Interesting Error Find

Hydrantman · Feb 4, 2008

Just found this in a roll of halves. Its a 1995-D rotation die error where the reverse side doesnt match the 180 degree rule. I scanned the coin front and back and the back half is laid out as it would if the rotation was correct meaning had this been a normal rotation, the reverse side as I have scanned it would be straight up and down. So as you can see this has about a 240 degree rotation (or 60degree if you're spinning it the other way).

Silver_Fox · Feb 4, 2008

Nice. I'd like one but I just don't have the time to check tham all.

Cannonman17 · Feb 4, 2008

That's a pretty cool find- I always tell myself I'm going to check for them but I always end up forgetting!

Immy · Feb 5, 2008

That might be a magician's coin instead. If you drop it on a hard surface with enough force it may pop into two pieces and reveal a foreign coin inside. When they're manufactured the two halves are rarely put back together with the proper die rotation. But I hope it's a legit error! Cool find either way.

CLZinTX · Feb 5, 2008

Hydrantman,

I hope it is real but I suspect like Immy says it is a "Magicians Coin" used in a trick called "Scotch and Soda".

First off, take it out of the 2x2 and drop it on a hard surface, if it makes a dull clunk instead of a sharp ringing sound it is a magicians coin.

Look on the side with the eagle. If it is a magicians coin then this is the side that is inserted into the other half. Look right around the edge where the lettering is between it and the rim. May have to use a magnifying glass, but if it is a magicians coin you will see the small seam where one half sits inside the other.

I hope it is an error, but I have a couple of them and they are all manmade.

Check out this link to see more about the coin.

http://www.magictricks.com/coins/scotsoda.htm

CLZinTX

Hydrantman · Feb 5, 2008

It looks real, sounds real, feels real, tastes real, smells real, and feels rough on the teeth so I gotta believe its real.

Cannonman17 · Feb 5, 2008

I believe it is... there are magician coins out there but it's not like rotated dies are unheard of either.... that and the fact that most magician coins I've seen (only been a few) have been fairly obvious right off the bat-

Hydrantman · Feb 6, 2008

OOOOOOOOOO am I mad at you guys *L*

It turns out that it is a magicians coin. I managed to get it open and there it was... Estados Unidos Mexicanos! Now I just gotta figure out if the Mexican coin is real and how to get the Eagle off of it. Well it was a nice dream while it lasted.

XX · Feb 6, 2008

Scotch and soda coins go for $30 or more retail.

Easiest way to separate them without damaging them is to shake them in a GLASS jar (has to be glass). This could take a minute or two if you're not shaking hard enough.

Brand new Scotch and Soda Coins are difficult to tell just by looking because they are machined almost perfectly. as they get used, they wear and the line between the back design and the rim gets more visible.

They ALWAYS make the dull thud when dropped on a hard surface. It's hard to hear that sound when dropping them into a bag of halves.

Coin counters that check electromagnetic signature will reject these coins. Coin counters that only sort by dimension will accept them (these are usually smaller counters behind the teller counter because they only employ a magnet and rely on the teller to visually spot suspect coins).

If it's in good condition, it's a nice find because this is a very easy trick to do and will fool most people who have never seen it before.

WindHarvester · Feb 6, 2008

LOL, sorry for your misfortune. You did find a cool coin though.

I had never heard of one, would you mind posting pictures of the detail of each coin.

Would love to see the details.

Thanks for sharing!

Lonnie

curbdiggercarl57 · Feb 6, 2008

What are the odds?!!!! Just posted a question in the "What is it?" forum about a weird Kennedy half that I found while cashing in coins at the bank. I then went to this site, and read a similar article. Took the advice of CLZinTX, and sure enough, it's a magic half. Man, I love this site!!! Would have taken me forever to get an answer from anywhere else, and I would have never have thought of using a jar to separate the coin. Here's a couple of scans of the half.