MYSTERY COIN (40% Silver 1977 S Eisenhower Dollar)

[Half-Hound]

Los Angeles, California
December, 2011

I was very happy to find what looked to me like a 1977 S IKE silver dollar coin last week. But then I read on the internet that no (40%) silver proof coins were made that year. I am confused because I thought it might be silver.

The strike quality is extremely poor - a leg is missing from the eagle on the reverse. The date and mintmark are very weak. The entire coin looks like a cheap cast from an inferior mold. It looks like something I would make, not the work of a professional counterfeiter.
I drilled about half-way through the reverse side to see the interior metal. I also saved the chips from this drilling. I then drilled a known clad IKE for comparison. There is no comparison! The chips from the possibly silver coin are very small and silver colored. The chips from the clad coin are copper colored and reached a length of about ¼ inch long before breaking up.

Is this a silver coin? I am almost certain it is not. The chips were brittle and broke is small pieces. As silver coins can be hammered into rings, I would assume real silver to be more ductile, more malleable. Are there any metallurgists out there?
Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks and Happy Holidays to everyone.

Special Hello to old-timers, Rileyboy, APUSH, MM2, Fistfulladirt and to the many others I’ve enjoyed “meeting” the last couple of years.

Just me, Half-Hound.

 

[OmegaMan]

I've run across several that were Chinese fakes. The swap meets sell these things.

 

[SilverFace]

unfortunately all '77S Ike's are clad. Here's a link for info on Ike's:

http://www.bestcoin.com/eisenhower-dollar-mintage.htm

HH

 

[Deepdiger60]

Hi iam not a coin expert just what i see over the years and that coin you have does not look real or is it worn down right in certain area.s like the leg also the color is not right for silver let alone clad it does look like a die cast to me I took a few photo,s of one of my Ike coins 1978 for comparison . I could be wrong . Jim

 

[SFBayArea]

Looks like a fake coin to me.. you can see the perferations on the surface. It's got die cracks all over but it's probably because it's casted. I don't know but when in doubt, spend it or get rid of it real quick.

 

[rileyboy]

Hey Half-Hound,
How are you!!! Great to see you posting again. Have been wondering how
you've been. Many of the old timers have been asking about you.
Stay well and let's hear more about your finds.
All the best,
rileyboy

 

[cunextuesday]

Just curious as to why anyone would want to fake a coin that isn't worth very much in the first place??!!

 

[Dok Holliday]

Just curious as to why anyone would want to fake a coin that isn't worth very much in the first place??!!

Hard to say WHEN it was faked. Back in the 1970s a dollar was worth quite a bit, especially overseas. Make a few thousand of those and spread them slowly and you're good to go.

 

[HarvestGrand]

I have the same coin

Hello Half-Round,

I was looking on the internet to find more information on a strange 1978 coin I have. The pics and description of the coin you listed on this site precisely describe the coin I have. We thought it may be a lead coin. Very soft metal. Very beat up. What did you windup doing with it?

 

[50cent]

Just curious as to why anyone would want to fake a coin that isn't worth very much in the first place??!!

Da US Dollar is the hardest coldest source of cash in the world and nothing is more intimidating in a third-world country to go around with a couple ikes as bargaining chips

 

[sagittarius98]

NEVER drill holes or damage coins when you are unsure of their value!

 

[Twitch]

NEVER drill holes or damage coins when you are unsure of their value!

I about choked when I read "I drilled about half-way through the reverse side to see the interior metal."

 

[50cent]

if you are well trained, you can actually taste the differnce between silver and clad. Don't believe me try it for yourself.

 

[coinguy*matthew]

botched post....

 

[coinguy*matthew]

What is the weight and diameter? I can help you......

 

[sagittarius98]

What is the weight and diameter? I can help you......

Keep in mind this person hasn't logged on in a year and a half.