When the US Mint makes a transition from one type of planchet to another, as we have seen with the popular 1982-D Small Date brass cent, unused planchets are sure to be stuck somewhere in the coinage bins, which is precisely what happened with 1965 dimes and quarters.
To get your hands on one or both, you need to be rich … or lucky with rolls and pocket change. Nevertheless, you’ll have better odds with these than the 1982-D Small Date transitional error, of which only two have been found.
1965 Dime on 90% Silver Planchet
1965 dimes were supposed to be copper-nickel. The price of silver was responsible for common denominations to transition to clad. A small number of silver blanks got into feeder bins. Between 20-100 of the rarity may have escaped into circulation.
Value is between $3,000 and $13,000 and higher, depending on condition and certification grade by a top-tier holdering company.
To determine if you found the rarity, look at the edge. If you see a copper stripe, you have the clad dime. If you can’t see the stripe, weigh it. A clad dime weighs 2.27 grams; the silver dime, 2.5 grams.
1965 Quarter on 90% Silver Planchet
The same thing happened with quarters as with the dime above. Some leftover 1964 silver planchets got into 1965 clad hoppers. Fewer than 20 are believed to have left the Mint.
An authentic 1965 Washington quarter accidentally struck on a 90% silver planchet is valued between $4,000 and $17,000+, depending on its condition and professional grade and certification. Again, look at the edge. If you see a copper stripe, you have the common clad quarter. If not, weigh it. A clad quarter weighs 5.67 grams whereas a silver one weighs 6.25 grams.
The 1965 Half Dollar “Unicorn”
Hobbyists searching for the “Unicorn”–a coin so rare as to be mythic–continue to look for a 1965 Half Dollar struck on a 1964 90% silver planchet. Hey, if the same thing happened with the dime and quarter, why not the JFK Half?
Good luck with that. None have been found.
If you think you found the unicorn, it should weigh 12.5 grams whereas a 40% regular strike should weigh 11.5 grams.
It goes without saying, beware of replicas and alterations and false claims on eBay and Facebook.
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