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pencilvanian
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
2209 Posts |
 Posted - 12/09/2006 : 11:23:32
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Cherrypicker's Tip - Watch out for "transitional" mint errors! "Transistional" errors occurred on the Lincoln Memorial Cents when the mint accidentally used copper stock for 1983 pennies. If you find a copper 1983, it just might be worth... a pretty penny!
Keep your eyes open for this cent!
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Ardent Listener
Administrator
USA
4841 Posts |
 Posted - 12/09/2006 : 16:40:42
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Sounds great but how would you know. Weight? Sound?
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If you can conceive it and believe it, you can achieve it. -Napoleon Hill |
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pencilvanian
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
2209 Posts |
Posted - 12/09/2006 : 18:40:40
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The article didn't say, but I would think that a copper 1983 would weigh the same as a pre 82.
My theory:
Back in 1982, the US Mint workers were told to use up the copper sheets first and then switch over to the copper plated zinc.
Somewhere along the line, a few copper sheets were either overlooked and put into production for 1983 cents, or the workers didn't bother to double check to see if the new sheets were copper or copper plated zinc when used for 1983.
I seem to recall the story of the coin find when someone found a 1943 cent made out of copper and someone else found a 1944 made out of steel.
In both cases the US Mint tried to either ignore the coins ar claim they were counterifet, until a few more of each popped up.
Then as now, the bureaucratic bonehaeds don't like to admit their errors. |
Edited by - pencilvanian on 12/09/2006 18:43:05 |
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Cerulean
Penny Hoarding Member
USA
993 Posts |
Posted - 12/11/2006 : 14:11:10
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| Hmmm... easy to overlook, as most of us aren't in the habit of sorting '83s. |
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n/a
deleted
15 Posts |
Posted - 12/13/2006 : 12:08:50
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quote:
Originally posted by Cerulean
Hmmm... easy to overlook, as most of us aren't in the habit of sorting '83s.
Ah ha! Finally my supreme penny sorting dorkiness has an advantage!! I sort all my pennies by year, even Zincs, and keep them in little baggies with the mint year written on it in sharpie. Then, when I get a whole bunch of one year, I sort them between Mint Mark (D or S) and no Mint Mark (P). Then if I have 50 decent looking ones of the same year and mint mark, they go into a penny roll (I reuse the plastic ones from the bank) with the year and Mint Mark written on it in sharpie.
Yay for being a dork. :) I'll have to check my 1983 pennies at some point. |
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pencilvanian
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
2209 Posts |
Posted - 12/13/2006 : 16:55:12
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Never let anyone condemn your ways,
There was a TV show called
"Trumph of the Nerds" concerning how computer hardware and software men and women
(referred to as nerds) ended up changing the world and getting rich and famous for it, or at least rich if they sold their stocks before the tech boom went bust.
I hope you do find a copper 1983 in with the pile. Treat it as if it were a copper 1943 cent, worth $250.00 easy.
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Tourney64
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
1035 Posts |
Posted - 12/13/2006 : 18:54:56
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| I've seen several 1983's I thought were copper, but knew they weren't because of the year. Will have to search through my huge zinc piles for them. |
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just carl
Penny Hoarding Member
USA
601 Posts |
Posted - 12/18/2006 : 21:49:52
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Such a search could be tiresone. A suggestion is if you have a large amount of the 1983 cents and have a decent scale, weigh them on a roll basis of 50. Then weigh a similar roll of newer ones. If the entire roll has a suspeciously higher weight, then go through the roll one at a time. Best get a decent scale or make a balance beam type of scale. A popscicle stick balanced over a pencil is waht I usually use.
Carl |
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pencilvanian
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
2209 Posts |
Posted - 12/25/2006 : 20:38:02
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Wrong-planchet 1983 cent turns up
By Billy G. Crawford
A 1983 cent struck on a copper-alloy planchet was found by me on one of my routine coin-searching forays to local banks.
