1999 P Possible Wrong Planchet? 1 1

[Blackmon0803]

This quarter weighs 5.92 grams and has started to turn black. Brass also turns black. It is just weird as you can see a faint goldfish brown at the top of the obverse. The reeds on the side get crooked and some look half gone. I have no idea guys. 

[Coinbuf]

The edge photos clearly show a clad planchet, thus not a wrong planchet.   The color is just staining/discoloration from some environmental factor(s), may have been buried in the ground or something else

[Blackmon0803]

On 7/5/2024 at 8:18 AM, Halbrook Family said:

Is that because of demand or are there so many of them? 

 

On 7/5/2024 at 5:06 PM, Coinbuf said:

The edge photos clearly show a clad planchet, thus not a wrong planchet.   The color is just staining/discoloration from some environmental factor(s), may have been buried in the ground or something else

What do you think is causing the increased weight?

[Sandon]

   The outer layers of clad dimes and quarters (and half dollars since 1971) are composed of an alloy of 75% copper, 25% nickel, the same alloy of which nickels are composed of in their entirety.  This alloy may darken to red, brown or even black when the coin is exposed to certain environments, such as being buried in the ground. There is little doubt that this is what happened here.

   The official weight of a clad quarter is 5.67 grams, with a mint-established tolerance of plus or minus 0.227 gram per the Coin World Almanac, which would result in a maximum weight of 5.897 grams. Even assuming that your scale is absolutely accurate, the miniscule difference of .023 gram would likely be due to the additional matter that combined with the coin metal to form the dark compound on the surface and/or surface dirt. The coin has several visible areas of adhesions or encrustations, such as on the obverse around the letters OF and ER. 

   When making a claim that a coin was possibly struck from a wrong planchet, it is also important to establish for what coin the planchet would have been intended. The coin's diameter and thickness appear normal, and there had been no recent or contemplated changes in the composition of quarters in 1999 that would have created the possibility of an old or experimental planchet lying around the mint. The only other possibility would be a coin struck by the U.S. Mint in 1999 for another country that was also exactly the same diameter and thickness as a U.S. quarter, with a copper core, and with weight and coloration like this coin.  If you still believe this coin to have been struck on a "wrong planchet", you should do the research necessary to determine whether there was any such coin.

[Coinbuf]

On 7/5/2024 at 3:14 PM, Blackmon0803 said:

 

What do you think is causing the increased weight?

As already noted by @Sandon your weight is just barley over the max tolerance for a quarter.   Maybe your scale is just a hair off, maybe there is some "gunk" on the coin that is adding some weight, maybe that black is actually some paint which could easily account for extra weight.   Lots of possible ways to get to your weight that is not completely evident in the photo.

[J P M]

On 7/5/2024 at 6:47 PM, Coinbuf said:

maybe that black is actually some paint which could easily account for extra weight.

Black paint is a very good possibility, some vending company's do paint coins to track them.

[VKurtB]

Not a wrong planchet, just a wrong explanation. Almost nothing is as interesting as beginners believe it is. 

[powermad5000]

What type of scale are you using to weigh your coins? Specifically, type (pocket, lab, scientific, etc.) and name of manufacturer.

I hate to be "that guy" but on here, I cannot trust most of the posted weights due to the type of scales being used by OP's. The typical scale I see on here is the cheap pocket scales from China. They weigh to the hundredth decimal place, but even after a PASS on calibration, they tend to be wildly inaccurate. I may be the only one on here who has gone overboard when it comes to the scale I use to weigh coins, but I dropped $150 on a digital lab scale in which I have to turn off any HVAC, turn off any fans, and use the wind shield it came with because it can even detect my own breathing. The sensitivity is absolutely insane, but when I use it properly, there is no doubt that I have a completely accurate weight.

Edited July 6 by powermad5000

[Blackmon0803]

You guys are the best. I was feeling as though it may be the case. I have been studying Wexlers as you all suggested but when I go to Variety Vista it gets a little confusing. There is a lot to understand in the coin world. I'm so interested in this hobby and look forward to being the guy answering the questions on day. I read an article that had stated something about a possible brass planchett for that coin and brass when super tarnished can turn black but I was figuring the wrong planchett quarters from that era would weigh a little more than that. And to be honest they I believe are junk scales. I need a better one. I thank you guys for your honesty and surely respect your time so I will move on to keep studying. Have a great weekend