I am having problems with my USB microscope....It gives a sharp picture but the color is off...I got to work on that.. But The 1994 is copper shiny like it came out of the mint yesterday....I would think someone was holding onto it and just let it go for whatever reason, but there are way too many like this out there....??... Don't get it..... The 1972 is also shiny but you can see it is off center....Guessing not enough though huh?
They were not completely uncommon during that era, from ca. 1968-74 when they used a slightly smaller diameter die and struck with a bit more striking pressure than before or afterwards. But the coins have nice high relief designs that have largely held up in circulation quite well. That sure won't be the case with these low relief abominations they crank out nowadays.
Shiny old coins are just the ones lucky enough to have spent a longer time period out of circulation - probably in a piggy bank, junk drawer, coin jar, or part of a collection that's been broken up. My parents have a huge old glass water jug full of pennies in their hallway. We started filling it in the late 80s, so there's definitely lots of shiny 60s and 70s coins in there, maybe a few older than that.
Yes, the misaligned dies are rather common, especially on 1972 cents I've noticed. Honestly, I don't see too much value in them, but if it is misaligned enough and in good enough condition, as well as being certified and graded they can bring up to $30 premium, not bad for a profit. -SC
Good point, I always felt that era cent had a nice look to it for whatever reason, just never realized why.
