You are here:

Coin and Paper Money Collecting/partially smooth Lincoln penny

Advertisement

Expert: - 9/6/2009


Question

The Lincoln penny with
I'm not a coin collector but recently we drained a huge glass jug of all the coins that we'd been collecting since 1972.  There are a few that I'm unsure about but the most interesting one I'd like to know about for now is a Lincoln penny that only has part of the Lincoln showing.  For the most part it's smooth all over on the top, I can see the left and top of his profile down to the bottom left of his jacket and a little to the right of his jacket.  On the right I can see a very vague outline.  The penny is very smooth on the top and the back side looks like a normal penny back.  It looks like it was brand new when it was put in the jar, it's not a wheat penny, of course.  There is no reason for the Lincoln head to be so smooth except that maybe there was a misprint when it was being made.  There is barely any noticeable difference in thickness in any side of the penny; perhaps one side is slightly thinner but that is barely noticeable.  This penny might have been produced in the 1990's but since there is no date on it we'll probably never know.  So is there any value to it?  I am attaching a picture.  In the picture it looks like the surface is rough and very textured but it isn't, it's very shiny and smooth.  Thanks,  Diane

Answer
Hi Diane,
I must say this is a most unusual and interesting example. I should begin by saying that there are plenty of pennies and coins in general that have been altered post-mint, though this does not appear to be the case.
It's most likely that when this coin was struck, something went wrong with the top die which caused a significant drop in die pressure. This would give this exact "ghost" image without the sharp details which higher pressure would produce.
As a genuine error coin there would certainly be a significant value. This is not one of the common types of errors and is the first one like this I've personally seen from a US mint.
I've seen foreign coins like this, which generally do not have very high values due to the higher frequency of errors from certain foreign mints. The US minting process is far more strict and there are few errors, especially of this dramatic a caliber.
I would suggest sending your coin to the good people at CONECA (this is the top authority as far as errors are concerned), who will certify the coin as a genuine error (if that is indeed what it turns out to be) and write it up with the exact terminology for the specifics relating to this error. This would cost around $15 and is well worth it, in my opinion.
Thanks for the question! =)

Dmitry Livshits

Expertise

My specialty is world coins from the 18th to 20th centuries, primarily non-US foreign coins and related areas such as errors and exonumia (tokens, medals, etc.). I can answer questions relating to identification, grading, selling, preservation and evaluation of such items. In addition to catalog value, I can give you the practical market value and trends for specific types of coins. I will also take questions regarding counterfeits (both modern and antique) and on how to identify them. I am NOT knowledgeable in paper money/banknotes, ancient or "shipwreck" coins. Thank you.

Experience

Collector of world coins since early childhood. Access to a variety of auction records and reference material. You can also find me on Facebook.

Education/Credentials
A.S. in Psychology (2006), B.A. in Forensic Psychology (2008), M.A. in Forensic Psychology (2011).

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.