I found this tonight, in a stash of wheat pennies that I had been mindlessly filling for years (more details after the pix): So, here's the story: I collected as a kid, and kinda lost interest by the time I was in college (but kept my coin albums). I was strictly-by-the-book collect-from-pocket change collector. But even after losing interest, I always saved my wheaties, throwing them into a small (like 4" x 6" by 2") cardboard box. About a month ago, I found that box, and decided to roll them up for safekeeping. I lazily separated them into decades, tossing them into dixie cups -- one for 1909-1919, one for the 1920's, and so forth. The other night I went through the first cup, putting them into 2x2's (none of them were worth a whole lot). Tonight (like, just 30 minutes ago), I looked into the 1920's cup and saw there were only two pennies it it. I put the first one, a 1920-P into a 2x2. I took the second one, the 1924-D, and was mindlessly about to put it into a 2x2 when all of a sudden I thought: "hey! 1924-D! I just saw a thread on that!" I checked my cent album, and there was an empty space for 1924-D. And then, finally, I realized what I had -- the most valuable cent in my collection (hey -- remember I said it was all done via pocket change! well, that, and what my parents gave me 40 years ago, which they collected from pocket change). So -- all I know is that sometime between 1978 and 1999 I found this penny in change, probably only looked at the back of it, and threw it into a box. (And that box survived intact through five moves!) And that's my story and I'm stickin' with it! (It's by far the most valuable coin I've ever found in pocket change. I ain't never found anything like that before) So -- the back looks like "F-12" or so to me (full lines), but I'm terrible at grading the front. What do y'all think it grades? (The white specks are dirt on the scanner. The color of the cent is a bit darker than the pic).
Congrats, thats a semikey and look to have vf details, and a very well struck reverse for that date. You found that in pocket change?:bow:
Thanks. I must have gotten it in pocket change . . . I know I didn't buy it, and it wasn't previously in my collection . . . and it was just sitting there in this paper cup (with another cent), that I think I sorted from my old stash of toss-in-the-box wheaties. (And, like my long story explained . . . it probably came to me in change in 1980's or 1990's). I can confidently say that I've never found a semi-key in _anything_ before. A few old Merc dimes (a 1916 and a 1923, both AG-3) or some beat up war-nickels are probably the most exciting thing I've ever found in change before.
And to think many peeps don't even look at pennies nor will they take the time to pick one up off the floor. :goof: Great find and awesome story behind it! :thumb: Ribbit
I'm like a hawk on prey , when I see a penny on the ground and I always look around to make sure there is no one going to be diving at it except me .
