By Arlenys Tabare
In the process of manufacturing a coin for circulation, thousands of copies can be produced; however, Not all of these pieces manage to attract the attention of collectors.but very few acquire a unique and special value for the auction market.
Those special coins may even be sitting unnoticed at the back of a drawer, in the tip jar, or in your purse, although they can sell for thousands of dollars, such as the Lincoln Wheat cent.
What is special about this piece? This coin was produced in 1943, exactly during World War II. One of the characteristics that numismatists observe when evaluating a coin is its age, as in the case of Lincoln Wheat, but the particularity of this cent goes further.
During its production time, adjustments were made to the metals used for coinage; As at that time copper was necessary for the manufacture of munitions for war, The United States Mint decided to change the making of pennies from copper to zinc-coated steel.
However, some old discs used for the production of the pieces became stuck in the machine and continued to mint copper coins, so these pieces became valuable over the years due to that error. It is estimated that there are no more than 20 specimens, and according to the Heritage Auctions auction house, in 2021 one of the examples was sold for $840,000.
How to identify a valuable Lincoln Wheat penny?
The first thing to keep in mind is that not all the coins manufactured in that year with that design are valuable, but there was a particularity in some of the pieces and the way in which it can be identified is:
- Look at the minting date: This is important because fakes have been proven; In this case, the coin is distinguished because the number 3 has a kind of long tail.
- The coloration: The penny must be brown or copper in color.
- Coin weight: an authentic piece can weigh about 3.11 g.
- Try it with a magnet: To differentiate them from other specimens, bronze coins should not be attached to a magnet.
- Check it with an expert: Before purchasing any valuable piece or thinking about selling it, it is best to verify that it is authentic with an expert.
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