The coin looks different to me (novice) because of the date and its found in a bank roll. Strike appears sharp but surface has issues(? )
First, welcome to the neighborhood @Sidney Osborne ! There are a few reasons why the coin looks to be in such nice condition. For one, the "Great American Giveaway" wasn't that long ago and collectors were unloading small parts of their collections back into circulation. It could also be that someone had hoarded coins like this and finally decided to cash them in at a bank or CoinStar. Of course, there is also the possibility that some youngster swiped them from the old man's collection to buy some candy at the local convenience store. ~ Chris
Chris, I want to thank you for your response...the coin didn't appear to see a lot of circulation, being a novice, I was hoping that it would be something unique...perhaps I should also show the reverse.
The reverse isn't going to change anything. It's still only worth what someone is willing to pay for it, and that would probably be no more than a few cents. ~ Chris
It's a nice looking cent that would make a great addition to an album set. You would need to look through a lot of bank rolls to find an upgrade. However, early uncirculated Lincoln Memorial cents can be purchased by the roll. So as Chris said, they are only worth a few cents each and even then it would be tough to find a buyer. Keep it for your date set and see how many other nice looking different dates you can find
Oldhoopster thank you for your response, that was a 3pointer! Still wish I had a microscope and a good camera, the obverse does have some small "splotches" (carbon spots (novice)) and the reverse has micro striations in the "field"; even tried to look this up on varieties and errors.com ? Haven't been consistently involved with the hobby the knowledge and helpfulness of you guys on the forum is appreciated.
First I will say I have a large collection of one cent pieces mostly small cent pieces (every mint every year from 1857 to present except the 1909 s VDB) but I do own about 150 large and 1/2 cents dating back to 1809. I would say your penny looks quite normal for an uncirculated or AU 1964 memorial. I have several examples that look exactly like yours. To me it makes no sense to sit and think about or try to guess how it came to be at the bank in the first place. I seriously doubt some kid robbed his daddy's collection or some unknown collecter just decided to put it back in circulation! Gimme a break already please! Just be happy you found it and treat it like is was invaluable and some day maybe it really will be. Stay safe WEAR a mask and wash your hands ANY time after you touch any object that is not already your.
@Sidney Osborne ...your pic was blurry so I couldn’t help. Like the other responses, it looks like a keeper, condition-wise. When deciding yes or no to keep, look at the high parts of the detail...in this case for the obverse: the cheek, jaw, eyebrow, coat lapel and bowtie. If you see the slightest amount of wear on any of these areas then the highest grade will be AU58+. Technically, you could assign AU59 but this is normally not used. But in no event would it merit MS60 because the coin has to have absolutely no wear to be that. When posting, use “full image” of the entire obverse and reverse, cropped to remove any background. Then, include a close-up of the part of the coin you have a question about. These are the bare-bone basics. This way the experts here can help you most. Just make sure your pics are in focus. Welcome to CT!…Spark