At minimum, its value is in the four figures and it could be even higher.
This discovery re-emphasizes the point often made by readers in letters to the editor that it pays to continue to check your change.
A couple of times a week I make a trip to local banks to obtain $25 boxes of cents to search for die varieties. During this particular transaction, in addition to obtaining a couple of $25 boxes, the bank teller told me she had another $10 worth of hand-wrapped rolls and I took them as well.
Upon searching the hand-wrapped rolls, I quickly noticed that a majority of the dates were ranging in the 1970s and 1980s with none of the coins dated 1990 to present. Though not all, most of the coins appeared to be nice brilliant uncirculated specimens. This did not surprise me since I see this happening during the summer months. It is during this time of the year many customers hand-roll accomeulating change and return them to banks or counting machines so as to have extra spending money for vacations and trips.
In addition to searching for die varieties, I key on dates that immediately follow transitional years of design change or metal composition.
One of the years I key on is 1983,
which has the well-known major doubled die reverse along with many very nice obverse varieties.
In addition to searching varieties for that date, I also set aside every 1983 Philadelphia and Denver branch cent for weighing. I always suspected the possibility existed that a 1983 cent could have been struck on a 95-percent copper, five-percent zinc planchet instead of the normal copper-plated zinc because it was during the preceding year the U.S. Mint transitioned from the copper-alloy (3.1 grams) to the copper-plated zinc (2.5 grams) composition.
After completing my search of the hand-wrapped rolls, I proceeded to weigh all the 1983 “P” and “D” cents accomeulated. About halfway through, one of the coins indicated 3.1 on my digital scale.
I did a double take and reweighed the coin, which again indicated 3.1 grams. I decided to weigh the previous 1983 cent and the scale indicated 2.51 grams. Just to make sure I wasn’t imagining, I decided to recalibrate the scale. After doing so, the calibration weight showed 50 grams on the indicator. I then reweighed the 1983 cent and again the scale indicated 3.1 grams.
My suspicion was now reality.
According to Mike Diamond, CONECA board member and error specialist, “Transitional errors (otherwise known as ‘wrong series’ errors) occur when:
“(1) There is a change in planchet composition from one year to the next.
“(2) There is a change in weight or diameter from one year to the next.
“(3) When there is a change in both planchet and design from one year to the next, but the planchet from one design is used for the other. Examples include an Anthony dollar struck on Sacagawea planchets and Sac dollars struck on SBA planchets.
“(4) When there is a change in planchet and design in the same year, but there is a mix-up so that the wrong planchet ends up in the wrong press.”
Diamond goes on to say that, “The most familiar type of transitional error occurs when an obsolete planchet from the previous year finds its way into a coinage press for the following year.” A famous example is the 1943 cent struck on a copper-alloy planchet left over from 1942. He concludes, “A 1983 cent struck on a copper-alloy planchet (presumably from 1982) is an unusual find since the switch to copper-plated zinc composition occurred midway through 1982. That means a leftover planchet would have to have been hiding for months (perhaps lodged in a tote bin or hopper) before joining the production stream in 1983.”
This brings up an interesting question. Could a leftover planchet remain hiding for years instead of months? Mike Byers, an error specialist who publishes Mint Error News magazine, provided me with photos of a
1989-D Lincoln cent
that is also struck on a bronze planchet and is encapsulated and graded by ANACS as MS-64/Red.
Additionally, Byers also has another 1989-D cent which is “double struck with rotation” on a bronze planchet, plus a
1990-D cent
that is also struck on a bronze planchet.
Fred Weinberg, error specialist and dealer based in Encinitas, Calif., informed me that he recently acquired a 1983 Jefferson nickel struck on a bronze planchet. Weinberg’s coin is encapsulated and graded by Professional Coin Grading Service as MS-65 Red with the notation of struck on CU 1C Planchet 3.1 grams. He noted that, “I know of only three of these Transitional Off-Metal Pieces, and the one I have in stock at this time is the finest known for not only the grade, but for showing the full and sharp date.”
