It's my first time on here and it's been quite overwhelming reading the posts from all of you very knowledgeable people! However, I still need some help so I'm going to try. I have what appears to be a 1950 steel cent. I was really hoping it was a very expensive error coin so I could pay off my mortgage and retire, but from some of your posts I've read it, doesn't look very promising. Here's what I know about it. It is very magnetic. I can't weigh it because it seems to have this band around it that I tried to remove, and the rules say you can't yell at me on here for being dumb. I guess it was once jewelry? Anyway, I would like your thoughts and also what is the least expensive way to find out if it's worth anything or not? Thank you.
Welcome to Coin Talk. The cent is in a bezel setting and has been plated. It was worn as jewelry. Sorry not an error. Post mint damage to the coin.
Yes, it was jewelry at one time, as that is a bezel around it. and it appears plated and/or polished. which all happened after being minted ... so it is just considered damage. edit: I forgot to add .. it's worth 1 cent. There are ton's of misleading Youtube, webpages etc out there making you think you can get rich on pocket change .. let's just say those pages etc are designed to make money off of you.
First, welcome to the neighborhood, Irene! Yes, everyone is right. It was in a jewelry setting, but I have to chuckle a bit because I like your comment. I won't yell at you for being dumb. There is no such thing as a dumb question, only dumb answers. So, here's mine. You've reminded me of the Doris Day song..... Que sera, sera! What ever will bezel, will bezel. ~ Chris
fyi, nowadays they've gotten cheaper than using bezels. They just polish up the coin, drill a hole in it (they may also bend it [called Dapping / doming] so it's convex/concave) and put a ring on it for a cheap charm.
I would never buy from online, some of mine were from my parents and in-law. I can't afford to buy any now. I'm trying to find the best place to sell some but I know it's not allowed on here.
Correction: Once you have accumulated 10 posts, you are allowed to post items in the Buy/Sell/Trade forums. (Please read the rules and restrictions.) However, you are not allowed to post solicitations on the open forums. ~ Chris
Thanks for all your replies everyone. I don't understand why anyone would want to wear a nice coin as jewelry. I guess it was just a strange fad in the 50's, but I still see people selling some online. Just a story to share. My parents were born in 1910 and were in the hotel service industry for many years. They inherited a stash of large coins from a very old man. with no family, that lived in my parents hotel for many years. I remember my mom sitting me on the counter when I was very little and letting me play with all the coins. When I got older I asked her what happened to the old coins. She said dad had cashed them in and used the money to pay for our month long trip to Hawaii when I was 9 yrs old. Sigh...
...and that's one reason it's still possible to find interesting coins in circulation. They keep falling into the hands of people who spend them. On the other hand, you do have the memories of a month-long Hawaii visit, which is something most of us don't have. Welcome to CoinTalk!
Wearing a coin as jewelry was not just a "fad" in the 1950s ... but going back before the 1800s and even through today. for cheap stuff ... https://www.pinterest.com/coinstories/coin-charms/ for more pricey stuff ... https://www.apmex.com/category/18200/gold-pendants you'll come across coins for sale that have various forms of rim damage. You can usually tell after some experience when they used to be in some type of bezel. of course, you'll even get coins that are made prominent inside watches
People have been wearing coins as jewelry for a long time. There are many old coins which have been "holed". Perhaps 1950 was the birth year of the person who wore it. I recently found, a very nice 1945 1 centavo with a hole. So someone (maybe born in 1945) wore this on a chain.
Nice story but too bad you were so young as you couldn't do anything about it. Hope you had a nice vacation in Hawaii.
