Expert: PAPAJACK - 3/12/2009

Question
I have a Massachusetts quarter that only has silver(nickel)? on one side . The imprint is there just has the copper coloring on the one side. Wanted to know if it would be worth anything more than face value?

Answer
Hello Sarah,

How clear is the image on the coin? Is the design very strong and detailed?

There are many ways this could happen, here are some:

Your coin was plated with another color. This has been popular with the State Quarter designs.

There was always the possibility of an off-metal coin blank getting stuck in the bins the mint used and ending up in another production run. (This error would have to be confirmed by an expert.)

Another more likely possibility if the coin has not been tampered with is if the coin is struck on a defective planchet.

The U.S. Mint buys strips of metal about 13 inches wide and 1,500 feet long to manufacture the clad coins.
The strips of metal come rolled in a coil. Each coil is fed through a blanking press which punches out round discs called blanks. The leftover strip is then chopped and recycled during manufacture.
As the coil of "Nickel Clad" copper material comes near the beginning or end of the roll, the thickness and composition is not always in specification. Somehow this metal scrap may have been put into the blanking press.

It would have produced a clear image on both sides unless it was too thin.

A normal Quarter weighs 5.67 grams and is 24.3 mm in diameter and has a REEDED EDGE! If you coin meets these requirements and is not plated with a gold or copper wash, you could have an error.

The value would have to set by an error coin dealer. There are many instances, in all denominations, of what is called de-lamination of the coin metal on the Nickel-clad coins. For Quarters I usually see only about $15 dollars. If it was struck on the copper core it would bring more.

I hope this helps. Thank You and Good Luck

PapaJack