You may have a dropped letter error - specifically a dropped mintmark - but your photos must be better to make that determination. In fact, you may have to present the coin to an error collector or dealer for examination in person to be conclusive.
@LandK The "Dropped Element" theory might be possible if the obverse was the hammer die, but then the imprint would be on the obverse rather than the reverse. I think what the OP sees is just a strange discoloration acquired during 20 years of circulation. Chris
Looks like it took a hit. PMD - Post Mint Damage @LandK coins are minted/struck.. Not printed.. paper currency is printed with ink.
I saw some clouds that resembled pareidolias once. Actually, the coin does appear to have taken a small nick for the upright and then received an unusual stain, all post mint of course, giving an illusion of a random "P." However, the coin still has some interest, even though no extra value, if the first photo is accurate. I believe I see considerable strike doubling in several of the letters.
Thank you for your help everyone that actually posted something helpful and informative. The extra P looks identical to the stamped P on the otherside so im not sure how a mark over time could have caused it to be so perfect, i might take it to an expert to give me some advice.
Yes go and do that.. My 31 years of collecting Mint Errors is not good enough. And the many many years of all the others who also responded.. Especially Fred Weinberg!
While I was out yesterday, a gentleman brought in a 2009 Lincoln that had a "P" mintmark ABOVE the date. My wife examined it and was fairly excited saying she could see it plainly. She is seasoned as a numismatist but not expertly. The fellow returned when I was in and I saw what he saw. When I put it under a glass I could plainly see it was a grease spot. Didn't have even the slightest resemblance to a "P"
One of the responses that said your coin was not an error was from one of the countries leading experts on error coinage (plus a number of other responses from very knowledgeable collectors). You'll be hard pressed to find someone with better credentials.
Your right Paddy that Fred guy is sort of sketchy. I once saw a photo of him hanging out with.....oh that other guy was you......never mind. Lol. Reed and Sparkles the Unicorn
Yes, you do that, but make sure your "expert" is not one of the coin dealers in your area! From my experience, most dealers know very little about error coins. They will just blow you off by saying something like, "You might have something there. I think you should submit it for grading." That's the way they get rid of someone who is wasting their time. By the way, the next time you find an "error" coin, don't bother posting it here for the real experts like @Fred Weinberg or @paddyman98 to give you their honest and experienced opinion. Just post it on BoobTube! Chris
@LandK ... we'll give you the benefit of the doubt, after all on the Internet nobody knows you're a dog, but everybody knows your dog. The great thing about this site is that you never know who is on the other side of the screen name... a lot of the people here are true professional experts and/or incredibly knowledgeable amateurs - all willing to share knowledge. You may not know Fred, but if you start counting off the top error coin people in the world, you will have fingers left on the first hand when you get to him. He's not being snide - pareidolia is a psychological term for the tendency of the human brain to turn random images into recognized patterns. Yes the chance of a ding + stain looking like a P is small, but across the billions of circulation strike nickels minted over the last decade, even a "million-to-one chance" happens several times. As it happens, then, this wasn't an error. Doesn't mean they aren't out there nor should you stop looking or asking questions! I recommend looking at error-ref.com - that site has lots of infornation about types of errors and examples! Good Luck!
