Expert: Joe Hylas - 9/13/2011

Question
QUESTION: Well, first lets make clear, this is a 2008(D) penny. What makes this odd is that it has the finish of the new quarters and nickels. very smooth and shiny, almost wet looking. I had worked in an auto parts store and fresh from the bank, i opened it and initially thought it was a dime... Low and behold it's an almost uncirculated penny with a wet, smooth finish looking like a new dime. All the penny is unscratched and in mint condition. Any idea on it's worth or a possible story for it?

Thanks

John

ANSWER: Hi John,
There are a couple of possibilities.
1.  Since pennies are zinc with copper plating, the copper may have been left off.

2. The penny was actually struck on a blank meant for dimes.

Without weighing it, it is hard to know which, nor can a value be placed on it.

Regards
Joe Hylas

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Well, don't have a way to weigh it. Upon further inspection it is an actual penny struck properly. there are two "tool" (lack of a better word) marks on the bridge of the penny(ridged surface- outer diameter) that are exactly on opposite sides from each other. The color under those tool marks is a brownish color(not red like copper). This led me to believe it was someones handy work. i went back to the bank-in 2008- where i got the roll and they said it was uncirculated until it was given to me. and EVERY penny in there was fresh with NO scratches-perfect, all mint marks matched. Is it uncommon for employees at the mints to throw little easter egg into uncirculated rolls? I was slightly off on the description of the sheen of this penny. Previously i had said like a dime. WRONG. What i meant to say was the new quarters/nickels finish. that wet, smooth and glossy look of the new quarters/nickels was on this solitary penny hidden in the roll. normally i would have written this off to someones handy work. However that sheen is unique to the mint that it is stamped, correct? It was also uncirculated. Honest to god it looks like it was dipped in a chrome machine, mirror smooth. At the local swap meet there was a coin collector that offered me $100 on the spot when i showed him. Others i have shown always want to buy it off of me(usually offer $50-$75, just never tell me what they think it's worth. I am over the value of it, i just want to know if it's a cool collectible that NO ONE else has and it's gearing up to be just that. Thanks in advance for this noodle-bender i am sticking you with! I will try to grab a pic of it and send it to you. Thanks again

JOHN

Answer
Hi John,
First off, the mint does not roll pennies, they ship them in $50 face value bags to a private company that rolls them and distributes them to banks.  So it is possible that this coin was laying around and an employee of the processing company threw it in the hopper.  Hence it would have oxidized and turned brown if left around where it is exposed to the elements.

The tool marks may be the result of electoplating thereby leaving the marks.  Unfortunately, I would need to physically inspect the coin to tell you what you have, a picture just wouldn't work.

It may not be worth anything if it was played with by someone after it left the mint.  However, if it is a true mint error, it could be worth the $100 or even more.

Best Regards
Joe Hylas
www.AllCoins.US