need help,1994 copper dime

[P.O]

If this is on wrong forum I apologize. While I was looking through my drawer today, I fount this "copper" dime i had gotten 10+ yrs ago that I decided to hide. Anyways when I first got it it looked like a brand new shiny penny, but now it just looks all dark and dirty. I was thinking of cleaning it but decided to ask one of the eBay coin sellers if cleaning it would decrease its value (if it has any), and he said not to clean it, to get it "graded". If you dont know by now, I dont know anything when it comes to coins, so I was wondering if you guys know if its worth anything, or should i just get rid of it? Date on it is 1994 and it has a P ontop of the date. I took pics of it next to a regular dime and a penny with the digital camera but the pix came out horrible. So yea any help would be appreciated, thx in advance.

[kryptonitecomics]

Without a picture.....we would only be guessing as to what you might have. 1st I wouldn't get rid of it until you found more information on it as it could be a genuine error coin. It sounds like a dime that did not receive the clad coating over the copper core, but without a picture....I just don't know.

 

If you have a way to weigh the coin that would tell us a lot as a dime missing it's clad layer would certainly weight less then a normal dime?

[michael]

welcome to the boards and ask anything you want to it is a good place here with many friendly collectors sharing information and having fun in collecting

 

michael

[cpm9ball]

KC, is it possible that it could be a cent planchet that got mixed with dime planchets?

 

Chris

[Oldtrader3]

Don't clean it! Cleaning will destroy whatever value the coin might have.

[P.O]

Thx for the feedback and warm welcome guys, I made a photobucket account and put the pics there. Once again they came out real bad but im still learning to set up the digital camera.

 

http://photobucket.com/albums/v638/mrm0b/

[James_OldeTowne]

P.O, that looks like it might be a dime missing a clad layer. Dimes are supposed to have two copper-nickel layers with a copper layer sandwiched between them, but if one of the copper-nickel layers was missing before being struck, it would be struck on the copper core instead. Now, if BOTH layers are missing, then you have a very, very valuable coin, I'd say worth $1000+. DO NOT CLEAN THE COIN under any circumstances! The value in this coin is not the "grade", but in the rarity of the error!

 

James

[P.O]

ok i wont clean it , back in 1997 while i was watchin tv with my aunt and her husband (spanish channel 41 in NJ) we were watchin this show primer impacto, and they had the coin there (1997 if my mind is correct) and it sold for an insane amount. I then told my aunts husband that i had a coin that looked just like it but it was from 1994. He didnt believe me so i went to my house got it , went back and showed it to him, he started going crazy saying he'll give me his piece of [#@$%!!!] car for it . I told em no and just kept it.

[thebeav]

I think I would have taken the piece of [#@$%!!!] car.....

[Bruceswar]

If this coin is indeed missing the clad layer(s) I would send it off to get graded. A local coin dealer should be able to assist you in getting it sent off. I would send it to one of the 3... ANACS, NGC, PCGS... Since I suppose if it was worth alot of money... you would want to sell it...

[woz-migration]

I would hold on to it until you verify, but I think you may have a college chemistry experiment result on your hands. I remember running a similar experiment back in college. Refer to the link below.

 

http://www.tunerspotter.com/random/ScienceFair.pdf

 

Hopefully you have a copper dime planchet and not a college experiment. There are ways to test if it is real or not. You have to reverse the experiment. If is less "coppery" afterwards then it's not a planchet. Good Luck.

 

WOZ

[L1ncolnF4n]

KC, is it possible that it could be a cent planchet that got mixed with dime planchets?

 

Chris

 

No, that can't happen. A 1¢ planchet won't fit in the dies for a 10¢.

[L1ncolnF4n]

You definitely need to weigh the coin, if it's heavier than a normal dime, it's plated, lighter and it might be genuine missing clad layer.

[TomB]

Folks, the original post is more than five years old.

[L1ncolnF4n]

Folks, the original post is more than five years old.

 

wow I feel like an insufficiently_thoughtful_person

[TomB]

No need to feel that way, it has happened to all of us on the boards at one time or another. I pointed out the age of the thread so that others would realize that the opening poster likely is not reading the boards and will not respond to suggestions or questions.

[WoodenJefferson]

Maybe WOZ is John Edwards

[19Lyds]

Well.................since its at the top...............

 

Coins missing one or both clad layers will strike up very weakly simply because they are thinner than a planchet that has both clad layers in tact.

 

Just something to consider when these thread come around.

 

IMO, the coin the fellow photographed looks more like a plated coin than a coin actually missing both clad layers.

[L1ncolnF4n]

Well.................since its at the top...............

 

Coins missing one or both clad layers will strike up very weakly simply because they are thinner than a planchet that has both clad layers in tact.

 

Just something to consider when these thread come around.

 

IMO, the coin the fellow photographed looks more like a plated coin than a coin actually missing both clad layers.

 

Ya, it would also be EXTREMELY uncommon for a coin to miss both clad layers instead of just a single one.