Off-Center Georgia Quarter? (Correction)

Do you have an error coin and want to know its value?

Off-center coins are defined by being struck out the collar, which makes the reeded edge, and only partially struck between the dies.

To qualify as a collectible error it should have part of the design cut off which in most cases needs to be 10% off-center. Percentage is measured by how much of the coin is blank versus how much was stamped, also including the rim as part of the design.

Note the rim is gone at some point

Note the rim is full but thin at some point

Edges of the coin where the rim is normal, at the points where the rim is wider and narrower than normal there is no trace of the reeded edge.

This coin is 5% off-center at K-10. The K-10 means that the widest part of the blank space is at 10 o'clock on the obverse of the coin. Value in this condition is maybe $0.50 but nearly impossible to sell.

Here's the stats for a normal South Carolina P quarter...
Type/Country: 25 Cents- Georgia/ United States
Year: 1999P
Metal: 91.67% Copper 8.33% Nickel
Mintage: 451,188,000
Value: XF-40 $0.50(only because of the error)

UPDATE: 
Anonymous said:

Georgia quarter is NOT an off center coin. Technically is it called a "misaligned die". It is not off center because the obverse is centered and the reverse is not. This happens when one of the dies is not in line at the time of striking. To be an off center coin the obverse and reverse must BOTH be off center to the same degree. thank you

Man said:

I was debating this since an Offset Die Misalignment Strike is consistent with this but the off-center was very close on both sides. Plus the coin is not struck fully in collar.

Upon your opinion and further review yes the anvil die is still partially in collar and I will change the post but I'm still not 100% convinced.

Thanks.

Offset Die Misalignment Strike is defined by being struck in collar when one die is off-center (having the partial design & rim missing)  and the other side may also be off-center but is still in collar and has a rim.

What had me debating was the fact that most Misaligned Die errors should have been struck in collar but I forgot partial reeded edge does count.

Thanks I'm still learning and always appreciate more opinions.

Do you have an error quarter and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

1993 Canada Nickel

Do you have Canadian nickel and want to know its value? Leave a comment

Not much to say about an eighteen year old Canadian nickel. It's not legal over here.

Hmmm. I seem to be a bit underwhelmed. I will blame the cold weather. Or maybe the whole Canada political drama, something about overthrowing the government. Not quite sure.

 

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 5 Cents / Canada
Year: 1993
Mintage: 86,877,000
Metal: 75% Copper, 25% Nickel
Value: $0.06 in Fine  


Ooh, maybe this is interesting. Most older Canadian coins have a higher metal value than face value.

Do you have a nickel from Canada and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Metal Flows

Do you have a cent and want to know its value? 

Is it damage or an error?

Don't mean to be the bearer of bad news but most of the time it is damaged. This is hard for most to believe since metal coins seems so unbending.

When people think of metals they imagine molten liquids poured and shaped only when they glow red hot. While that does happen it is easier to just to smash the metal very hard. It is more complicated making the metal sheets for coinage but once the sheets are formed it is just hammer, die, and smash..

Speaking about pre-1982 U.S. cents I can go into extreme detail about strength, strain, and stress or the different copper alloys but I spent four years studying that and I will not force anyone else to learn it. Let me just say that the strength needed to bend 95% copper (gilding copper) is not that extreme. Cartridge brass is 70% copper and 30% zinc and twice as strong but that would make coining very difficult.

Knowing how strong the copper in a wheat cent lets you know what metal you need to use to manipulate/bend it. Which turns out to be most other metals that are not gold and silver. For instance your keys which jingle in your pocket with your change can get sat on can move the thinnest details on a cent while leaving no other marks.

Check out this 194? cent...

That 0 got gouged out.

The right side also is dented to give a it a larger flat-thicker edge.

 

The back is quite normal.

That slight damage on the 0 in 1940 leaves many to think it is an error since the rest of coin is normal. Knowing how metal flows and how coins are pressed will instantly tell you this was after mint damage.  The original shape is clear, it just got mushed. The design elements are not missing instead the have been moved. "Moved" is a big clue. If you see a suspected error coin and imagine you can move the design element then it is probably damaged. That is how many fakers turn a 1948 or 1945 copper cent into a 1943 copper cent.

This coin looks to have got smashed on the right side and then snagged a bit on the 0. How? Don't know that is a story that may never be known.

Type/Country: 1 Cent/United States
Year: 1940
Mintage: 586,810,000
Metal: 95% Copper, 5% Tin and Zinc
Value: $0.05 in AG-3

Search Google Books for Copper and copper alloys By Joseph R. Davis to learn more about the fascinating world of copper.

