# What's the deal with this gold quarter? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 16, 2012, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-this-gold-quarter/644205 "2012-12-16T18:44:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2012, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-this-gold-quarter/644205/1 "2012-12-16T18:44:47Z")
Yesterday I stopped for a cup of Joe and got a 2003 Illinois state quarter in my change. It has a light gold colored plating to it. The web says these are out there but this is the first one I’ve seen. Were these made like this by the U.S. mint, or did a private company do it for collectable sets and some dumb kid just spent it? What’s the deal?😕 ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2012, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-this-gold-quarter/644205/2 "2012-12-16T18:50:09Z")
When I worked in a shop that made electroplating solutions, I often gold plated odd change for kicks. The amount of gold in an electroplated layer is trivial. This was long time ago and well before 2003, so that wasn’t mine. I have no idea what you found was. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2012, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-this-gold-quarter/644205/3 "2012-12-16T18:51:48Z")
Not done by the US Mint. And, yes, p;robably spent by a kid. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2012, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-this-gold-quarter/644205/4 "2012-12-16T18:56:46Z")
Some company plates them as extra value. They’re only worth 25 cents unless you can find some sucker to pay more because of the yellow shine. See here: **[Are My Gold Plated State Quarters Worth Anything? - Coin Community Forum](http://www.coincommunity.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=121054)** ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2012, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-this-gold-quarter/644205/5 "2012-12-16T19:06:15Z")
$3 each? People aren’t smart. Gold plating puts almost no gold on. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2012, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-this-gold-quarter/644205/6 "2012-12-16T19:17:28Z")
> [@WarmNPrickly](#): > > $3 each? People aren’t smart. Gold plating puts almost no gold on. That’s not the point! You can then sell it to someone for $4 and make a profit! But $4 each? People aren’t smart. Gold plating puts almost no gold on. That’s not the point! You can then sell it to someone for $5 and make a profit! But $5 each? People aren’t smart. Gold plating puts almost no gold on. That’s not the point! You can then sell it to someone for $6 and make a profit! Or, buy a lottery ticket. Same level of smart investment. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2012, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-this-gold-quarter/644205/7 "2012-12-16T23:03:39Z")
It may not actually be gold plated. There are a bunch of howto videos out there demonstrating methods for making a ‘fake gold quarter’ - by dipping it in various chemicals and/or heat treating it. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2012, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-this-gold-quarter/644205/8 "2012-12-16T23:06:02Z")
> [@moriah](#): > > unless you can find some sucker to pay more because of the yellow shine. Haven’t you just explained the whole concept of the gold trade here? ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2012, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-this-gold-quarter/644205/9 "2012-12-16T23:35:48Z")
I have one of my bird friend (see avatar) around my neck (Idaho edition)…