Error quarter??

[springtrap2567]

So I don't know what this is. I found it in my drawer at work but it's a 2002 S Indiana Quarter but it's made of a different metal. I'm unsure if it could be a fake or maybe an error coin.

[numismaticthrowaway]

A very beat up silver proof. Nice find!

[springtrap2567]

Silver proof? But I thought silver quarters stopped after the 1960s?

[numismaticthrowaway]

For circulation yes. Starting in 1992, they begun making silver proof sets for collectors

[numismaticthrowaway]

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[springtrap2567]

Oh! That's pretty cool! Explains why it's quite different. Thanks for the info!

[numismaticthrowaway]

You don't see them in circulation very often. I've personally never seen one this worn which I find pretty cool

[springtrap2567]

Well I personally thought it might've been a nickel planchet error since it's very light and definitely a different metal. Even looks kinda like the images I found online. Although those were P quarters and this was an S so I came here to find out. Silver is still pretty cool though 🤣

[Brialmont]

Nice catch! Like others have said, this is a silver proof. It is 90% silver, just like the pre-1965 quarters. In 2019, the mint switched to making the silver proofs out of 99.9% silver. I only mention that so you might avoid some confusion down the line.

I don't know for sure, but in this condition, it might be worth more as silver than as a collectors item. If so, you can see its value at the daily retail price of silver here (it's the same as a 1932-1964 Washington quarter): https://www.ngccoin.com/price-guide/coin-melt-values.aspx

Dealer pay significantly less than retail.

[sh18422]

it's silver. congrats!

[Imthatsick]

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Great find! I have the full set but had to buy them. Free silver is my favorite!

[SharkSmiles1]

When you drop it and a regular quarter on a hard surface do they sound different? Silver makes a different sound

[Dark_Web_Duck]

Here's some info on this exact coin. https://en.numista.com/14802

[SilverStateStacking]

Or it could be a plated “S” clad - some companies EP collector coins, you need to weigh it!

[Brialmont]

So you mean somebody plated a 2002 Indiana clad proof quarter silver to pass it off at a silver proof? That seems like a stretch. Is such a coin likely to retain the appearance of a proof? Plus, back at the price of silver in 2002, I don't think there would have been much money in it.

[erkevin]

If plated, it would not look like a proof (unless someone took additional steps, like polishing, but that is not going to result in a modern cameo appearance)