Penny planchets are made outside the mint! http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=261101401091 ...
Not sure about the US, but in many other countries that is perfectly normal. Mints buy blanks from specialized manufacturers, and then make coins from them ... Christian
I wonder how he came across it. There was a guy a while back that got in a whole lot of trouble for selling some of those. I think he worked for a company that made them for the Mint. I'm not sure if he was charged with theft from the manufacturer, or theft from the Mint. I suppose that depends on how the contract was worded. I'm sure this one was probably bought at the Mint, or acquired in some other legitimate way, but you never know...
