1960 Mint-Error Penny ?

Too cold weather to go hunting, metal detector hanging next to me. Time to check all those coins I've been dropping in my old crackers can. Some of them were actually wheat pennies and between them I found a few peculiar ones. This is one of them. I'm not a coin expert but couldn't avoid to notice some unusual features. I could be wrong anyway, so let me know....



Notice the hole between the cheek and the neck ?



Somehow it doesn't look like damage made after mint. Now, let's check the other side.



I observed 4 details here.



#1 and #2 circles seem to show the same "hole" on Abe's cheek. I don't know what that means. Maybe nothing. But then I noticed the letter "I" looks more like a "V" with the right side leaning to the "E" and the left side straight. Makes me think that could be what they call a "Double die error".

After that, you can see another "I" leaning to the right where is suppose to be the "T", the missing top of the "T" could be caused by damage but how can you explain the rest is not straight and instead of a "I" you see an "/".

Finally, the #4 circle looks like part of the building is not straight and seems to be about to fall (LOL). Hopefully not prophetic

Cool yah could be a die error.

I think there needs to be several documented by the same 'batch' for it to be worth much though.

a reply to: Trueman

Cool hobby man. I recently found some odd chains that look like shackles on my circa 1870 property,very off looking,and were about 4ft down. When I was a kid I found a double barrel flintlock pistol in a fresh water creek bed,I showed my mother,and it was never seen again. I often wonder how old it was and how it got there.

The images you are showing are not typical of double die errors. It is more likely to be a broken die error if it is a minting error at all. My instinct tells me it is not. Broken die errors are often unique and harder to identify as such.

There are some 1960 mint errors but they involve a small print date stamped over the large print date. It is most noticeable on the 0 in 1960.

For more information you can always check, and submit pictures, at numismedia.com or pennywhimsy.com.

My brother owns a rare coin gallery and his specialty is American cents and half cents. I will check with him tomorrow and let you know what he says.

a reply to: Trueman

To me it looks like damage from the penny laying in a parking lot and getting drove over.

originally posted by: seasonal
a reply to: Trueman

To me it looks like damage from the penny laying in a parking lot and getting drove over.

That almost happened to me one time when I was drunk.

a reply to: Vroomfondel

Thanks man. Let me know what your brother thinks. Like I said, I am not an expert but those letters (circle #3) pushed me to make this thread.

originally posted by: hiddenNZ
a reply to: Trueman

Cool hobby man. I recently found some odd chains that look like shackles on my circa 1870 property,very off looking,and were about 4ft down. When I was a kid I found a double barrel flintlock pistol in a fresh water creek bed,I showed my mother,and it was never seen again. I often wonder how old it was and how it got there.

You should buy a metal detector

a reply to: Trueman

Know you know why us Brits call this funny money

It's worth more than a penny, in it's melt value.

originally posted by: stonerwilliam
a reply to: Trueman

Know you know why us Brits call this funny money

That makes sense. I call them funny coins

originally posted by: CharlesT
It's worth more than a penny, in it's melt value.

Well, I never sold what I found. Some stuff hanging on the wall and other stored in boxes. Maybe if one day I find something really, really expensive.

a reply to: Trueman

Bought a really expensive metal detector 7 or so years ago just because i always wanted one but have actually used it very little. No good accessible places to actually use it much around here.

a reply to: CharlesT

There must be places where you can use it. Public parks for example.

We have a penny with similar marks... two nickels as well. Our Belgian Mali gnawed on them... I won't say where we found them, but a metal detector wasn't needed.

If I remember correctly, the 1960 penny had two versions: the large date and the small date. In the large date the tails on the 6 and 9 were longer. The small date was worth more. At least that's what I remember, too lazy to look it up right now.

originally posted by: CharlesT
It's worth more than a penny, in it's melt value.

Now, but if the banking system shuts down from compounded malfeasance, then coins are still legal tender. A penny may be worth more than $10,000 in digits in the banking system if it goes down.

But as for copper content you're right. Also copper wiring, copper tubing, etc all that will have value should the system go down.

a reply to: madmac5150

Hopefully not in the robotic vacuum! That would not have been a good look.

a reply to: madmac5150

I know sometimes you can find rare coins in unexpected places. I found wheat pennies in my wife's purse.

really a old penny that has had the crap beat out of it and chips scratches .
even if this had been a rare mint penny its value would be low for the damage and being in circulation .
the ones with the highest value never get circulated .
Only the ww 11 Penney's have any real value as during www 11 copper was hard to get so in 1943 they made most penny's out of steel as such only a few copper ones were even made .
out of the rares are the 1943 penny No mint stamp on the penny as they few made were not ment to be and one sold for 82,000 content.time.com...
Forget finding one lol the rest over the years coins.thefuntimesguide.com...
most are worth less then a dollar a hand full get over 1000 $
my advice is play the lotto as your odds of striking it rich are higher and if you do the amount even with play four will be higher .

The sliver coins same thing worth a few bucks some up to 30 $ even ( making bank hu ? lol )
Unless you get extremely lucky and find a old gold coin US or other wise your detector will never pay off its cost and your time .

O of course there are the super rare finds great grandmas coin jar stuff we all read about or a ships treasure washed ashore by weather take the last 100 years and count the times on ten fingers with million of people looking .

AAA treaure if only we could have been tom sawyer ( based on the writers friends him self and real events of the time .