Is this dime toned? It looks the same color as the ring of copper on the edge...could it have too much copper? It seems very smooth/clean... what do you think this is?
I would say missing clad layer...but you can see some "silver" looking clad on the head so it might be where some kid took off the clad layer...wait till Mike says. Speedy
If it is missing cladding it should weigh noticeably less than a normal dime. Even if you don't have an accurate scale you can check that with a pencil and a popsicle stick. Just balance the popsicle stick on a pencil, then place your questioned dime and a normal one at the very ends of the stick. If yours goes up and the other goes down, it's lighter. Then look at the surface uner at least 5x magnification, and preferably 10x or more, to see if the surface shows signs of having been "worked" to remove cladding, which would indicate post-mint damage.
It could be "sintered plating"/"copper wash" error. Various theories have been advanced to explain the unexpected thin dusting or thin layer of copper deposited on Cu-Ni and clad coins.
Hi Mike, how do I find out if it's sintered plating/copper wash? would the weight be different? It's a pretty little dime, very clean, just looks more like a penny by it's color.
The weight will fall within the normal range of variation for dimes. The extra copper is too thin to add any appreciable weight. If you've got original mint luster, that's a good sign. The copper usually has a strong reddish tint. You'll often see microscopic gaps in the copper coating. If all these are present, then it's likely you've got a genuine error.
what would be the value of the coin if it was with out the clad and if it was sintered plating/copper wash?
