Coin and Paper Money Collecting/dirty die?

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Question

1930 wheat
Hi Dan,

I have a very common 1930 wheat penny except for the reverese appears to be a dirty die. Sorry for the lousy picture, but it was the best I could do with my cell. There are two distinct impressions, but it appears as if the stamping came after the fact. The "E" in ONE and "T" in CENT do not look smashed, but rather raised out of the impression. Other then junk, how else might I classify this?

Let me know if you want a better pic. I can certainly scan it in this evening.

thanks,
John

Answer
John,

It does appear to be struck that way at the mint.  But it's not a dirty die, nor struck through anything, but rather appears to be struck on a defective planchet -- I would think that the blank had those depressions in it before it was struck.  Weakness in the strike in the exact areas of the deperessions on the opposite side of the coin would confirm this.

I couldn't begin to estimate a value for it -- most likely you would have to put it in an auction and see what it sells for to determine its value.

I hope this helps,

Dan

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.

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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 :
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