Expert: Jim Lawniczak - 7/19/2007

Question
I hope I wrote it right. I found what looks to be a US copper penny but there is  no markings on it only the edge of a regular penny. It is the same size and sounds the same when dropped. I was wondering if I have a "mistake" coin or not

Answer
Joseph, sounds like you have a blank or unstruck planchet. Sometimes the planchet doesn't get struck, slips through the quality control and ends up in a bag of coins.  I don't think that it is technically viewed as an "error" or mistake coin, because nothing happened.  But it can have some value.  A good reference for error coins is the Coin World website:  see http://www.coinworld.com/NewCollector/Errors/Planchet.asp

for planchet errors (unstruck not being one).  Try www.ebay.com and do a search for blank planchet or unstruck planchet, and you'll see some selling, including a cent planchet.  Note the cent planchet has an "upset rim," where the rim is already formed above the fields before striking.  Jim Lawniczak