Need help. Possible Errors? US State Quarters found in pocket change.

Hello!

Just a heads up:
In case my post seems to be too long please, jump to the bottom of the page where you will find pictures of the quarters I found in my pocket change and have questions about.

_______________________


My name is Milena and I'm a newbie to this forum. As a newbie I'm not sure if I am supposed to introduce myself and tell you guys how I got into collecting coins and what not so I'll try to keep it as short as I can at least for now.

I'm fairly new to coin collection but I also wouldn't call my self an avid coin collector as I do not buy coins or own a specific collection of them but I keep circulating coins that I find interesting looking or of a higher grade. For the past couple of years I have always saved my loose change so I ended up with a few jars filled with coins. I never really thought much of it until recently where I came across youtube videos about valuable and desirable coins that people found in their pocket change.

As I got nothing to lose I decided to go through my change. I did some research and watched many videos about coins but the more I read or watch coin videos the more lost and confused I end up being. One minute I think I found something especially when I come across coins that look different than all the other ones the next I doubt it and think it's probably nothing but just a regular coin worth nothing but its face value.

Since I don't have anybody to help me I was hoping someone here could help me with a few coins I came across that look different than all the other ones. I would like to know if what I am looking at is considered to be an error or just something that happens all the time so I know for the future.

Below I attached a few pictures of US State Quarters that looked different than all the other ones in my possession. Pictures were taken by using my phone and the usb microscope just to be sure you get a really good look at them. I know some are beat up as they were in circulation and might have no extra value to them but what makes them look different is something I should consider to be unique or nothing at all.

1. Iowa State Quarter - I am curious as to its color and would like to know what could be the cause of it. Is it struck through grease?

2. Delaware - if you look at the image you can see that The word "THE" is missing and the letter "T" in first, as well as "E" in state but if you look closely you can see a faint outline of the missing word and letters.

3. Wyoming - when I move the quarter in my hands and the light hits it the right way you'll notice to the right of the horse's head its shadow as well as to the left of the hat another shadow but of the hat. Is that an error or something pretty common?

I would really appreciate your help and any feedback I could get that will help me learn and grow

.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Im kind of new too. So just take it as my newbie opinion. There are quarters that might have clad errors or wrong planchet errors. I do not think you have any of those from the pics you posted. Nice pics by the way. I'm sure one of the many experts here on coin talk will correct me if I am wrong. The one quarter i would take a closer look at, is the Delaware one. Its called the spitting horse error. The horse has a die scratch by his mouth and seems like he is spitting. If yours has that error, it will definitely be worth more than face value. Welcome to coin talk. Im sure you will get a lot of help here.

 

Attaching another picture of the Delaware quarter because the one I posted earlier looks really gold on the picture and it is not in person.

 

Just Environmental Toning damage. Grease does not change the color of a coin during striking.

That would be a worn die strike and struck through grease. Grease known as debris gets compacted into some of the incused areas of the die not allowing the letters to form properly when striking the coin.

It looks like the outline of the horses head but it is some weird issue with the clad plating. Probably some sort of strike through also.

 

I don't consider that issue a major one.. Value? Only people on Youtube think so. It is silly and prices that people are asking for it on ebay are ridiculous. It is misleading IMHO.

 

Maybe it’s a talking horse

 

I appreciate all of your feedback! The reason I am asking is because I found a lot of coins that look questionable to me but without having a second pair of eyes to look at them it is hard to determine what's a true error or a true doubling on a coin vs machine doubling. I'll be posting more pictures soon but of a Lincoln cent as I would like to get feedback on the doubling of a few coins. I don't know about you guys but I have a hard time telling the difference especially if it's not an extreme doubling like the 1955 dd Lincoln wheat cent.

 

@mil3na
Just remember this.. There are Mint Errors and there are Varieties.
There is a difference

Here are 3 websites with information..

https://www.ngccoin.com/news/article/1655/Variety-versus-Mint-Error/

https://www.pcgs.com/News/mint-error-or-die-variety

http://lincolncentresource.com/FAQ/errors_vs_varieties.html

 

If you find it,post it for us. Your questions will get better with experience

 

Also, going back to the Delaware Quarter ... the missing letters remind me of the 2005 Kansas Quarter In God We "Rust" but to be honest after all the error is not as interesting as the one on the Kansas quarter

 

Thank you so much for the links! Totally forgot to check those out. The more I read or watch videos online the more overwhelmed and confused I get from learning everything all at once.

 

Welcome to the neighborhood, Milena aka @mil3na !

The first thing you should do is stop watching all of the videos on BoobTube. Granted, there may be some beneficial videos, but how is the beginner to know which is which? All those people care about is the "points" they receive for the number of views. Accuracy of information is the last thing they care about.

As for your coins....