As far as pricing this 1983 cent struck on bronze planchet, it is difficult to say.
I have been offered substantial four-figures for the coin but respectfully declined.
With these revelations, could there be others? Byers believes there are treasures to be found in circulation and I couldn’t agree more. Are you checking your coins? I enjoy hearing from collectors, let us know what your finding.
Billy G. Crawford is author of A Detailed Analysis of Lincoln Cent Varieties – Volume I and is co-author of The Authoritative Reference on Eisenhower Dollars with John A. Wexler and Kevin Flynn and publishes the online Die Variety News newsletter. He can be contacted by e-mail to dievarieties@sc.rr.com
OK then! We have to keep our eyes open for
1983
1989 D
and 1990 D
And you all wondered why I never bothered to take my zinc'ers to the bank. 
Good Luck To Us All! 
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Edited by - pencilvanian on 12/25/2006 20:39:37 |
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just carl
Penny Hoarding Member
USA
601 Posts |
Posted - 12/28/2006 : 18:19:03
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I too am a error collector and have virtually hundreds and hundreds of error coins. If I had the time I am sure I would have thosands and thousands since there are so many out there. One of my great error coins is the Mercury Dimes with the rotated reverses. I have weveral hundred of them alone. Naturally that is so common the value is minimal and in some instances less than if the coin was normal. I actually bought a 1916D Merc in VG8 or better for a super cheap price due to the reverse rotation. With Mercury Dimes I have some reverse rotations as much as 90 degrees. Lincoln Cents are so numerous in errors that one guy wrote 2 books on them, has his own web site and is really geting famous as an artist. Check out coppercoins.com. I have both his books and spend way to much time looking through hundreds of thousands of cents. I use a balance beam scale for separating the 1982's Lincolns and it is simple. Put a 84 or 85 on one side and just keep on slidding the 82's across the other side until it raises. That is a Copper one. If it just sits there and the other side doesn't budge, it's the Zinc ones. I never thought of doing this with the 83's but now I will start that too. Darn it. I thought I was going to get some releaf from looking at coins for a while and now I read this and here I go again.
Carl |
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Metalophile
Penny Collector Member
USA
320 Posts |
Posted - 12/29/2006 : 21:09:58
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While we're on the topic of error coins, one of the errors which I had heard about in the past was the blank planchet. I saw one once (blank copper pennyy planchet) that a cousin of mine had.
Well, now it turns out that now the Mint is selling them! See the link below:
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"Collecting America's Coins: Beginner Basics (5E1)
The United States Mint is pleased to offer this new, educational set for those who are just beginning to explore the world of coin collecting. Coin collecting is a fascinating hobby with a language all its own, and the informative booklet offered with the set provides a helpful introduction to this exciting hobby.
To highlight the coin manufacturing process, this set includes a one-cent planchet, a pair of circulating one-cent coins, a pair of satin-finish uncirculated dimes and a proof-condition half-dollar. This set illustrates many features and finishes found throughout our Nation's coinage. The booklet also briefly discusses the history, design and manufacturing processes that have contributed to more than two centuries of American coinage.
Please allow approximately 2-3 weeks for delivery.
Price: $14.50"
Now my question: Now that you can buy blank planchets from the Mint (and I have seen a post on rec.collecting.coins about some cent planchets being given away at coin club meetings), doesn't that greatly decrease the value of any blank planchet pennies one has bought or found in the past (since 1982)?
Metalophile |
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just carl
Penny Hoarding Member
USA
601 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2007 : 08:38:17
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As to blanks for the cents, be carefull. Not mentioning any particular organization but I used to know some people that worked in a factory that made washers. When no one was watching they would make blank washers, no holes, the size of dents, nickels, etc. Most were used in vending machines, payphones, toll boths. Not sure what happened to those people but I'm sure lots of thier blanks are being saved as coin blanks by collectors.
Carl |
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1983 Copper Cent!
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