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1922 plain wheat cent!!!!
Hey guys, well, I've returned from my vacation in California and was pretty excited to see/read all of what you guys have found this weekend! I still have a few more posts to go through, but I'm liking what I'm seeing. Congrats to all of you who have met your "silver goals", persistence pays off!
Today was my day to recuperate, and so I decided to go detecting for a while. Mikewaz was able to play hooky and so we went to a tried and true area we've been going to quite a bit lately. I wasn't having any luck whatsoever, no matter where I went. I first hit an open field to no avail. I think I found a wheat or two, but I was pulling up tons of those beaver tails that ring up just like nickels. I don't mean the entire pulltab, just the little tab that looks like a beaver's tail. Man, I hate those. Then we hit some woods, no success for me there either. So, we ended up back at a field.
So about four hours in, I was exhausted (did a lot of walking on my vacation), thirsty, and hungry. I motioned to Mike that I was going to get going. He said, "What?!? You're leaving without finding a silver??"
I responded, "Yeah man, silver isn't going to happen today. I'm going to kinda swing my way over to the car and go home."
Kinda on my way out, I got a 4-inch dime signal right up against some trash. Dug a plug and saw the shiny dime with the split bands on the back. On my way out! A beautiful 39-D merc, and so shiny and new looking, that it looks like someone has polished it (even though it probably hasn't been polished). I don't think the scan will do it justice. That gave a a bit of a rush, so I kept looking nearby for its lost cousins. Five minutes later, I get a bouncy dime signal. I dug my plug and out popped a crisp 24 merc! When I checked the hole, I was happy to see there was a wheatie in the hole with it. It was green and dirty, and without thinking much about it, I put it in my pocket.
When I got home, I began cleaning my four wheaties. 1919, cool. 36, 41, groovy. 1922...wait a tic. Isn't that a key date wheatie?? I grabbed my 1992 edition of the Red Book (give me a break guys...it was a quarter at a garage sale! lol) and saw that indeed it IS a key date wheatie! And though I'm not big on coin values and stuff like that, according to this outdated-by-seventeen-years-price guide, it is second only to the 1909-S VDB in rarity among regular issue cents, and is (was) worth $135.00 in G-4 condition! And G-4 is what it is more than likely. Even though it is in better condition that my other wheats I found today, it definitely needs to see a coin expert for evaluation. I am not posting the scan because the scan does not do it justice at all. I am most definitely having this one cleaned professionally before I post it so you all can see it in all its glory! I am psyched to say the least! If I didn't have to go to school tonight, I'd take it to a shop I know and trust to have them look at it and to help me decide what is best for it. I'll probably go in tomorrow.
That's my day in a nutshell! I had a great time, Mike found some keepers too so it was all good in the hood.
Hey Joe,... where 'ya going with that detector in your hand? Sorry, its my era showing through.
Man, your back in the saddle again with some great coins!!! Can't wait to see that '22.
Holy crud, a coin that has gone up 13,500 times in value? Am I correct with my math or what?
Wish my dollar went up that many times.
Those Mercs are gorgeous, and a key date wheatie - Wow!
I think your book is a little low on the value as it is an old one. The about.com site on coins lists a 22 plain in average condition with a wholesale value of $415.
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Re: 1922 plain wheat cent!!!!
Originally Posted by Kimsdad
Holy cow, Joe!!! WTG!!!!
Those Mercs are gorgeous, and a key date wheatie - Wow!
I think your book is a little low on the value as it is an old one. The about.com site on coins lists a 22 plain in average condition with a wholesale value of $415.
I don't know what shape yours is in, but it sure could be worth more than you think!
WTG, man!
Neil, you have no idea how anxious I am to take it to my not-so-local coin shop so the guy can take a look at it. I feel pretty good about a place that boasts this on their website:
"As a member in good standing of the America Numismatics Association, Illinois Numismatics Association, Central States Numismatics Society and a registered submitter for NGC we can be trusted for advice, privacy, and security. We understand the needs of our clients. Privacy and trust are the basis of our business. We will always give free, no obligation advice when it comes to your estate, holdings, or collections."
I am willing to invest in this coin if I am told it would be a good idea. Like I said earlier, I am not big on coin prices, I don't sell mine and rarely buy them, but I do want to preserve this one the best way I can so that perhaps a future generation can appreciate it the way I do.
WTG Joe on the mercs and the wheatie!!! I checked PCGS and the weak reverse is worth about $400. in G4 condition, but if the reverse is strong it bumps up to $725.00 Congrats. TMAN...
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Re: 1922 plain wheat cent!!!!
