Expert: Jim Lawniczak - 8/19/2006

Question
i have a penny from 1974  with a lil map and the letters va in the middle to the right of the face  is this one of the aliminum coins from 1974 if not what is it and is it worth anything  

Answer
I'm not sure from your heading and description what you have.  Aluminum is silver in color and much lighter than other metals.  You describe as "gold" so that doesn't sound like aluminum.  Your description of a map with VA in the middle -- there is an industry that makes souvenir pieces by punching pictures into cents: the most common example is a picture of Kennedy facing Lincoln.  Sounds like this is one of those -- a souvenir for Virginia (is the map in the shape of that state?).  If so and if the piece is copper as were the normal pieces from that time, the piece really would only have novelty value.  Only way to be sure is to show the piece to an expert.  Hope this helped, Jim Lawniczak