AUandAG · June 25, 2011 6:07AM

Fun coin. Has a story. For those interested in one there are over a dozen on ebay at the moment. Just search: "irradiated"

bob

Cameonut · June 25, 2011 7:42AM

That's cool - first time I have seen the card as well.
Here is mine....

drwstr123 · June 25, 2011 8:25AM

And one more....

illini420 · June 25, 2011 9:05AM

Wonder if the PCGS Sniffer would freak out if you sent one of these in for Secure Plus grading

coindeuce · June 25, 2011 9:22AM

Here is another version. From my collection of WF/Exponumia.
The plastic outer ring is 48.5 mm.

keyman64 · June 25, 2011 1:36PM

<< Here is another version. From my collection of WF/Exponumia.
The plastic outer ring is 48.5 mm.

>>

That's a cool one!

Monstarcoins · June 25, 2011 1:38PM

that card you show in the photo is very unique! Awesome!

HoledandCreative · June 25, 2011 5:03PM

There was a collection of about 30 different dates on eBay a week or so ago. Wanted $300, it didn't sell. Seems like it should have.

renomedphys · June 25, 2011 5:39PM

Hmmm, let's see, half life of 22 seconds, so in 10 half lives, or 3 minutes 40 seconds, there would be 1/1024th of the radioactive isotope remaining. In 36 minutes, 40 seconds, 100 half lives have passsed, so the remaining isotope at that point is 1/2 to the hundredth power. That's something like .0000000000000000000000000000001 (10^-30) times the original amount. There are 107 grams of silver in a mole, which is 6.02 x 10^23 atoms. So it would have to be a chunk of silver weighing about 6 BILLION grams, assuming that all the silver was radioactive, for there to be even one atom of remaining radioactive silver after only 36 minutes, which would have a 50% probability of going away every 22 seconds.

So I think it's safe by the time it hits the streets.

Anyone wonder what renomedphys stands for?

renomedphys · June 25, 2011 5:47PM

Plus, silver 110 decays with a 1.1 keV beta particle, or electron, which poses almost no danger to any tissue, even if you swallow it.

Barry · June 25, 2011 10:08PM

I had the same one Coindeuce had, from the World's Fair in NYC in 1964.

So is that dime now an alloy of Cadmium and Silver (and Copper)?

notwilight · June 25, 2011 11:26PM

<< Why did they do this ? As in why make dimes in particular radioactive ? >>

Handing the public visiting Oak Ridge something that is radioactive and harmless helps educate the public that radiation isn't always bad, there are small amounts of radioactivity all around you, and ease the irrational fear that people have of radioactivity, even in small doses. There are people now who are shocked and abhorred by the radioactivity released in Japan to the point that they have forgotten that the Tsunami killed 10,000 people and radioactivity hasn't killed anyone. --Jerry

notwilight · June 25, 2011 11:28PM

<< I had the same one Coindeuce had, from the World's Fair in NYC in 1964.

So is that dime now an alloy of Cadmium and Silver (and Copper)? >>

The number of atoms of silver changed to cadmium is negligible. --Jerry

notwilight · June 25, 2011 11:33PM

<< Wonder if the PCGS Sniffer would freak out if you sent one of these in for Secure Plus grading

>>

1. I would be very surprised if the sniffer looks for radioactivity. A simple test to add but why?
2. There is no radioactivity left after 115,000,000 half lives or decay.
3. People think the sniffer has technology from Star Trek?

notwilight · June 25, 2011 11:34PM

<< that card you show in the photo is very unique! Awesome! >>

I have one but without the card. Would like to have one that still has the card attached--especially one dated 1956 if you ever want to get rid of it LeeBone.

--Jerry

llafoe · June 25, 2011 11:44PM

notwilight - I think you've set a record outside the BST... 4 back-to-back posts in a single thread!

notwilight · June 25, 2011 11:51PM

<< notwilight - I think you've set a record outside the BST... 4 back-to-back posts in a single thread!

>>

Not hard to do when you're an early riser and everyone else stayed up following the seatedime thread.

Radioactivity is one of my niches. I have a physics degree from the University of Chicago where nuclear fission was officially harnessed by Enrico Fermi (coincidentally, my birthday is Dec 2, the anniversary of the first self sustaining nuclear chain reaction under the bleachers at Stagg Field). And I went on to get a graduate degree in nuclear engineering, was president of the student branch of ANS where public education was our #1 initiative. Over the years I've answered enough questions about radioactivity that I know when to volunteer the answer before asked. --jerry

yellowjacket · June 26, 2011 5:56AM

You never know when you'll need to use Avogadro's Number in daily conversation.

Garrow

Barry · June 26, 2011 11:14AM

I have a physics degree from the University of Chicago where nuclear fission was officially harnessed by Enrico Fermi (coincidentally, my birthday is Dec 2,

Now all we need to know is your mother's maiden name and your last 4

notwilight · June 26, 2011 2:08PM

<< You never know when you'll need to use Avogadro's Number in daily conversation.

Garrow >>

6.022 x 10e23...I used it recently in a calculation (from memory). it is the number of molecules in a mole, a mole being defined as one gram molecular weight, eg 18 grams for water vapor or 32 for oxygen. But generally that is considered a chemistry topic rather than physics. --Jerry

CarlWohlforth · June 26, 2011 2:30PM

<>

Me too! '56 is my birth year.

I brought mine to work and everybody was scared of it. A co-worker brought in his Geiger counter and it didn't detect anything.

LeeBone · June 26, 2011 2:38PM

<< <>

Me too! '56 is my birth year.

>>

Offer away!

A Radioactive Silver Dime

Comments

Leave a Comment