Expert: Jim Lawniczak - 4/29/2004

Question
Jim,
  Is there any way I could take a digital picture of it and send it to you in an attachment?  If at all possible I cna do this, any and all input is greatly appreciated.
         Sincerely
         Mark R. Timblin
Followup To
Question -
My daughter said that she had steel penny, what I presumed she had was a 1943 steel penny.  She brought it out to me and lo and behold it was stamped 1963.  This is an actual penny, not a good luck piece or anything like that.  It is an honest to goodness steel penny. Don't know if it was misstamped or what.  have you seen or heard of something like this?  I am curious to know.  Any and all help you maybe able to provide would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you for your time.
         Sincerely
         Mark R. Timblin
Answer -
Hello, Mark, sorry can't tell without seeing it, but I don't think there is much chance that a blank steel planchet was still sitting around at the mint in 1963 so that the piece could be a genuine mint product (but there's always that one in a trillion chance!).  My best guess is that someone took a 1943 cent and altered the 4 to a 6.  You may want to get a genuine 1943 cent and compare how the "1" "9" and "3" are formed on the genuine and see if your piece is identical.  The only way to be sure what you have is to take it to an expert.  Jim Lawniczak

Answer
Say, Mark, I don't think I'm really the expert to help you out here.  My area of expertise is in lucky pennies and I'm just a coin novice.  Can you ask one of the other ask the experts who is an expert in coins?  They might be in a better position to give you a more valid opinion.  If I had your piece, I'd be asking one of them myself!  Jim