I have 5 of them I came across bit this one looks great. Stood out from all the other pennies I was looking at, even the newer ones.
We’re trying to determine if it’s a proof. It’s hard to determine decisively from those photos. For the record it doesn’t mean it’s worth more than a half-buck, maybe, just that it’s a different method of manufacture than a strike that was intended to circulate. Odds-wise about 1 in just under 200 of these are proofs.
All I know it caught my eye when I was on my bed looking at pennies and the light was reflecting off it
The lettering will be sharper, the rims will be bigger and squarer, and the surface will appear mirrored. Look them up and a mint state 1974-S and compare. Pics are worth a thousand words here.
