Went to an old house which is dated ca. 1840 and got a very shallow signal, almost near the surface, that I thought was just modern clad. To my surprise it turned out to be an 1864 2-cent piece! This is only my 3rd 2-cent piece in 12 years.
Upon closer inspection, it also appears to be an error coin as it only has the letters "CEN" on the obverse--missing the "TS". On the reverse you can see a weak spot in the shield where the "TS" are missing. Also the "WE" in the motto is very weak--the "E" is barely there. I did see one or two similar errors on the internet, but not sure if this error has any value at all.
The coin is in quite nice shape and the scans don't seem to do it much justice. Any input on this error would be appreciated.
It looks like it could be a "filled die" Struck through grease or some other substance. They are more common in small denomination coins due to the fact they were easily missed during pass inspection after the minting process. The coin itself looks pretty corroded and the error does not make a significant difference in in the value. It is the large motto variety which is pretty common. In AU condition this coin would be worth about $60 but in its current condition its worth around $5 to $10 if you can find the right buyer for it. Or keep it for your collection.
Here is a link to take a look at it's a forum that has lots of filled die coins just like yours. http://www.cointalk.com/t194855/ Great find though I have never found one before.
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