9786

1928 25C--Quarter Struck on a Cent Planchet--AU

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:1.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1928 25C--Quarter Struck on a Cent Planchet--AU
1928 25C--Quarter Struck on a Cent Planchet--AU53 Uncertified. At the outset, we want to acknowledge that this coin does not come without controversy. It has been sent to PCGS, NGC, ANACS, and ICG. All four services have come to the same conclusion: "No Decision." Standing Liberty quarters are very rare with any type of error and even the slightest off-center coin brings a huge premium when one is offered for sale at public auction. This is easily the most dramatic and unusual error we have ever encountered on a Standing Liberty quarter. We are of the opinion that this is a genuine Mint product. That is to say, it was produced within the walls of the United States Mint. However, we do have our doubts about its legitimacy as far as being an unintentional by-product of the minting process. The most succinct summation of the pros and cons of this particular coin are contained on a piece of scratch paper from ICG, dated November 3, 2003. The note reads in part: "1928 25c on cent planchet, wt 3.02 grams vs 3.11 grams spec normal range 3.05-3.16 CONS: lightweight, odd, abnormal die cracks PROS: silver specks struck into metal, good looking dies. CONSENSUS: "No Decision." These pros and cons seem like a good structure to use to critique this particular coin, and our impressions follow: The silver specks are a most interesting aspect of this piece and are easily seen, most especially on the upper reverse above the CA in AMERICA. Dies pick up silver "dust" from repeated strikings that is then transferred to the next coin. This is not noticeable on same-metal strikings, but on off-metal strikings they can be seen as fingerprints of the dies that struck the coin. The dies themselves that struck this particular coin do indeed look authentic. Even with the three prominent die cracks, the details are still quite sharp. It is very unusual to find Standing quarters with die cracks. In fact, we cannot remember the last time we encountered one. This particular piece has two pronounced ones on the obverse and one on the reverse. It is also unusual to locate cents that are lightweight. The ones we have weighed in the past show very little variation in weight. After considering the above factors, the conclusion we have come to after studying this piece is that it was struck in the Mint, probably on a mostly complete fragment of a cent planchet by a pair of discarded quarter dies. The coin itself is off-center with most of the date showing, but nothing visible above the top of the shield. The surfaces have taken on the appearance of aged copper with a deep brown and blue patina over much of each side and traces of pinkish-red around the devices. Sharply defined with a trace of rub over the highpoints. The planchet is somewhat irregular in shape, as would be expected since it was essentially struck without a collar. The devices at the margins are slightly distended, again as one would expect, as seen on other wrong planchet errors. The pedigree of this piece is also quite interesting. This particular coin has an entire page devoted to it in Jay Cline's third edition of his book on the series. It was purchased by a Midwest collector at the 1958 ANA convention in Los Angeles for "a few hundred dollars." The collector took the coin over to a well-known Philadelphia dealer and after he did not receive an offer to his satisfaction, he took the coin home and tossed it in his safe deposit box. It wasn't until 1983 that the collector found the coin once again and showed it to Cline, who wrote an article for Coin World in September of that year and reprinted it in his book. (A photocopy of that page from the book and the handwritten note from ICG accompany this lot). About 10 years ago, Cline subsequently sold it to our client for $5,000. This is a most intriguing study piece for the general error specialist as well as those who collect Standing Liberty quarter errors. As we said above, this coin is not without controversy, and it will surely continue to generate excited debate and speculation whenever it is shown in numismatic circles. Important notice: Heritage usually auctions material at the rate of 200-250 lots per hour. On some occasions eBay Live bid software or the Internet may not be able to keep up with the pace of the auction. We recommend placing a realistic absentee bid now as insurance to avoid disappointment. Occasionally the auctioneer may eliminate or reject an eBay Live bid, and the auctioneer may also reopen a lot after the close of the eBay live bidding (usually because we missed an audience bid), and may reject your bid even if it shows you as the winning bidder. By bidding via eBay Live, you agree that Heritage may award the lot to another bidder at its sole discretion under the circumstances described above or any other reasonable circumstances. Also please note that all Heritage lots purchased through eBay Live carry a 20% Buyer's Premium. Please make sure you read the Terms and Conditions before you bid.