Expert: Ronald Fern - 12/6/2010

Question
Hi, I have a 1974 D Lincoln Penny looks like the head is floating or not connected to the body. I can't find a thing on it anywhere. Is this common? Do you know what it is worth?
Thanks!


Answer
Hi Dan:

Thanks for your question.

The key to being able to identify odd or unusual coins is to always provide as much information as possible when asking a question. Photos, comparing your coin to a normal coin, as well as weight diameter and thickness of the coin in question would help to pinpoint what you may have. Is the reverse of your coin normal? Does it weigh the same as a regular cent?

With the information you provided, I believe you may have a filled die or a repaired clashed die error. Sometimes greased or gunk gets on the die surface and keeps the design from being fully struck. It would likely have a value of between $3 to $5 to an interested collector, depending on condition and the degree of missing die features.

The other possibility is a coin struck from a repaired clashed die. Sometimes the press fails to put blanks into the die chamber. When this happens, the dies come together without the blank and the force can cause the image of the die to go into the other die surface. Die operator who catch this would stop and remove the die to fix it. This would involve polishing out the clash marks on the die surface. At times, portions of the die image are removed in part to eliminate the clash. On extreme cases, this could cause the head to appear to be floating, like your coin. The error would have a value of approximately $1 to $5 to an interested collector, and would also depend on condition and degree of detail missing on the coin.

It also could be an altered coin. Sometimes people try and fool you into thinking you have an error coin. Here are some examples of coins either being altered or damaged.
See link: http://coinauctionshelp.com/page15.html
See link: http://conecaonline.org/content/OhNo.htm

Here are two sites to check actual real error values:
http://www.coinsite.com/html/userrorprices.asp
http://minterrornews.com/priceguide.html

You may want to check US coins and currency listings under errors on eBay from time to time to see if your coin is listed what this type of item may bring.

If you live close to a local shop, they should offer an opinion as to the value at no charge. Always try and get at least two opinions and try and deal with PNG dealers if possible. If you should decide to sell your items to a dealer, remember they will offer about 50% to 60% of the retail value. Here's a link to find one in your area: http://www.pngdealers.com/dealersearch.php

Please remember to go to the experts site to rate this answer. Check the nomination box on the rating page below any comments you may have.

Thank You and Good Luck in your collecting.