Could this be a Proof 1909 Lincoln Cent?

I found this 1909 Lincoln penny in a roll of wheat cents today. It immediately jumped out to me because it was so shiny and bright. At first look, I thought I was looking at a 1943 steel penny that was in very good condition. I was really surprised to see if was a 1909.

The details on the coin are very clear, and I am afraid that my pictures do not do the coin justice. I was reading about 1909 proofs but everything I read was on the matte proof. This penny has a very nice luster to it, not a matte finish at all. However, the rim or edge of the penny is very squared, not rounded like other pennies.

Were there any proofs made of 1909 Lincolns that were not matte proofs? Please take a look at these photos and let me know if you think I might have something of value. I will try to get better photos later.

 

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No unfortunately this coin has been cleaned and possibly replated to make it look nice and shiny.

 

Shoot, I was afraid of that. Dang, you are good!

 

He ain't that good (it's obvious); neither is the coin.

 

I already feel stupid enough, no need to rub it in.

 

JDS:
No reason to feel stupid, we all make mistakes.

In fact, if we stop making mistakes, then we are not buying anything.

The day that I stop making mistakes, I will become perfect.

Then, (when I am perfect) they will call me by another name: Mother-in-law.

 

The positive thing about the experience is I learned about the Lincoln Matte Proofs while researching. I also learned to be suspicious of shiny 100 year old coins. :smile

 

The last perfect person was nailed to a cross.

 

Ah, now I know that you haven't met my mother-in-law!

 

Kind of looks like a polished coin. And been there done that with the questions. It never hurts to ask and learn. Plus some of us other beginners learn also.

 

I'll take that as a compliment. :thumb: hahaha!!

 

When wondering if a Lincoln is a matte proof or not, you need to learn the diagnostics to check for. For the 1909 there are some die scratches in the field just off of Lincoln's nose and another die line extending from the back of Lincoln's coat towards the R of LIBERTY, both of which can be seen in the pic of my 1909 matte proof if you look closely:

 

I wouldn't worry about it JDS. Like you I'm just getting back into the swing of things. I still have some of the coins that I collected as a kid and am building on it. For me the one place for guys like us to stay away from is Ebay. If there is something obvious up for bid (like a modern ASE) and the price is right I'll go for it. Yet from what I have seen and heard in this forum and gotten caught with myself that place is pretty bad.

You are most defintely right about the cleaning of older coins. I bought a 1928 peace dollar from ebay that looked like it was uncriculated except that the feathers on the eagle were worn right off. There's no way a coin gets that worn without getting dirty.

By the way how is the Kennedy half dollar collecting going? I went to that site APMEX and saw some very nice proof half dollars there. I thing that I'm going to pick a few up. Thanks for the tip.

 

Hi Bazz and thanks for the encouragement. I agree that Ebay is probably a bad idea for those who are inexperienced. I made some purchases that should be arriving this week, but that will be my last.

I attended a coin show last weekend and will attend another this weekend. The coins I purchased were of good quality and the price fell right in line with the red book. It nice to be able to see the coins up close, ask questions and listen to others talk to dealers as they were purchasing.

Yesterday, I bought "The Official Numismatic Association Grading Standards for United States Coins", and I spent a good amount of time trying to learn about how coins are graded. I also read a little online about how to spot coins that have been cleaned or altered. However, if I buy from reputable dealers at coin shows, I bet that I won't have to worry so much about cleaned or altered coins.

The Kennedy collection is going pretty well. I think that I should have up to 1985 by next month. However, as I've been reading about coins the Walking Liberty has really caught my attention. What a beautiful coin!

Again, I appreciate the posts. This site has been a valuable resource. I've had the week off work and I've spent a lot of my time reading posts on this forum.

 

Yes, I could see the lines in the photo. If I were only so lucky to stumble across one of those.

 

JPS,

I couldn't resist after posting this I went to APMEX and browsed around and purchased 8 Kennedy proofs. They look pretty good. Like you though, who knows if I paid too much or not. I guess I don't care. I really like the fact that I am collecting a set of coins and in the end, at this point, the Kennedys are a cheap coin relatively speaking so I couldn't gotten beaten up too badly.

I am looking forward to going to some coin shows though. I just don't know of any in my area.