Like to hear everyones thoughts in this very strange cent.

[joefro]

Hey everyone,

I was just looking at the following auction
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=39457&item=8310385339&rd=1

This coin was apparently not struck at all on the reverse leaving the planchet blank. I was always under the impression that these were very rare. Why is this cent only going for $10?
The L in Liberty also appears to be gone. Is this more common than I thought? To me this seems like a neater error than a 1955DD but I guess its all about populations?? Some help would be great. Thanks

Joe

[murphy]

Hi Joe. I'm no expert, but because it has flat rims and seems to be flat across the entire reverse of the coin, I'd be afraid someone just smoothed it down. It would be great if the seller had posted the weight of the coin so it could be better determined what actually has happened to it. But, that's probably why it's only selling for $10.

[coppercoins]

Fake, no doubt about it. There is no mint-produced error that can result in a completely smooth coin side.

A brockage or struck through die cap would not only have a rim on the reverse, but would also show mottling or some sort of design feature.

A struck-through error would work much like the die cap, it would still have some sort of unevenness on the reverse.

Without a doubt in my mind, if that coin were weighed it would come in at 2.5 grams or less, not the 3.1 grams it should weigh...because the reverse was ground off with a machine.

[joefro]

Wow, thanks for such a definitive answer! Thats a good point that there is no rim. Even the blank planchet has a rim then?

Can you define the term "brockage"? This one is new to me. Is it when there is no strike on one side of the coin?

Someone is making a killing selling pennies for $10. It must be nice to be so knowledgeable, I can't wait.

Joe

[Robert]

Strictly speaking, not all blank planchets have a rim.

In the coin making process, the blanks are punched out of a metal strip, then "upset" to make the rim, then placed between two dies and struck. The "upset mill" is a machine that raises the edge.

Some blank planchets that escape the mint have not been "upset" (type 1) and some do have the upset rim (type 2).
Type 2 coins/planchets are much more common than type 1s.

http://www.fredweinberg.com/inventory/categorylist.asp?t=c&ID=3

But basically I think everyone agrees that the subject coin is not real. There's no way to get a full strike on one side and have the other side completely blank. The closest I can think of is a completely filled die, but that's not very likely.

Save your $10.

[coppercoins]

Technically speaking, those without the upset rim are called "blanks." They are not "planchets" until they are upset, thus all planchets do have rims.

The "type 1" and "type 2" thing is a dealer's simple-speak for not having to explain the difference between the two terms.

[pennyhound]

Joe,

Had one of those earlier ... that we had discussed on the forum here, 1960.

Even tho, it is ... within limit/s ... weighing in at 3.0 grams.

Weighted: 46.296 grs (3.0 times 15.432)

and the book calls for:

it's weight to be: 48grs, plus or minus ... 2 grs.

[joefro]

All of your advice is most greatly appreciated. And dont worry, I wasnt even thinking of spending the $10. Too many people out there know too much about coins to let something like that slip by on E-bay for so cheap. As a matter of fact, I find e-bay is a good way to tell which varieties are rare and which or more common. At least in terms of demand. I know it would be suicide to judge your purchases on this alone, but I've found if you see a coin going for over $100 with 15 bids, there's probably a reason. Same thing goes for this one-sided-cent, if it were genuine it would have been going for well over $10. I just wanted to find out why it was fake. Thanks guys!

joe

[coop]

Joe: I seen several poeple bid on useless, common stuff such as mechanical doubling, so even that is not a sure bet.