Do you have a penny and want to know how much it's worth? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

1958 Nickel

Did you find a nickel and want to find out its value? Leave a comment

My general rules of collecting coins and currency is if I come across anything foreign, odd, new, or old it comes home with me. For that purpose let me define old.

Old is any coin that is from 1959 or older. This is more psychological than a numismatic rule (not that any such rule exists). Even a 1964 silver quarter seems modern to me. I guess I came to this decision because of the Lincoln cent. The cent switched from a wheat back (1958) to memorial back (1959) and for many years it was the only clearly visible change you would find in American money.

Same coin just chasing the light.

A reminder to the younger collectors that before the 21st century change in American money designs were slow and opposed by many.

Part of me wants to collect (hoard) anything that is 50 years or older but 1961 coins are so far just lumps of metals. Cars are often classic at 25 and antique at 50. The problem with coins is that you can still get a 2,000 year old coin for a few bucks without have to search far.

The time-span for coins is unique and however you choose to classify them is probably best for you.



Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 5 Cents / United States of America
Year: 1958
Mintage: 17,088,000
Metal: 75% copper 25% nickel
Value: $0.10 in VF-20

Do you have an oldish nickel and want to find out its value? Leave a comment and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

1991 Canada Cent

Do you have a Canadian cent and want to know its value? Leave a comment

Three months into 2011 and I have yet to find any foreign coins. Of course plenty of Canadians but nothing from a country that is more than a bus ride away. This is odd since one third of my finds are foreign coins.

Possible lack of coins from far off lands....

• Continuing economic troubles
• Snowy winter made NY travel tough
• Devaluation of the dollar
• Metal hoarders
• More access to the web

The last item on the list is interesting if you think about it. Twenty years ago if you found a Morocco Dirham you may look at it and think you lost out on American money. Maybe you would hold on to it and a few months later check the internet. Soon you would notice how this coin is just fraction of the value its U.S. counter part. Maybe you already thought this and just threw it back into circulation.

Today you get it and whip out that smartphone and get currency values, eBay values, and blogger/forum opinions. You then notice that everything has some value and choose to put it aside hoping to become rich in the near future. This coupled with the other things on the above list distorts the reality of the coin market.

The problem is that finding a $3.00 coin does not mean you have pizza money in your pocket. Selling, shipping, and fees makes only the most skilled able to turn a profit. That truth falls aside as more people looking to get rich quick and hoard coins.

Back to my find...

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Cent / Canada
Year: 1991
Mintage: 831,010,000
Metal: 98% Copper, 0.5% Tin, 1.5% Zinc
Value: $0.02

Do you have a cent from Canada and want to know their value? Leave a comment/question an I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

2010 Yosemite Quarter

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This is not a purposeful theme on America the Beautiful quarters.

It was just a coincidence that I found the three first parks in a row. Since they were all released a year ago at different times it was odd to get them in my change around the same time.

The following list shows the release of each coin and I expect to get the final two parks quarters by the end of this year. The 2011 quarters I do not expect to see until next year they are slow in circulating.

2010

• Hot Springs National Park, AR
• Yellowstone National Park, WY
• Yosemite National Park, CA
• Grand Canyon National Park, AZ
• Mt. Hood National Forest, OR

2011

• Gettysburg National Military Park, PA
• Glacier National Park, MT
• Olympic National Park, WA
• Vicksburg National Military Park, MS
• Chickasaw National Recreation Area, OK

 

What is there to say about Yosemite? Looks great I would love to visit.

Type/Country: 25 Cents-Yosemite / United States
Year: 2010 P
Mintage: 35,200,000 (estimated)
Metal: 91.67% Copper 8.33% Nickel
Value: $0.25 in F-12

Do you have a coin from America and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

2010 Yellowstone Quarter

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This is the lowest minted America the Beautiful quarter with about 33.6 million made for Philadelphia. Is that rare or scarce? Not really. Granted these are low numbers, possibly the lowest for all circulating "modern-designs" quarters, it still is enough to find commonly.

Yellowstone is one of the best parks in the world. It sits atop a giant volcano and has many unique features and animals. Definitely a place to visit with or without a camera.

I can not get good shots of these quarters. They look better in hand but my quick two minutes of setup is not going well. Since I have little time to spare I am just clearing the dust of the coin on my shirt then taking a picture without a tripod at the window sill at sunset.

The last picture was nice it shows the copper pretty well.

Type/Country: 25 Cents-Yellowstone / United States
Year: 2010 P
Mintage: 33,600,000 (estimated)
Metal: 91.67% Copper 8.33% Nickel
Value: $0.25 in F-12


Do you have a coin from America and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.