Today I invite you to gaze upon a curiosity I mentioned while describing my last FREAK.  Up until the truncated bust of Washington arrived this member of my cast held the coveted title of being my one and only example of an off center 1968 quarter.  Still I think this ODDITY was more a product of a planchet defect than simply a blank not arriving in the coining chamber as its creator had intended.  It would seem to me if you could wind the clock back before the die came crashing down on the DEFECTIVE planchet I suspect it would have never been able to fall into the coining chamber.  It just seems that the planchet when cut from the edge of strip of coining metal it had enough excess to exceed the diameter of the slot it was intended.  Then again I could be all wrong and its IRREGULATIY is just due to how a straight clip allowed the metal to flow without being confined by the coining collar as designed.  A possible strong point in support of this latter argument is the fact the piece only weighs 4.7 grams in lieu of the 5.67 grams noted in the redbook for a standard, yes I almost wrote normal but now normal has a negative connotation go figure, copper nickel issue of this year.  So doing a quick check on the math based upon the 20% clip noted on its plastic captor the weight should be 4.536 grams, which is not that far off from its actual weight.  So I may be wrong about how my little FIEND was created or maybe I am right.  Maybe someday someone can run a computer simulation or better yet create a time machine so I may one day know for sure how my possession came to be. That said it is the mystery that makes this oddly shaped menagerie of pieces so delightfully interesting.

Now, yes, the boring part though equally informative.  The piece is encapsulated in one of the NGC finger style holders with three of the four fingers actually clasping the little misshapen guy.  It is described as follows (1968) D 25C, STRUCK OFF CENTER WITH, 20% STRAIGHT CLIP (4.7g), MINT ERROR MS 64.  Though not noted the reverse and obverse is well struck with the arrows well defined along with the claws of the eagle clasping them.  Likewise on the obverse Washington’s hair and ear is well defined, and though the date is difficult to read the moto IN GOD WE TRUST is clear along with the first three letters of LIBerty.  Though the ‘B’ looks broken very reminiscent of an error I had seen back in the days I use to collect the large copper cents.

Lastly using the PDS system, which category would this oddity, XX, fall under and secondly where would XIX reside?

Until next time, which hopefully will be within the next seven days, take in a scream flick or two or at least Halloween Wars!