The color of the IA SQ is not unusual. The coin has been subjected to all sorts of conditions in the 15 years it has been in circulation. What color would you expect it to be if it had been handled by the greasy hands of an auto mechanic? Or, someone mixing cement? Or, a garbage collector? It's impossible to say why it turned that color, but it is safe to say that it did not happen at the Mint.

The missing letters of the DE SQ are probably the result of a grease-filled die. All machinery needs to be lubricated. Grease and debris (dust particles, etc.) can be passed along to the planchets which is then passed along to the surfaces of the dies. As the dies strike planchet after planchet, this grease and debris can build up in the recesses of the die and become very hard. As a result, the letters, numbers or other devices seem to disappear. It is totally random where this build-up may occur, but it is very common and does not add any value to the coin.

As for the WY SQ, I am just guessing because the images aren't clear enough for me to tell, but it may have been caused by a satin finish die that had to be removed from the service of producing Uncirculated Mint Sets after being polished.

In 2005, the Mint began making all of the coins for the Uncirculated Mint Sets with a satin finish. Several years later, they discontinued this practice, and I believe it was because the dies just did not last long enough to make it practical. I say this because I used to regularly buy $250 bags of SQ's direct from the Mint to search for high-grade specimens, and I noticed that many coins produced after 2004 had a "splotchy" finish (for lack of a better description) in some parts of the fields which I attributed to being polished.

Although some people might disagree, I concluded that this was caused by the disintegration of the satin finish on these specially-prepared dies, but the Mint decided that they could still have a useful life being used for making business strikes for ordinary circulation. I believe that this is what you see on your WY SQ, and it just happens to look similar to the horse's head (pareidolia!)

Chris

 

I suggest you stay away from youtube videos concerning mint erros.. Many are misleading and done by people who know nothing about true mint errors.

 

Personally, I don't think anyone new to the hobby should begin by looking for errors. It takes time just to learn what really constitutes a Mint Error, and there are a gazillion ways that coins can be damaged, both accidentally and intentionally, while in circulation.

Don't get me started on Doubled Dies! Some of them are so minor that you need a USB microscope to see them, and many of those digital scopes produce terrible resolution. Again, it takes a long time to learn what is worthwhile and what is not.

The bozos that you find on BoobTube are preying on people who hope to "strike it rich" with coins found in circulation. It isn't that easy. You have as much chance winning the top prize on Powerball.

Chris

 

"RUST-y" coins and "GOD-less" coins are just gimmicks that hucksters use to find suckers to buy their coins. Save your money because they are a dime a dozen!

Chris

 

Thank you for taking some time and replying to my post. It's very informative and you're definitely right about all those youtube videos. Since I have a couple of jars filled with coins I decided to go through all of them and keep the ones I find interesting or just because I like them for one reason or another and cash in the rest of the coins that I don't need. Thanks to everyones feedback I get to learn and save some time. Although, I spend a lot of time reading and comparing my coins to the ones posted on the websites with all the resources about different varieties sometimes I have a hard time especially when I can't find anything similar to what I have.

I have a few Lincoln cents that I think might have some doubling on them but since those are not as extreme as the doubling found on the 1955 wheat penny I have a hard time telling if it's a true doubling or just a machine doubling especially when I move the coin around and look at it from different angles. I guess I just need somebody with knowledge to tell me either yes or no so I can move on and stop being stuck on them because of doubt.

 

You are so right. Thank you. I definitely have a hard time telling the difference between true doubling on the coins vs machine doubling even when looking through a USB microscope. The more I look at the coins from all the different angles the more confusing it gets. I will definitely need help with that as I have a few questions and need somebody's opinion to reassure me. Having your feedback helps me learn as I go and makes it easier next time around I come across something similar.

 

That is why searching for errors can be so difficult. You notice something, but you don't know what to call it. This is where a book about errors can be helpful.

Granted, there are websites available, but most of the time you have to go to one place for "this denomination" or another place for "that denomination", and not all of them have photos that match the coin that you have found.

You also must realize that "condition" means so much to the seasoned collector. Circulated coins begin deteriorating the very first day they are used to buy that cup of coffee at the convenience store or given to you in change for your purchase. It's the coins that are in the best condition that usually bring the most money.

These are things that you don't learn overnight. It all takes time.

Chris

 

Welcome to CoinTalke @mil3na !!

 

Definitely can't learn those things overnight.

I don't mean to be annoying or anything but would you be willing to take a look at a few pictures for me? All I want to know is what I am looking at is pretty normal and the doubling on the coins is indeed a machine doubling that's pretty common. If you could only just answer by typing as little as yes or no for each of them it would help me a lot.

Also, I know and understand high grade coins are the most valuable ones as it makes the most sense but unfortunately, all I have right now are coins that have been in circulation that I saved up over the years. Your feedback helps me tremendously and saves me a lot of time when going through coins as I would like to get rid of all the ones that are useless and get cash instead