new example of the 1943 bronze Lincoln cent discovered,while searching rolls of cents

[jeff of pa]

Consigned by a New England family, this piece was found decades ago by a collector in the family while searching rolls of cents. It was held by him through his life, and passed down as a "special coin," though just how special this piece is may not be understood for some time to come. The coin is graded MS63 RED by PCGS.

What sets this example of the famous rarity apart from the other known pieces may be little more than a new understanding of the coins long believed to have been struck on leftover planchets from 1942, which this coin is not, raising the question, what is it?
The piece was first examined by numismatists John Pack and Melissa Karstedt at the Stack's Bowers Galleries offices in Wolfeboro, N.H. "My initial impression was that the coin was struck at the U.S. Mint, but both the strike and color of the planchet raised some question as to the exact nature of the piece," said Pack.
Since the steel planchets of 1943 were harder than those leftover copper ones intended for the 1942 coins, and the errors were, in theory, struck from fresh 1943 dies, the expectation is that the error coins struck on leftover planchets should be sharply struck throughout, which this coin is not. Secondly, the somewhat lighter tone would be unusual for a 1942 bronze planchet, though less so for the shell-casing alloy planchets used on cents of 1944-46.

Unique Bronze 1943 Cent Featured in Stack

 

[nsdq]

nice find

 

[lastleg]

Looks like someone put a smile on Abe's face.

 

[jeff of pa]

Maybe it's the case it's in but MS63 seems a bit exaggerated to me.

I would say AU at best from the pic

 

[diggummup]

Maybe it's the case it's in but MS63 seems a bit exaggerated to me.

I would say AU at best from the pic

They graded this one MS64 and look at it-





This latest one looks like a weak strike from a worn die to me, which is confusing. Looks to have decent mint luster still, judging from the fingerprint marks on the rev. I think the planchett composition is also very interesting. What's up with the rim though, it looks like something aint right with it? Just the photo maybe? Let's see how it does at auction, any guesses?

 

[jeff of pa]

Yea I saw the rim but think it's the plastic PCGS case

 

[chakra22]

1943 Bronze Penny Sold For $1 Million To Bill Simpson, Texas Rangers' Co-Owner

1943 Bronze Penny Sold For $1 Million To Bill Simpson, Texas Rangers' Co-Owner


1943 Bronze Penny Sold For $1 Million To Bill Simpson, Texas Rangers' Co-Owner (PHOTO)

 

[Generic_Lad]

Does anyone else think this could be an unofficial strike?

I mean, nearly everything is wrong for this being an official mint product.

1) The planchet doesn't match anything that the mint should have on hand. Nor does it match any experimental coin.

2) Why does the planchet have silver in in it?

3) Why is the strike so weak? It doesn't make much sense for it to be a grease filled die and I don't know of any modern US coins, experimental or otherwise that have had such a weak strike.

To me it seems like a clandestine strike much like the class II and class III 1804 dollars.

 

[50cent]

Grading only works with a professional grading grader, thus all grading of coins is subjective and therefore limited to the person grading it.

 

[chakra22]

Keep looking for that penny

An error at the San Francisco Mint in 1943 means that that a small number of coins were mistakenly bronze instead of steel. Only four are known to exist today.
This most recent purchase is not the most expensive penny in Mr Simpson's collection. In 2010, he purchased another rare 1943 Lincoln for $1.7 million.

'The Simpson collection now contains the finest known bronze cent from each mint, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Denver, including the unique 1943-D bronze cent that PCGS certified after Legend acquired and sold to him for a record $1.7 million in 2010,' he told

Read more: Rare 1943 Lincoln penny sells for $1million | Mail Online.

 

[diggummup]

Does anyone else think this could be an unofficial strike?

I mean, nearly everything is wrong for this being an official mint product.

1) The planchet doesn't match anything that the mint should have on hand. Nor does it match any experimental coin.

2) Why does the planchet have silver in in it?

3) Why is the strike so weak? It doesn't make much sense for it to be a grease filled die and I don't know of any modern US coins, experimental or otherwise that have had such a weak strike.

To me it seems like a clandestine strike much like the class II and class III 1804 dollars.

Very good thoughts, I'm inclined to think the same thing.

Grading only works with a professional grading grader, thus all grading of coins is subjective and therefore limited to the person grading it.

Both of the coins pictured on this thread were graded by PCGS. Therefore, they were both done by a "professional grading grader".

The one I posted a photo of is the one that sold for 1.7 million.- Unique Bronze 1943-D Lincoln Cent Sold for $1.7 Million by Legend : Coin Collecting News

 

[jeff of pa]

Does anyone else think this could be an unofficial strike?

I mean, nearly everything is wrong for this being an official mint product.

1) The planchet doesn't match anything that the mint should have on hand. Nor does it match any experimental coin.

2) Why does the planchet have silver in in it?

3) Why is the strike so weak? It doesn't make much sense for it to be a grease filled die and I don't know of any modern US coins, experimental or otherwise that have had such a weak strike.

To me it seems like a clandestine strike much like the class II and class III 1804 dollars.

well it's suggested it's an "Experimental Planchet" but I thought the same,
I wonder if someone got ahold of the dies before they were destroyed somehow.
or if it's a counterfeit.
personally I don't think anyone , including PCGS is beyond being fooled

 

[lastleg]

Looks phony to me.

 

[jerseyben]

Grading only works with a professional grading grader, thus all grading of coins is subjective and therefore limited to the person grading it.

Wow, what incredible insight!

 

[dustywallen]

Seems like to me ole Abraham is smiling a bit much! And that's a fact Jack!

 

[diggummup]

Seems like to me ole Abraham is smiling a bit much! And that's a fact Jack!

Makes you wonder, don't it?