Originally Posted by tmanfromtexas
WTG Joe on the mercs and the wheatie!!! I checked PCGS and the weak reverse is worth about $400. in G4 condition, but if the reverse is strong it bumps up to $725.00 Congrats. TMAN...
I only rinsed the front with water to get a date, the back is still cruddy. Thanks for the info, I hope I will know soon what type it is. I haven't been this excited over a damn penny since...ever! lol
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Re: 1922 plain wheat cent!!!!
Huge congrats on a key date!
My 2010 Red book lists G-4 as $625, but I would caution those values are usually grossly over actual value you'd get. I hope that there isn't too much surface corrosion on it. If you end up getting it slabbed; I am sure the coin dealer will know more, but you should probably go with ANACS as it is a dug coin. PCGS and NGC will take your money and if they decide the coin was dug or altered or whatever, they will send it back ungraded but certified as 1922. I think if it is genuine its best to get it certified if you ever want to sell it, b/c there are a lot of fakes circulating.
Good luck with getting it appraised, restored, preserved, etc.
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Re: 1922 plain wheat cent!!!!
Originally Posted by p2c
Huge congrats on a key date!
My 2010 Red book lists G-4 as $625, but I would caution those values are usually grossly over actual value you'd get. I hope that there isn't too much surface corrosion on it. If you end up getting it slabbed; I am sure the coin dealer will know more, but you should probably go with ANACS as it is a dug coin. PCGS and NGC will take your money and if they decide the coin was dug or altered or whatever, they will send it back ungraded but certified as 1922. I think if it is genuine its best to get it certified if you ever want to sell it, b/c there are a lot of fakes circulating.
Good luck with getting it appraised, restored, preserved, etc.
-Jon
p2c, thanks for the info. Not too familiar with these organizations myself, good to know the info you have provided.
I can't wait to see that little bugger I have no clue
if I'd even attempt to clean it with Preoxide Post it on the
Coin section. . . maybe some better ideas on what you should
do next to keep the value as high as possible.
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Re: 1922 plain wheat cent!!!!
I guess the term "Too good to be true" holds true in this particular case.
Simply put, the verdict is in, and the damn penny in fact does have a mint mark. D.
In all honesty, I never did see a mintmark. Believe me, I looked it over and over. There were areas of the coin that were colored differently due to raised/lowered parts of the coin after a light brushing, and though I did notice a speck below the date, it didn't appear to be a mintmark.
I took the coin to the coin shop I had previously patronized a few times in the past, where, back then, i was helped out by a very kind older gentleman. Today, I had the disadvantage of being "helped" by who I'm assuming was the owner, judging by his arrogance and total lack of empathy.
After he took a look at the coin with his loupe, he immediately put the coin down on the glass display, told me it did have a D, and promptly went to go help someone else. Ok, well, that's fine, at least I know. I looked at it myself with his loupe and saw what does sort of appear to be a D. After he was done with his big money customer, I asked him what he thought I should do with the coin.
Condescendingly, he sighed out of frustration, put his hands on the counter, and replied, "It can't be authenticated because it's too corroded. It's worth a penny. The best that can come out of this is that now you have a start of a coin collection." Then he walked away.
Firstly, it is NOT what I would consider a lost cause. It does exhibit some corrosion, typical of a penny that has been in the ground for at least 80 years (I found the '24 merc in the same hole). But, I think that, with proper treatment, it can be authenticated. Secondly, I doubt it's worth just a cent. Thirdly, he had to be a pr!ck and tell me I can now start a coin collection even after he overheard me talking to the older guy about all the coins I have found and that are in my existing collection. I did appreciate his opinion, but his completely sociopathic attitude, in addition to his "you and your penny are not good enough for this shop" perspective really left me feeling kinda $h!tty. So, with that said, I won't be going back there any longer. However, I am satisfied with the assessment of the coin, mostly because it offered me another opportunity to examine the coin myself more thoroughly.
So, sorry to be a Sad Chad, guys. The good news is, is that after I left the little shop of horrors, I went detecting for about one hour nearby so I could find my 1922 (lol). Well, I didn't find a 22, but I found two sharp, clean wheaties in the same hole in a pounded area, a '30 and a '16-S. So, boo-yah to that coin guy.
Man, that sucks. . . the least he could have done was let you down gently.
It's too bad some small business owners don't have the same empathy that our
parents generation had. . . maybe that's why they're still a small business.
BTW, that '16-S Lincoln isn't too shabby
Better days are on the way (fall). . . and yep, I'll see ya in the
trenches soon
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Can't wait to see that '22.
Originally Posted by Kimsdad
Post it on the 
