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Coin and Paper Money Collecting/1977 US Penny with the state of AZ

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Expert: - 12/6/2007


Question
I just received an odd penny in change at a retailer.  The penny looks like a typical US penny with Lincoln, etc.  But, it has the outline of the state of Arizona, with AZ stamped in the middle.  Can you give me any information on this coin (i.e. number issued, relevance, what it's worth)?  Best regards.

Answer
Hi Will,

This is one of 50 coins manufactured for a set -- with the coins in the set each having one of the 50 states manually stamped into it.  This is not something that was done at the Mint, but rather somebody took a roll of pennies, stamped the images onto them, and made the state set out of them.

Occasionally you can still find these sets together, all 50 coins mounted on a board -- these sell for about $20.

However, just a single coin like yours is worth maybe a quarter as a novelty item -- sometimes found in a dealer's misc. bin.

I hope this helps,

Dan

Coin and Paper Money Collecting

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Dan Moore

Expertise

My strong familiarity with all U.S. Mint coins, extensive reference library, and close relationships with many other dealers allows me to identify just about any coin made in the USA. I receive regular updates to all the current price guides -- both wholesale & retail -- to provide accurate values. So, with a good description or pictures, I should be able to identify and value any U.S. coin you have.

Experience

I've been a coin dealer since the 1980's and a coin collector since the 1960's. I specialize in U.S. Silver Coins and have an active online website -- The Working Man's Rare Coins -- http://www.workingmancoins.com -- offering information and inventory in U.S. coins.

Organizations I belong to :
American Numismatic Association Member #187770
Michigan State Numismatic Society Member #8255
Florida United Numismatics Member #19710
Monroe Coin Club Treasurer
Lincoln Coin Club Board Member
WINS Member #14
CoinMasters Member #1814

Frequently Asked Questions :
I have created a Frequently Asked Questions page on my website, where you may be able to get an immediate answer to your question. You can find the page here :
http://www.workingmancoins.com/FAQ/index.htm


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