Asked a coin dealer about this and he said it's badly damaged, but would give me $5 for it. That makes me wonder why a nasty penny would be worth that. Tell me what you think https://www.flickr.com/photos/187311158@N06/albums/72157714024582936 After looking at the penny, you'll see that there's no flattening on the letters or numbers and only normal wear/scuffing on the high spots. Check out the lips and bow tie compared to a normal penny. Thanks for your input.
Your Cent is DEFDAM - Definitely Damaged I don't know why that guy would offer $5.00 but as Frank said go and get the $$ That is no Mint Error of any kind!
Welcome to Coin Talk. Maybe he thinks it's a doubled die or some type of error. In that condition it's very difficult to know what it is. If it were mine, I'd go back and take the $5.00
Welcome to the neighborhood @coins2see ! Most coin dealers know very little about error coins. That is because learning about them and studying them is very time-consuming, and that uses too much time which would be better spent buying and selling coins. We do have some well-respected error specialists who frequent our forums, so stick around and maybe you will get a chance to meet them. ~ Chris
At this point I couldn't care less about what it's worth. It does have damage for sure. But what I've pointed out is not consistent with any type of damage I would have expected. For instance, look at the pics and there is not any significant damage to the rim. I didn't include pics of the reverse due to the fact there is no damage other that normal wear for a circulated coin. I would figure that if it was banged up in a dryer it would have consistent damage all over. To me it's just an interesting anomaly that someone could help shed some light on. Thanks.
You should never conclude that a coin is an error because you can't explain how the damage occurred. There are innumerable ways for a coin to suffer damage. You always want to explain the anomaly in terms of the minting and die making process. How could this have occurred at the mint. The process is well documented and understood, and many members including some that answered your question are very knowledgeable in this area. As you research and study the minting process, it will become apparent that your coin could not have left the mint looking like that. That's why other members said it's just damaged. It sounds like the dealer doesn't have a good understanding of the minting process if he offered you $5 for it. Lack of knowledge can be costly, although in this case he would only be out $4.99. Hope this helps
I've been reading the responses and now I see why I like this forum...I have questions about certain coins and it is embarrassing when you know you are exposing your inexperience, but nevertheless the forum gives you good advice and a "safety net" to fall into.
The more I look at this it looks like PMD-DEFDAM, I thought it was a struck through fabric at first glance.? This is a 1920 D Lincoln cent.
It is very much out of focus,hard to tell even where his ear is, but the coin as a whole. appears to be environmental damage. Jim
Welcome to Coin Talk. The photo is so out of focus it's very hard to say what kind of damage your coin suffered. It looks like there's some kind of foreign substance and corrosion on your cent. Even if I needed it to fill a missing space in my Lincoln Cent folder, it's so ugly I wouldn't fill it with that coin. Just kidding.
We have to see the reverse to be able to really give a proper review. Sorry but we really can't take your word on that. Nothing personal, we just need to see both sides of the coin. Hope you understand.
Okay... Took Saturday off to go fishing and caught nothing. But that's not always the point for fishing. Anyway, I want to say Thank You to those who put some thought into their answers. It helps the learning process. So, I've put up a pic of the reverse of my puffy penny. I guess my real question at this point would be... How could this type of damage occur and if somebody manipulated the coin how could all the letters and numbers be rounded at the tops? Anyways, thanks again for the replies. https://www.flickr.com/photos/187311158@N06/49821686847/in/dateposted-public/
