Whats up with this half?

[Avago]

What's up with this half?

Hey coin community, I came across this half dollar last night. It looks to be a gold-plated 1967 Kennedy half, however it seems to have a problem...

It doesn't ping like a 40% half dollar. The ring sounds like a cupronickel planchet (though I know it couldn't be as they weren't even manufactured for four more years), maybe an even higher tone than that. It has to be a 40% planchet, right?

My question is, well, what the heck is going on with it? Do you think whatever gold-plating process that was used somehow messed with the composition? Why doesn't it sound like a silver planchet?

 

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[CoinFetcher]

It may have toned that golden hue. It doesn't look played to me. I would weigh it for a more detailed answer. Probably just a regular 40% half

 

[huntsman53]

Take some pics of both the Obverse and Reverse as well as the coin's edge in natural (outside) somewhat shaded light and upload them here. It is hard to tell from the pic whether it was Gold plated/dipped or not and the new pics might show better! If the coin was Gold plated/dipped, that could explain the deadening of the expected Silver ring even though it should only be 40% Silver.


Frank

 

[Avago]

Hey guys, thanks for the responses! I'm 95% sure it's plated. I know you can't see very well in the pic, but there is some wear on both the obverse and reverse on the high points where you can see the "silver" poking through the gold.

The thing is, I can't imagine a microscopic layer of gold could completely change the ring of a 40% planchet... maybe the process of plating itself changes it? I'll try to get another pic or two up tonight.

 

[cudamark]

Any scratch in the toning would reveal "silver" coloring beneath, so, it's not necessarily plated, although I have seen a few that were. Painted ones too.