Error Searching Rewarded With New First

Error Searching Rewarded With New First

This article was originally printed in Numismatic News.
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It was no fluke that Jeff Young of Ohio found the first reported 1983-D cent struck on a 95 percent copper planchet rather than the copper-plated zinc used in that year. He brought a box of other rare coins that he has found in circulation.

In the Jan. 29 issue of Numismatic News I reported upon the discovery of the first known 1983-D homogeneous copper ally cent by Jeff Young of Ohio. I indicated that I was reasonably convinced of its authenticity. This was based on the image of the coin on a scale showing it weighing 3.1 grams, (the correct weight for a pre-1983 95-percent copper alloy planchet). Other images showed the surface without any evidence of planchet blisters that can be diagnostic of the later copper-plated zinc cents produced since mid-1982.

My determination was contingent upon him bringing the coin to me for an hands-on examination. Two weeks later Young brought the coin to a local antique shop, Antiques By Time, Stockbridge, Mich., whose owner agreed to allow me to drag in my large tub of photography equipment, etc., to do the job.

I am now happy to report that I am fully convinced that Young has indeed found the first 1983-D 95-percent copper cent. It weighed exactly 3.1 grams on my scale, passed the “ring test”; i.e., it had an identical ring to an earlier dated solid copper cent rather than the duller thud of a copper- plated zinc cent when he dropped it several times upon a hard surface.

Close examination of the surface showed no evidence of plating blisters that are very often present on the majority of copper-plated zinc cents, though these defects are often so minor they are overlooked by casual observers using magnifications of 10x or under.

But it didn’t stop there. Young also brought a double row box of his other finds from circulation. While there were many, I thought I’d show a few that represented the cream of the crop.

His first coin was a 1966 doubled-die reverse cent. It represents only the third example found since it was first reported upon in The Combined Organizations of Numismatic Error Collectors of America’s, Errorscope in 1999 and again in Numismatic News when the second specimen was discovered in 2011. To date I am not aware of an example trading either privately or through auction, but it assuredly falls into a value of thousands of dollars even in circulated grade.

While it doesn’t have the strength or pizazz of the 1983 doubled-die cent, it is certainly worth far more based on its rarity. It will be included in the upcoming fourth edition of Strike It Rich With Pocket Change by Dr. Brian Allen and me. I have listed it as FS-801 for inclusion in the Cherrypickers’ Guide To Rare Die Varieties. I show images of UNI of UNITED, ONE and the designer initials, FG.

Young’s next find is of course the 1983 doubled die reverse shown here. This is a Red Book variety known by virtually all collectors since 1983 yet they can still be found in circulation if you take the time to look. I show the word UNITED and ONE CENT but the doubling is much more extensive.

Another neat find is his 1999 Wide AM (of AMERICA) cent. Despite of the fact it came out of a roll of circulation cents, it was a solid full red MS-65 in my opinion. Coin Prices Magazine pegs these at $450 but certified examples often bring significantly more.

One of the major highlights that really surprised me was a 1967 business strike doubled-die reverse quarter dollar with strong doubling on E PLURIBUS UNUM and some lesser doubling on the lower serifs of AMERICA and eagle’s beak. It is a known variety that Dr. James Wiles, CONECA’s Attributer of 20/21st Century Die Varieties, says has proven to be rare. I have listed this one for the Cherrypickers’ Guide as FS-802.

Young had many other finds too numerous to show including a 1984 doubled- die obverse No. 1 cent, an unlisted 2007-P doubled-die obverse dime (best on date), three 1978 cents struck on copper alloy planchets that weighed between 2.4 and 2.5 grams that appeared to be foreign planchets, and several different Major Die Break Cuds.

There are new discoveries out there in circulation worth hundreds and thousands of dollars just waiting to be found. Let me know what you find!

Ken Potter is the official attributer of world doubled dies for the Combined Organizations of Numismatic Error Collectors of America. He is co-author with Dr. Brian Allen of Krause Publications’ “Strike It Rich With Pocket Change” and the editor of “The Cherrypickers’ Guide To Rare Die Varieties.” More information about how to get a coin listed in the Variety Coin Register may be obtained by sending him a long, self-addressed envelope with 65 cents postage to P.O. Box 34, Stockbridge, MI 49285, or by contacting him via email at [email protected]. An educational image gallery may be viewed on his website at www.koinpro.com