Help identify errors known as, Forign Planchets

iwas1ncthr

Jr. Member
Nov 20, 2007
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Chicopee, Mass
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Soon to have ML SE
Help identify errors known as, Forign Planchets

Hey all,

Once again I have seen many interesting coins here and I think this is gonna be an awesome little tip.
For those of us lucky enough to find strange metal coins or rather coins that appear to be differant than what they are supposed to be I recommend you try this.

First do a google or any kind of search on the current currency coin to find out its characteristics IE: weight, size, metal composition.

An example would be this : Hey ! i found a 1985 D Washington quarter but the rim looks funny. It has no copper line and it feels weird for a quarter, it even makes a strange sound when I jingle it with other coins.

You look up the Characteristics for the coin and find out that the coin weighs 5.7 grams, has a diameter of 24.3mm and the metal composition is 75%copper,25%nickel w/100%copper core.

Next you weigh your coin and find out that it only weighs 3.2 grams but the diameter is the same.

Now you need to contact an expert who knows about this stuff like Fred Weinberg out of California. Mr. Weinberg is know as the most respected coin error expert in the world today. After you contact him you explain what you have as fare as description and be sure to explain the weight difference. He may then tell you what kind of foreign planchet your quarter was struck on and even give you an approximate value, if not you can ask him if you could send it to him to examine or he may possibly suggest that to you.


By weighing your coins and matching them against what the book says for weight, you can determin weather you have a genuine coin on a wrong planchet or if it was some 14 year old doing a chem trick to make you think you have the only 2007 gold nickel on earth.

I have contacted Mr Weinberg 3 times over the years and he is a very nice guy. He does take his time to try to help on major coin errors meaning, if you do have that gold colored penny, don't just look him up and call him asking how much you can get for your new found penny that's worth a mega ,1 cent :)

Foreign planchets can sell for allot of $$$ depending on what it is and this is a specialty of Fred's as he sells may of these types of coins.

If you do not have a scale that can weigh your coin, check out the local coin dealer or jeweller and ask if you can use there scale to weigh your coin. Be sure to note it down and already have the true weight of the correct coin to compair it to.
 

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