Expert: PAPAJACK - 4/22/2008

Question
hi papajack im phil im 15 and i have a usa one cent coin with a indian on it and the coin is about 2 to 3 inch wide it is from the 1877 i found this coin 3 years ago in my lawn when i was diging. can you tell me how much this is worth and wear i can get the money for it? please email me back asap thanks phil

Answer
Hello Phil,                               

What you describe is a novelty piece.
The 1877 US Cent is a rare coin with only about 852,000 made but especially rare in high grades. Not all collectors will ever own one.
Therefore many counterfeits and reproductions are around.

The hobby protection act law states a reproduction coin must be more than 3 times larger or smaller than the coin it is depicting or have a letter R for reproduction or C for copy if it is closer to the original size.
One you have is a paperweight size.  It has all the features of the original cent but much larger in size. These big reproductions are common and just a novelty.

Hope I answered your question. Please feel free to ask me others about this or any US Coin.

If there any more information you require on this question just ask.

Thank You and Good Luck

PapaJack