1998 P Dime looks copper?

[Mind]

So I received this dime tonight and thought it was very strange. Do regular dimes turn this color over time or is this a coin of higher value? The coin on the right is just for comparison. Note: The dime seems like it has silver in it on the tails side but I can assure you it is merely the light reflecting

 

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[galenrog]

Dimes can oxidize a variety of earthy browns, reds, blacks, and greens. Especially if left in wet soil. Your dime is nothing special. Coinshooters, roll, and bag hunters find similar colors on a fairly frequent basis.

Time for more coffee.

 

[Mind]

Okay. Thanks for enlightening me. I figured it was something normal but I was curious. Enjoy the coffee!

 

[eyemustdigtreasure]

and, perhaps this coin got run with a batch of pennies, in a tumbler...!
That has happened to me before, unintentionally...! =\
Dimes are near the size of a cent, and with a layer of grime,
they look same size at a glance.

 

[enamel7]

That's a classic clad dime that's been in the ground for awhile!

 

[tokameel]

OR, perhaps it is a very, very rare solid copper dime that was struck on an unplated copper planchete or disk. But don't get your hopes up.

I don't know of a good way to test it without harming it.

It is a good question.

Welcome to T-Net Mind!

 

[enamel7]

OR, perhaps it is a very, very rare solid copper dime that was struck on an unplated copper planchete or disk. But don't get your hopes up.

I don't know of a good way to test it without harming it.

It is a good question.

Welcome to T-Net Mind!

You are joking, right? It is exactly what I said it is. Don't put anything questionable in the op's mind.

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

A dug dime.

 

[cudamark]

OR, perhaps it is a very, very rare solid copper dime that was struck on an unplated copper planchete or disk. But don't get your hopes up.

And just where would that full size and thickness planchet have come from?

 

[tokameel]

You are joking, right? It is exactly what I said it is. Don't put anything questionable in the op's mind.

Happy New Year, Enamel7 and Mind

No. I am not joking. As I said an off metal coin is very rare, but they do exist.

View the 1:04 mark for an example. There are 'off metal' metal coins that have been made by mistake. They are quite rare, but they have a nice value.


I would not discourage anyone from looking for them. If you are a serious error collector, you might want to learn about them, so that you tell them apart.

 

[enamel7]

I understand about off or wrong metal strikes, but that's not what this coin is. It's a dug coin.

 

[tokameel]

Hi cudamark and enamel7, Some clad coins have been made by the Mint, with planchets that didn't have the copper-nickel plating. They slipped past the inspecters and are quite rare. And the size is right.

If you watch that video, it says that some planchets, from different coin, get stuck in the presses nooks and crannies. Then when they switch from dimes to cents (or whatever to whatever), one of the stuck disks may fall into the press. They are VERY RARE.
And I am sorry that some folks thought that I was trying to convince Mind, or anyone else, that this dime was solid copper and super valuable. If it shows any of the copper-nickel plating, It is not solid or rare.

All I am saying is that real, 'solid' clad coins, are worth identifying.

And, for example, there were 1,163,000 1998 P dimes made. And for the sake of argument, if 50 of them were unplated and went into circulation,
it is possible that any of them could wind up in the ground for one of us to find...and be a Dug Coin

Happy New Year.

 

[enamel7]

I understand what you are saying. You're implying that cudamark and myself don't know about wrong metal and other errors that come from the mint. I know all about errors and varieties. The thing I'm trying to get across here is the OP asked about the coin he has. The answer given by myself and others is the correct one. This is a clad dime that spent time in the ground. To throw other options out there that it could be, even though you yourself know it's not that type of error can be confusing to the OP.

 

[cudamark]

Hi cudamark and enamel7, Some clad coins have been made by the Mint, with planchets that didn't have the copper-nickel plating. They slipped past the inspecters and are quite rare. And the size is right.

If you watch that video, it says that some planchets, from different coin, get stuck in the presses nooks and crannies. Then when they switch from dimes to cents (or whatever to whatever), one of the stuck disks may fall into the press. They are VERY RARE.
And I am sorry that some folks thought that I was trying to convince Mind, or anyone else, that this dime was solid copper and super valuable. If it shows any of the copper-nickel plating, It is not solid or rare.

All I am saying is that real, 'solid' clad coins, are worth identifying.

And, for example, there were 1,163,000 1998 P dimes made. And for the sake of argument, if 50 of them were unplated and went into circulation,
it is possible that any of them could wind up in the ground for one of us to find...and be a Dug Coin

Happy New Year.

First of all, the planchet would have to be a dime one, because anything larger would not even get to the collet to be struck, and even under some miracle it did, there would be lots of excess metal around the rim. So, your theory is that it's a dime planchet with the copper/nickel outer layer somehow missing? That would be an awfully thin blank which would show an incomplete strike, if any at all. The clad planchets are more of a "sandwich" than the cent planchets. The copper cladding on a cent is more of a thin plating than the thicker copper/nickel layer of a clad coin.......sort of like the difference between an Oreo cookie and an Eskimo pie.

 

[mick56]

Most of the dimes (and quarters) I dig look like that. Then I spend them all at the self serve checkout at Walmart, and get them back into circulation.