2010 shield cent error find, then lost

[Royce88ster]

I've seen inquires about 2010 union shield cent errors. Well, here is one i found back in 2010. This was the very first shield cent i had ever seen. It had the union shield on one side and the lincoln memorial on the other side. I exclaimed to a friend that honest Abe was no longer on the penny, just the union jack. I put it in my ashtray and went to the market for smokes. My buddy needed a few extra cents to purchase his smokes and took some out if my ashtray. A day later when i looked at another shield cent and noticed that Abe Lincoln was indeed still the face of th cent then i knew what i had seen earlier was an error and looked for it everywhere, but i knew that it went to the store the day before. Its my 15 minute million dollar penny (cent) story. Gods honest truth, so its out there, at least one of them. Royce, Albany Oregon.

 

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[enamel7]

Welcome to the forum. Hate to burst your bubble, but what you've described is impossible. Coins can't be made with two heads or two tails due to the way dies fit the presses. Especially two reverses of different designs.

 

[Royce88ster]

Two reverse error

Welcome to the forum. Hate to burst your bubble, but what you've described is impossible. Coins can't be made with two heads or two tails due to the way dies fit the presses. Especially two reverses of different designs.

Impossible or not, its what i had in my hand. So somehow it did happen. I understand your skepticism and fully understand your reasoning, but the fact is that i know what i had in my hand was real. Sucks that i let it go so quickly.shield on one side lincoln memorial on the other. When its found again you can say you heard it first right here.

 

[galenrog]

What you had may have been a fantasy piece. Typically a fantasy piece is made the same size as a common coin, in your case a one cent coin, which is then stamped with dies designed to the buyers specs. In your case, this piece has reverse elements of two different Lincoln cent reverses. Such pieces are easily found and are quite common. I have a few two headed halves similarly made.

Another likely possibility is two coins having obverses machined down, then joined together either with epoxy or other adhesive. I have several coins like this somewhere in the back of the safe. Mostly nickels.

There are other possibilities, but a coin of your description from any US Mint is NOT one of them.

 

[Royce88ster]

Two reverse error

What you had may have been a fantasy piece. Typically a fantasy piece is made the same size as a common coin, in your case a one cent coin, which is then stamped with dies designed to the buyers specs. In your case, this piece has reverse elements of two different Lincoln cent reverses. Such pieces are easily found and are quite common. I have a few two headed halves similarly made.

Another likely possibility is two coins having obverses machined down, then joined together either with epoxy or other adhesive. I have several coins like this somewhere in the back of the safe. Mostly nickels.

There are other possibilities, but a coin of your description from any US Mint is NOT one of them.

thank you for your input as to how that coin could have come into existance. Considering the time frame involved, and that it was the first example of the new cent that i had seen, i must rule out the fantasy piece. Circulation had just begun. And two halves glued together would have been noticed. Is there no way that the shield stamp could have been mistakenly placed into to top position instead of the bottom position when the new dies were initially set. I have to believe that could have happened. So, again, when that cent piece turns up again. You can say you heard it first right here on TreasureNet.com. I do appreciate your input and if my response comes across as rude in any way, i apologize as that is not my intention.

 

[l.cutler]

No couldn't happen, the part of the obverse and reverse dies that are fixed to the press are shaped differently so you can not mount two reverse or two obverse dies only one of each. Two headed and two tailed novelty coins made from two real coins are more common than you would expect.

 

[huntsman53]

Royce88ster,

What you more than likely had was a man made altered coin made to dupe some unsuspecting Error Coin collector/buyer! One of the Reverses on the coin was likely legit while the other one was pressed into the coin using leather, a donor coin and a vice. Did you notice if the lettering and images on one Reverse was backwards? One Reverse likely was! If not, then someone created a Die of a Reverse and then pressed the image onto the Obverse side of the coin thus obliterating the original details and lettering.


Frank

 

[enamel7]

Or one other possibility. It had some coke or glue that had two coins stuck together. When they came apart the substance remained on the coin giving the appearance of a memorial reverse. That would be my guess.

 

[Royce88ster]

Or one other possibility. It had some coke or glue that had two coins stuck together. When they came apart the substance remained on the coin giving the appearance of a memorial reverse. That would be my guess.

definitely not an impression on residual film. The coin was bright and clean like one would expect from a freshly minted coin I suppose I'm going to have to concede to the popular opinion that it was something other than a mint error given that I am not nearly as experienced as some of the gentleman who else replied seem to be. Still it makes for a great conversation piece and if anybody happens to run across as similar 2010 The Shield sent I would be interested in knowing just how their specimen was formed

 

[huntsman53]

Is there no way that the shield stamp could have been mistakenly placed into to top position instead of the bottom position when the new dies were initially set. I have to believe that could have happened.

While not 100% impossible, the scenario you describe is highly improbable without a Mint employees help! When the Dies are removed and repaired (ground, buffed, polished and annealed) after each use, they are then locked away awaiting their next use. Obverse and Reverse Dies are kept separately, are serial numbered and logged when put into and taken out of use. Dies from a previous year are retired when the new Production Year begins and the new Dies for that year are ready for use. These are locked away in a vault with all of the other Dies from previous years. Some of the Dies might actually be brought out of retirement to finish out a Production Year's production quota (i.e. the total amount of coins approved to be minted for that year) if the production suffers so many Die failures that they exhaust the total Dies made for that Production Year. Only Dies with the same design as those being used for that Production Year are removed from the vault and then they are repaired if needed (cleaned, buffed and/or polished) and then they annealed before use. So, as you can hopefully see, it is highly unlikely that an Error Coin such as you describe, would have been created at one of the Mints!

Never heard that the anvil and hammer Dies are shaped differently but I will look into it!


Frank