Some coins with a story...

Discussion in 'Error Coins' started by XAVIERenc, Jan 3, 2020.

  1. XAVIERenc

    XAVIERenc New Member

    This thread has two intentions. One, to find out if and what errors these coins have. The other intention is to just share my story, which I have always found a fascinating one.

    My coins come with a bit of provenance. (maybe)

    Working as a cashier at a gas station, I became friends with an antique store owner down the road. At the time, I was just getting into coin collecting and he could see my excitement when I talked about all of my coin searching endeavors. Well one day he brought me a gift. Three 1943 Steel Pennies that were encased in a plastic/cardboard holder for coins. Each coin was struck with a different mint: "S", "D", and "No mint mark". This is where my friend began to tell the story. He had purchased the coins from a customer in his shop. The customer explained he had been a mint worker and that he had been warned of losing his job due to mistakes he was making. Well he had made the mistake again and decided to remove the evidence. The three steel cents were mistakes he made during striking. He then smuggled the coins out of the mint and sold them in an attempt to not lose his job.

    Well this was the story that was given to me and honestly, who the hell knows how much of it is true. All I know is I liked the story and have always used it as a guide to finding out more about these three unique steel pennies. Either way, the striking features are there for you to see and I have always wanted to know just what these errors or damages are.

    I realize there are many potential observations that make the story seem false, but at the same time, I have yet to see a reason the story is not false. Maybe the idea of it being true is more exciting.

    In the end I have always wanted to know just what I have and see how much value is in these coins. My friend who gave them to me said he looked them up online and valued them at $75.00 each, but we all know that would be a difficult task to do without having them officially graded. On that note, YES I plan to grade these coins.

    Each picture was scanned at 1200dpi using a desktop scanner. Sorry these are the best images I can make on my budget at the moment. However, the features are visible enough for sharing, I think.

    I will detail each coin...

    • Denver - Notice the striking "dots" on the reverse. Is that a result from a damaged die? Is that bits of steel that got on the coin before stamping? Or is this a chemical reaction in some way? Also, take notice of the double stamped mint mark. It does not match the popular double stamped denver mint mark steel pennies I see going around on the net.
    • San Francisco - This one also has a bold double stamped mint mark. Or is that a doubled mint die? What is more interesting is the three features you see as a sort of "rough" spot on the obverse. One above the date, one on the shoulder of Abe and another behind his ear. To me, they always looked like some kind of fine cloth got on the coin during stamping, or maybe something else. Or maybe the die was damaged? I read that a lot of dies that year took a large beating.
    • No Mint - Ironically, this is the strangest of the three. You will immediately notice the "sunken" letters on the reverse. The "UR" in "PLURIBUS" and the "UNU" in "UNUM". Due to the geometric shape of the flat area between the two sunken portions, it seems the die was damaged. What do you think? Another striking feature you will notice is the shine. The other two coins have a shiny mirror-like finish, while this one has a more grey-like shine. Does this mean the planchet was not zinc plated? Is it a different type of steel? Different zinc?

    Now as for the story, these coins exhibit the grade of BU easily, maybe the highest, so the story adds up there. But what confuses me is, how a mint worker living in southern california made three strike errors on three different minted coins. Do the mints get coins from other mints? I know that a lot of "no mint" coins get stamped at other mints.

    Now as for the obvious counter theory, this could all be a facade and the coins were simply "reprocessed" as I have seen other conversations describe them. If so, the errors or damage would easily be explained. Well grading them is the best way to find out and I intend to either way. Thanks for reading my forum post and thanks in advance for your time!
     

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  3. paddyman98

    paddyman98 I'm a professional expert in specializing! Supporter

    No mint mark simply means they were struck at the Philadelphia Mint. I see nothing strange about them.
    If you send them to be graded they will be rejected. They don't grade reprocessed cents.

    - Mr. Ed
    (Specializing in collecting mint errors since 1985)
     
  4. XAVIERenc

    XAVIERenc New Member

    We still do not know if they were reprocessed. And how would we?
     
  5. paddyman98

    paddyman98 I'm a professional expert in specializing! Supporter

    The shine. IMHO
     
    spirityoda likes this.
  6. XAVIERenc

    XAVIERenc New Member

    I have read about the signs of reprocessing. These coins do not exhibit those signs.
    They do not all have the same shine. And what does "IMHO" mean. I speak English.
     
