Last one for the day folks. Hope someone can provide insight into what this is. It appears to be an older liberty u.s. penny with "G.W.A." stamped on it multiple times. Any idea what this is and what it may be worth?
The GWA is a counterstamp. There wasn’t mass media to market your store or your wares. A counterstamp on a circulating coin was one way to advertise your shop. There are other reasons as well. But counterstamps are common from this era.
Large cent, heavily circulated with post mint damage. There are collectors of counterstamps. To me this is a cull max value $3.
Excellent information I would have had no idea. I am very grateful for all the knowledge floating around in this forum. Thank you guys!!!
The coin is. However, the counterstamp could have value. I believe GWA is a very common one, but the counterstamp itself is the collectible really, the cent with effectively no value. Some counterstamps can be worth a lot, but would need opinions of collectors of them, which I am not.
There is an G.W.Akin from Waldenboro Maine that counterstamped Large Cents. He was a Silversmith in the 1860s. You anywhere near there?
It is not an IHC, you can tell by the obverse image. With the bust of Liberty and stars around the edge.
