Lot 1970
A 1983 WASHINGTON QUARTER STRUCK OVER A TOKEN / THIS IS MY LUCKY DAY. NGC graded MS-65. An extraordinary mint error, this 1983-P Washington Quarter is struck on a gold colored casino chip, or some other such token. First of all, the coin is obviously the wrong color, its gold, not unlike a Sacagawea dollar today. On Washington's face, the observer clearly sees THIS IS MY LUCKY DAY with the word MY surrounded by two four leaf clovers. On the reverse, the central devices of the token clearly read "NO CASH VALUE" with scroll work and a branch of leaves below. Around the reverse periphery you can read "FOR REPLAY ONLY". Certainly a token expert could easily identify just what token this quarter was struck over. Remarkably, the quarter is a gem mint state piece, fully struck and well preserved. Obviously, this coin was made by a Philadelphia Mint employee and spirited out probably with the assistance of other insiders. Someone had to have brought the token into the Mint, fed it into the press, and recovered the overstruck coin.
We are beginning to wonder just what is going on at the Mint, has Linderman's ghost come back to haunt us with more and more shenanigans? In this sale alone we have been presented with one of two known (and supposedly all accounted for) Martha Washington coins, ours struck on a cent, and a $5 gold Washington Commemorative struck on a dime planchet. These are not just random errors, but coins struck by employees and removed from the mint by questionable means.
Perhaps struck by the same employee that made the Washington quarter proof struck over a 1900 Barber quarter? Fun and games, in the 1870s or 1980s or currently, they continue at the Mint unabated.
Estimated Value $5,000-UP.
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