Silver Bicentennial Half with no S mint mark?

[minkybodl]

Hello everyone,

Been CRH for a couple of years now and I am a regular lurker here. I had been buying gold and silver with limited funds for a while when a friend gave me the link to this site and the information I have gained from reading has really helped with my small savings collection. I have never gotten anything even near a dream score but I have been happy just getting a few here and there. I live on the West Coast of Fl and there seems to always be a little old man out there moving just a little quicker than I do, "Someone just asked for them." I tell the tellers that I am a coin collector and usually after a while I will bring my album of Kennedy halves in and show them the proofs that I have and how many I'm still missing, then they are always happy to help me and I always act happy with anything they can give me. I have also been getting Penny's, nickels, and dimes but I have to wrap everything before I can dump them.

Today in a box of halves which was looking like a complete skunk, I was surprised to see a rim which looked like a 90%er (I check dates on everything even though I need readers and a magnifying glass to see them) and even more surprised to see that it was a bicentennial half. I have the bicentennial set and noticed right away that this coin didn't have the S mint mark that it should have if it was the 40%er. I took it to my local coin shop, his son looked at it and offered me 2.50 for it (I buy stuff from them but drive to the next town if I need to sell anything) figuring that it was the 40%er, then his dad looked at it and said he didn't know what it was. It didn't weigh right 11.2 grams(I think he said) which was less than a clad one. It also has a big nick in the edge where it looks like someone else was trying to figure out what it was, the metal looks solid with no copper showing. He did say he thought that it was silver.

I'm sorry but I don't have a camera. If anyone has any ideal what it might be, please let me know what you think.

Thanks in advance and thanks again to everyone for all of the helpful posts.

 

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[azlegends]

This is not an error that I've ever heard of, but "in theory" it could have been struck on a silver planchet accidentally.

 

[minkybodl]

This is not an error that I've ever heard of, but "in theory" it could have been struck on a silver planchet accidentally.

It just makes no sense to me that it weighs less than a clad half if it is silver.

 

[TheRockDoc]

I hope this doesnt offend you, but could it have been "painted" by some lametard, who has nothing better to do? I have came across several painted halves. I guess some people just have nothing better to do...

Just thought I would ask, since I cant think of anything else.

 

[cbrtriple8]

Error, I'd say keep it!!!

 

[Diver_Down]

This is not an error that I've ever heard of, but "in theory" it could have been struck on a silver planchet accidentally.

It just makes no sense to me that it weighs less than a clad half if it is silver.

Being struck on a silver planchet accidentally isn't possible as Philly hadn't seen a silver planchet in use at their facility in 6+ years. There always is the possibility that a planchet got stuck in the hopper for 6 years and was overlooked by mint workers during regular maintenance and then dislodged itself during the minting of bicentennials. Or it is more likely that the half was chrome plated or painted. Either way, if you like it, keep it. It only cost you 50 cents.

 

[Piledriver]

Since the coin is already marred, do your own Jack-Knife Test !
Keep on Rollin' !

 

[azlegends]

This is not an error that I've ever heard of, but "in theory" it could have been struck on a silver planchet accidentally.

It just makes no sense to me that it weighs less than a clad half if it is silver.

Being struck on a silver planchet accidentally isn't possible as Philly hadn't seen a silver planchet in use at their facility in 6+ years. There always is the possibility that a planchet got stuck in the hopper for 6 years and was overlooked by mint workers during regular maintenance and then dislodged itself during the minting of bicentennials. Or it is more likely that the half was chrome plated or painted. Either way, if you like it, keep it. It only cost you 50 cents.

That's pretty much where I was going with the "in theory" thing, lol.

 

[minkybodl]

Thanks for the replies.

I found a wheatback that was silver and the coinshop guy looked at it and said it was plated right away, he did a sound test comparing my half to another silver coin, he was going to ask a guy he knew about it. I did scratch in the nick and it is shinny silver under where copper should be.

I do keep everything I find.

 

[azlegends]

I wish you the best of luck, be sure to let us know what you find out.

 

[minkybodl]

Thanks for the replies.

I found a wheatback that was silver and the coinshop guy looked at it and said it was plated right away, he did a sound test comparing my half to another silver coin, he was going to ask a guy he knew about it. I did scratch in the nick and it is shinny silver under where copper should be.

I do keep everything I find.

Sorry these are with my crapberry so not the clearest in the word but you can see there is no mintmark on the front and can tell on the edge it is silver

For the reccord mine weighed 11.19 first try and 11.20 second try (different scales)

Going to take this down to the LCS here in a few and see what he says

Yeah that is what mine looks like also. I was going to wait and go back to the only coin shop next week after he talks to a guy he knows. Mine was weighing 11.2 also.

 

[MBB5150]

I found one of these last week, glad to finally find a post about it. I don't have any way to see if it is 11.2 grams or more. i didn't bookmark the site, but I think a site I was at said that there are 4 bicentennials that r proofs with no mint marks known to exist that were given to each of 4 people or something. I kinda doubt we found them this month lol.