Clipped Cent Question

Hey everybody, I just signed up on CoinTalk today, and I'd like to ask a question of our experts out there if I may:

I was searching through a big box of coins my dad and I rolled up around 1993, before I really became interested in collecting (I used to simply keep the wheat cents because they were "neat"), and I found a cent with three curved clipstaken out of three defferent sides of the coin.

I took this to a coin shop the other day and asked a friend who worked there if he could tell me anything about whether it was the real deal or not. He said, after examining the coin through a microscope, that he could find no evidence of tool marks or sanding off of the edge of the coin that would make it a counterfeit.

So here's the question: is there anything distinct that a counterfeit clip would show under a 10X magnifying glass that I could look for, and if not, is the coin worth at least sending in someplace for authentication? Where could I send it if so?

Thanks to anyone who could give me some insight!

~AJ

 

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There are at least three things to look for in a genuine clip:

1. A vertical edge that usually shows a "belly line" or "breakaway zone" where the coin metal tears in advance of the blanking die.
2. A weakness of the rim combined with an especially well-struck edge at the pole opposite the clip. This is called the Blakesley Effect
3. Fadeout and tapering of the rim as it approaches the clip.

 

These are the 5 best clips I have in my collection. I don't collect these but received them from a relative. I'm not an expert on clips, they were just labelled as such. Take a gander.

 

All the clips look good to me except the last one (the 1967 cent). The rim on that one is intact but pushed in. That wouldn't occur with a genuine clip.

 

Ya know, I thought the same thing believe it or not. I must be getting better at this. Now check out my "die cracks" thread. These truely baffle me.