  7. l.cutler

    l.cutler Member

    They appear to be perfectly normal steel cents. They are collectable but definitely not worth having graded. Keep them as a memento of your friend, and take the story with a grain of salt!
     
    paddyman98 likes this.
  8. paddyman98

    paddyman98 I'm a professional expert in specializing! Supporter

    Wow.. In My Honest Opinion

    I never once thought you didn't speak English. I'm sorry for assuming everyone knew what IMHO stood for. :facepalm:

    And.. Welcome to CoinTalk!
     
    spirityoda and XAVIERenc like this.
  9. XAVIERenc

    XAVIERenc New Member

    Either way, I still want to know what these errors or damages are. Maybe my post wasn't clear enough on that.
     
  10. XAVIERenc

    XAVIERenc New Member

    Oh I almost forgot to mention. I see some good sales going around for double stamped mint marks for denver. If that coin is becoming sought after simply because of the double stamping, then why wouldn't my denver hold a similar value? I saw one sell for over a grand.
     
  11. l.cutler

    l.cutler Member

    Some of it may be rust spots forming on the steel. Steel coins were new to the mint and they had a lot of problems minting them. The Philadelphia minted coin may have some die damage, I am sure members who are more verse will chime in.
     
  12. l.cutler

    l.cutler Member

    You may see coins listed for that, but are they really selling for those prices? There are a lot of crazy prices listed on Etsy and Ebay but they are not realistic. I am sure you will get more info from other members.
     
  13. MatrixMP-9

    MatrixMP-9 Well-Known Member

    The D looked interesting at first glance but doesnt match any listed RPMs. I agree they look reprocessed...the MM shows some evidence....IMHO lol CSBPMU
     
  14. Collecting Nut

    Collecting Nut Borderline Hoarder

    First, welcome to CT. We are here to give honest answers, not mess with you. Having said that I would ask you to reconsider your story. The S was minted in San Francisco, the D in Denver and the no mintmark was minted in Philly. It would be physically impossible for the Mint employee to work in all three locations in the same year.

    Your friend the antique dealer would have bought these from a 75 year old if he was 18 when the Mint first hired him. They are minted in 1943, that's 57 years ago and at age 18 he would be 75 when he sold them in 2000. The next 19 years just make it worse.

    The D and S coins look replated while the other coin looks more normal. The Mints do not share coins. They each manufacturer for the areas they serve.

    I'm not sure what you mean by them being in a plastic/cardboard holder for coins but this was not from the Mint. The type holder you describe certainly sounds of a newer after market item.

    To me, all three coins look to be worth one dollar. My local coin dealer sells them 6 for $1.00 or $.17 cents each in this condition. I have 5 sets in different conditions because they are so cheap.
     
  15. XAVIERenc

    XAVIERenc New Member

    Well considering the story, none of these features should match listings. So far I have never seen an equal.
     
  16. XAVIERenc

    XAVIERenc New Member

    Keep in mind I had a coin dealer look at them. He said they looked BU to him and certainly made no mention of reprocessing.
     
  17. XAVIERenc

    XAVIERenc New Member

    Also, there is no rust, nor corrosion on these coins.
     
  18. XAVIERenc

    XAVIERenc New Member

    I never said when I got the coins, or when the antique dealer got them. I don't know where you got those dates from. To be honest, I have no earthly idea when they were exchanging hands. Seriously, I'm less worried about the story and more concerned about what is in my hand. Now as I stated the different mint marks certainly make the story sound bogus, and I am close to believing it's a lie. What confuses me is why tell such a huge story for such a worthless set of coins.
     
  19. Collecting Nut

    Collecting Nut Borderline Hoarder

    Exactly! You don't give dates but you do state he was afraid of getting fired so he stole them, from 3 different Mints no less, all at the same time. Dates are necessary. Somewhere the story is bogus, big time.
     
    spirityoda likes this.
  20. XAVIERenc

    XAVIERenc New Member

    T
    he cardboard holder was a pointless detail. Obviously somebody the coins in it at some point. I never assumed it came from the mint. I don't know why so many assumptions are being made. So far nobody can explain the features I described on these coins. I would really like to know how these damages were made. Studying the minting process is fun for me and which is why I like error coins. If I don't understand the coins I am looking at, then how will I ever become good at identifying coins at all?
     
  21. XAVIERenc

    XAVIERenc New Member

    I wont argue that. haha the story certainly doesn't add up. But I still want to know what happened to these coins.
     
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