Expert: Dmitry Livshits - 11/28/2009

Question
I bought a sack of wheat pennies and I was going over them.  I am not a pro collector or anything just thought it would be fun.  I know there are "D" and "S" one's but one of them has an "O".  I thought it was just a mis-shapped "D" but under magnification it's clearly an "O".  What is that?

Answer
Hi Justin,
This certainly sounds like an oddity, but I am sure this is due to an error of the striking process. The O mint mark would be from the New Orleans mint, which stopped producing US coins in 1909. This coin is likely a D mint mark that was misshapen by a worn or chipped die. This could also be caused by a well placed spot of grease, which would round out the flat left side of the D to look like an O.
It would still have collectible value as an error, or "freak" cent.
Might I ask what year the coin is from? I would love to get a closer look, if it's possible for you to take a clear picture. I can probably provide more information after seeing it.
Thanks for the question! =)