Expert: PAPAJACK - 6/20/2008

Question
I have a 2000p mass quarter witho no copper edging. The coin is in great shape. I thought it might be silver, but there is a p mint mark on quarter not a s mint mark.  Do they make silver plated quarters?  I cant seem to find anything about silver plated quarters.

Answer
Hello Kenny,                           

The US Mint does not make silver plated quarters.
A normal quarter will weigh 5.67 grams and many times I have seen the nickel layer draw down and cover the copper core when the coin is punched. This makes it look like there is no copper core.

There are also private companies that plate the state quarters as a gimmick to sell them as premium collectables. This devalues the coins to most coin collectors since it alters the surface of the coin.

The silver Washington Quarter alloy of 90% Silver and 10% copper weighed 6.25 grams and in 1976 some silver quarters weighed 5.75 grams. (Modern Nickel clad is 5.67 grams.)

Write me back if you find the coin is grossly different in weight.

For it to be valuable it would have had to be produced by the US mint but on a coin blank used for another purpose.
I know of no Quarter sized Aluminum or other metal coins the mint was making for another government that year but I am not a foreign coin expert.  

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Thank You and Good Luck

PapaJack