Waffle Coins: A New Kind of Missouri State Quarter

The show marks the first major retail appearance for “waffle” versions of the 2003 Missouri quarter – distinctively defaced examples produced by the U.S. Mint itself through a new process used to “cancel” defective coins.

As part of intensified quality control, the Mint has begun using special new equipment to cancel out-of-specification coins and coin blanks by crushing them into pieces of metal with little design detail. These pieces have ridged, bumpy surfaces and therefore are being described as waffles by collectors.

Because they are government products created by the Mint, these waffle coins have emerged as collectibles in their own right and have changed hands recently in isolated instances on Internet Web sites. The Kansas City show is the first coin convention to feature substantial offerings of the new collectibles. A number of dealers will be selling the pieces, which are certified as genuine and encapsulated by the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation of America.

Further information is available from Waffle Coins, the distributor. Its Web site is wafflecoins.com. Don't miss their DVD clips.

Story courtesy of Numismatic News.