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Looking for advice for 1989 25 cent coin

Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 6:08 pm
by Kelli2723
Hello, I have recently inherited my grandmothers coin collection and I have been trying to sort and organize it and I came across this 1989 25 cent coin. The dark one is the one I am looking for information on. I have looked online and haven’t had any luck. I sent these exact photos to a friend of my parents that is a coin collector but not professional and he seems to think it is just tarnished..? I don’t think that is the case but I could be wrong. It not only looks different but it feels very different also. It even feels lighter that the other but I did weigh them and they are the same. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Re: Looking for advice for 1989 25 cent coin

Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 7:29 pm
by Bill in Burl
The '89's were 100% nickel. Can only say that there was some type of chemical reaction to the surface to turn it so dark... maybe sulpher or something. It's the one on the right that doesn't look right .. way too shiny for 100% nickel

Re: Looking for advice for 1989 25 cent coin

Posted: Fri Apr 19, 2019 7:30 am
by coinguy
It's called "Environmental Toning" which can cover a broad range of things,
but one thing for sure is that it is not an error as it didn't happen at the mint.