Look Franklin, a broken dime !

Posted on January 14, 2008 in the Town and about
2 comments

American change often makes it into our pockets up here in Canada. It is almost always through buying at stores - whether it be coffee, groceries or that big screen tv, thanks to tourism in the summer and a very large number of truckers that cross the border on both sides all the year round.

American coins are always exchanged on par with Canadian money knowingly and mostly unknowingly because of similarities in sizes and appearance.

But American coins have a different composition and are heavier than Canadian coins. So, generally you can’t use American money in Canadian vending machines or use them at a coin-laundry in Canada. Besides, the stupidity would largely depend on the exchange rate.
But there was that odd Coke machine in my college four years ago, that once actually spat out three American nickles. I was delighted because it was a hot day !

One evening, the past holiday season in December, I discovered this unusual piece in my pocket, while waiting in line to pay for a sink-strainer at a dollar store.

It’s an American 10¢ coin, and it looks like it has suffered quite a blow ! I don’t quite recall who passed it on to me, but I am guessing it was while grabbing coffee at a certain Tim Horton’s.

The ‘P’ indicates that it was minted at the Philadelphia Mint. There is a tiny JS near the front of Roosevelt’s neck, that stand for John Ray Sinnock, who designed this dime in 1946.

I believe that this coin was intentionally damaged. The cut is clean and smooth. The dent on the reed shows that the coin must have been held between a set of pliers or on a vice. There is no evidance of bending either !

What strikes me most about this picture is that the copper line on the reed does not match with the copper line inside the cut ! This must be technology that the US Mint would like to keep to itself because I cannot find any information on it !

So far, this has been the longest time I have ever played with FDR !

P.S.: This coin is not for sale !

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	Kathy	January 19th, 2008 at 6:00 am
	Jaffer — This is way cool! I’ll have to send it to my husband who collected coins for some years before giving it up. He’ll be interested. He may know something about why the copper lines are mismatched.