Fake Ike?

[brewerg-migration]

Dear Sirs:

I have a 1972 Ike that I beleive to be either fake or a serious mistrike.

Here are links to pictures of it.

http://home.pineland.net/davidana/html/ike3.jpg

http://home.pineland.net/davidana/html/ike2.jpg

http://home.pineland.net/davidana/html/ike1.jpg

 

 

I know that the 72 Ike is a copper/nickel clad coin, but this is different. The copper is the thickness of the coin with an extremely thin layer of nickel (or whatever) on each side. Almost like aluminum foil. The front has 2 ripples across the face. And the features are much softer. The coin seems to be the right weight and size. The Nickel clad is very well attached and won't come off.

 

Can someone please give me an opinion as to whether this is a real coin and if so, what it's worth

[braddick]

If the reeding is somewhat smooth you have a slot machine coin, more than likely.

[Brotherman]

If the reeding is somewhat smooth you have a slot machine coin, more than likely.

 

Please elaborate

 

Hays

[brewerg-migration]

A Slot machine coin? You mean there were coins especially made for slot machines? If that's the case, is it a real coin?

brewerg

[WaxonWaxov]

Sometimes coins find their way into the casino slot machine world...

 

1) Coin is delivered to the casino. (when the MGM Grand opened, it took two tractor-trailers to haul all the quarters in... really)

 

2) Coin is put in the hopper of a slot machine by casino staff.

 

3) Coin is dumped out when a customer cashes out of the machine

 

4) Coin is put in another machine either by the customer, or by casino staff after the customer cashes-in his/her coins at the cashier's cage.

 

5) The coin stays in the casino for ages, thus wearing-down the reeding on the edge.

 

A coin could, in theory, stay in a casino for years, especially if it's a denomination like half or Ike dollar that is not commonly used in circulation.

 

Within the last couple of years, many casinos have gone coin-free, believe it or not.

 

You put cash into the bill receiver on the slot machine (like a vending machine) then play for a while. When you're ready to cash-out, the machine prints you a receipt the size of a dollar bill with a bar-code on it. You can then take that slip to another machine an insert it into the bill receiver, or take it to the cashier for cash.

[Brotherman]

Thanks WW - very interesting.

Hey brewerg, looks like you've got a nice conversation piece.

 

Hays

[brewerg-migration]

I don't think that explains this coin.

First off I picked it up in the mis 70's. It hasn't had time to wear like that.

Also, that doesn't explain the ripples on the face.

There is still notching around the edges, but the nickel loks like it was applied it

was applied in a thin sheet.

brewerg

[Brotherman]

I’m pretty sure it is a post mint alteration. People do crazy things to

coins - I’m not talking coin doctors, just bored folks.

When I was in high school I used to drop pennies into the photo fixing solution

in my photography class. I did it because the silver in the solution would

attach itself to the surface of the coin. If left in long enough the whole thing

was shiny silver. I didn’t do it out of malice I just thought it looked cool. I

passed them out to my friends at lunch. A couple of days later the principal

called me into the office. Apparently my buddies were buying extra milk

and desserts by passing off my pennies as dimes - Oh, the

scandal!

I am sure those pennies continued to circulate. Image what some people

thought when they got hold of these things and didn’t know the story of their

origin.

I am NOT implying that you did anything to this coin. But it looks like

someone did.

 

Hays

[relicsncoins]

A couple of days later the principal

called me into the office. Apparently my buddies were buying extra milk

and desserts by passing off my pennies as dimes -

 

That's pretty funny. You created a new collectable; "The Racketeer Cent"

 

JJ

[Brotherman]

A couple of days later the principal

called me into the office. Apparently my buddies were buying extra milk

and desserts by passing off my pennies as dimes -

 

That's pretty funny. You created a new collectable; "The Racketeer Cent"

 

JJ

My "friends" rolled over on me as soon as they were caught too! The only

reason I didn't get into trouble is that I didn't try to pass any off as dimes.

 

Speaking of dimes, I just pulled a wildly colored dime from circulation. It

apparently dropped in something that changed the color. There is no way that

it is NT. I just thought it looked cool. This is another one of those times that

someone altered the coin, probably by accident. I'll see if I can get a pic to post.

 

Hays

[cpm9ball]

Sometimes coins find their way into the casino slot machine world...

 

1) Coin is delivered to the casino. (when the MGM Grand opened, it took two tractor-trailers to haul all the quarters in... really)

 

2) Coin is put in the hopper of a slot machine by casino staff.

 

3) Coin is dumped out when a customer cashes out of the machine

 

4) Coin is put in another machine either by the customer, or by casino staff after the customer cashes-in his/her coins at the cashier's cage.

 

5) The coin stays in the casino for ages, thus wearing-down the reeding on the edge.

 

A coin could, in theory, stay in a casino for years, especially if it's a denomination like half or Ike dollar that is not commonly used in circulation.

 

Within the last couple of years, many casinos have gone coin-free, believe it or not.

 

You put cash into the bill receiver on the slot machine (like a vending machine) then play for a while. When you're ready to cash-out, the machine prints you a receipt the size of a dollar bill with a bar-code on it. You can then take that slip to another machine an insert it into the bill receiver, or take it to the cashier for cash.

 

WW , almost all casinos converted to gaming tokens in the '60's when the Mint decided to change over to clad coinage. You may recall the Fitzgerald Hoard that was discovered after the family sold one of the warehouses a couple years ago.

 

It is possible that this Ike was the result of part of the clad layer separating from the coin after it was struck. That could account for the "muted" appearance of the devices. The Kennedy half on my sig line was struck after the layer separated and that is why the devices are so sharp.

 

What is the weight and thickness of the Ike? That may also give you some clues.

 

Chris

[Brotherman]

Here are a couple of goofy coins pulled from circulation.

 

 

My pic of the dime isn’t that great. The obverse is red and green, the reverse

is sea green in the middle surrounded by an orange-gold ring. The Kennedy

looks pretty much like the picture.

Both of these were pulled from circulation. Obviously they were altered in

some way - probably by accident. I like the dime, will keep it as a

conversation piece. The Kennedy will end up in a junk silver sale. Who

knows how these things get like this? All manner of things happen to

circulated coins out there in the world.

 

Chris does have a good point though. The weight would be interesting.

 

Hays