TIME to break out the old change collection as one rare coin could be worth thousands if it fits a certain set of features.
Coins have long been collector’s items with varying worth depending on their minted year, material, and design.
A recent coin collector blog has revealed another rare coin that could fetch thousands at auction.
Georgia state quarters are the ones to look out for this time.
When the U.S. Treasury first piloted the now mundane state quarter denomination style in 1999, Georgia was of the first states represented.
A few of the coins intended for this trial were minded on gold planchets, the plate that coin prints are pressed on, as an experiment.
The experimental gold planchets were later used for Sacagawea Gold Dollars.
Despite the treasury deciding against using the planchets for the full batch of state quarters coins, those minted with them were still released into circulation.
There are a number of things to verify and check for if you suspect that a 1999 Georgia State quarter is of this rare ilk.
Georgia coins are notable, not just by the state’s name printed on them, but by the state’s famous fruit, a peach, stamped on the metal.
The first giveaway to the rare 1999 experimental planchette Georgia state quarter is a color difference.
The rare coin will appear golden or sometimes greenish due to tarnishing.
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It will also not have a coppery stripe on the edge as other quarters possess.
The size of the coin will also be slightly off from other quarters.
Generally, it might look thicker than a traditional quarter, with a thicker rim than usual.
The experimental gold planchet coin will also lack ridges on the edge that wrap the circumference of the money.
Finally, for a more quantifiable verification, you can break out a scale.
A typical quarter will weigh under 5.67 grams, but the golden variation will be between 5.9 and 6.3 grams.
If you are confident that a 1999 experimental planchet state quarter is what you have, then there is one last step before taking it to a seller.
Authentication is just as important as possessing the coin itself, so take it to a reputable coin expert or dealer to get proof of the coin’s origin.
Coins of this type have sold for up to $10,000 at auction.
While not as valuable, regular alloy Georgia State coins from 1999 are worth more than their 25¢ given value.
Because of its origins as one of the first state coins, the regular copper-nickel alloy coin can fetch between $1.50 to $4.
