I have seen some people on here giving away individual pennies with the states stamped on them. A few years ago, my step grandfather died and my grandmother found an entire set of all 50 states in his possessions. She gave them to me and I have always wondered what they are. They are all 1976 pennies except for Wyoming and Washington which are 1975s. Any insight to this would be appreciated. Thanks, Tyler
1976 was the bicentennial year for the USA and a lot of sentiment revolved around that celebration. The Mint issued quarters, halves and dollar coins with special reverse designs on those coins. As for your one cent coins, there exists NO numismatic value because they have been altered by a third party (damaged) after leaving the Mint, they are novelty items that were put out to entice the collectors and the public.
I figured it wasn't done by the mint. they're still something I'm gonna hang onto though. and thanks!
Actually there is numismatic value. There are a lot of people who collect these now and they aren't so easy to find and assemble sets of. You won't get rich off of them by any means, but it's a neat retro novelty set to have that surprisingly few have anymore. It would be 1000 times easier to assemble a full set of regular Lincolns in my opinion. Guy~
Guy~ I disagree, counter-stamped coins are coins which have been altered (blatantly damaged in the eyes of the vast majority of numismatists) and thus have lost their original numismatic potential. Counter-stamped coins cannot be graded within the confines of coin grading scales as anything other than damaged or altered. Certainly they are collectible as a novelty amongst novelty item enthusiasts and are kept as a conversation pieces by some coin collectors. I like them and have some myself. Indeed I just happily won two of them in a contest here on CT this past weekend. But just as I mentioned these were novelties you also repeated that they were indeed neat novelties. One would be hard pressed to find much existence of any numismatic premium for these altered coins unless being falsely represented to a less than serious or less than informed buyer who likely overpays for such an item, especially if buying under the impression that they were a coin bearing a numismatic value.
So the many groups who focus on elongated coins, groups that belong to the ANA among others, are collecting coins that have no collector value? Somebody should tell them seeing as they've thought quite the contrary for over 50 years now. Guy~
Sorry to break it to you Guy~, but YES and to repeat AGAIN, counter-stamped coins have no numismatic premium as pertains to coin collecting. They are altered to the point of being considered damaged. As are elongated coins, holed coins or anything else that is intentionally done to the coin that changes their shape, form or message after they have left the Mint. Apart from normal circulation wear (in which you could still assess a coin grade to the coin) these altered coins are not graded as anything but damaged by coin collectors who would judge them with a numismatic value. NOW, the clubs/groups of collectors of souvenir or elongated coins, those run through a press, those that have had masonic symbols counter-stamped into the cents, states shapes counter-stamped, Kennedy's profile counter-stamped, a liberty bell counter-stamped into the field of a cent, a christian cross punched out of the center of a cent, a toilet seat or paper-weight with coins embedded in acrylics... what have you, there are entities of collectors of novelty (altered) coins which exist separately from pure coin collecting. Numismatic terms do not apply to these coins besides the stated designations of altered and damaged. Any value is therefore non-numismatic in nature and instead arrived at by it's own system of determination. Anyone can collect anything and therefore anything can be collectible. Any 'collectible' can have a value assessed and put on it by collectors beyond it's original price, beyond it's retail price or beyond it's denominational value for reasons solely deemed by the collectors but once you change a coin by adding to or subtracting from it, you have altered it and destroyed it and it's numismatic value (if there was any to begin with) for those coins.
I understand what you're trying to say, Krispy, but I still have to disagree. The coin pictured below is but one example, graded By NGC with a given grade, counterstamped, and apparently valuable as it sold for nearly 3K at Heritage. There are at least 300 other examples just on their site as well. I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree, seeing as the only one it matters to is the individual collector in the end. Guy~
Guy~ I know (and knew well) that you knew what I was trying to say, but in so doing you were, until now, skewing the idea the OP was getting about the coin in the OP without fully disclosing such differences... you've been overly rigid in stretching (pun intended) the OP's counter-stamped coin to include such counter-stamped classic coins like this one, whose populations are miniscule compared to those 1976 coins in question in the OP. Certainly, classic coins have been hallmarked as well and there have been large cents turned into pie cutters which have taken on numismatic cultural values all their own. Also note, that I have nothing against counter-stamped coinage. I collect them myself when I come across them. I only hoped to point out that there are differences, sometimes subtle, but of course each has their own value(s),realm of collecting nomenclature and admirers. BTW, that coin's a beauty, would it happen to be one of yours?
Guy I also have found a few pennies stamped with the states...so is there value to them or not I can't find a straight yes or no...looks like a matter of opinion to each I guess
Welcome Darnell! Just so you know this is a nearly six year old thread... I personally don't see any value in them. Even at a dollar each, they're still only worth one cent. I just can't fathom even spending a dollar for each one but different people have different tastes.
I have a 1981 collection of all 50 states with the framed board they came in. I wonder how much a full set like this could be worth? I’ve never found a picture of my exact one I have. I’ve been hunting the internet for years. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!
