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 Replies: 14 / Views: 1,323 |
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Valued Member
United States
74 Posts |
This is probably the best find ever: A 1914-D Wheat penny. No, I did not find this in change, but in a seven dollar grab bag of 50 wheat pennies. As I looked through them, I spotted several 1914s, but this one caught my eye, probably because it was so well worn. The mint mark is almost completely worn away, and I can barely see it (or the date, for that matter) under my microscope, but it is there. If anyone else has found anything like this, please let me know, because it is just so exciting to hear about. It just shows you that sometimes, it's good to buy from the guy who needs glasses... Sorry, I probably should've mentioned that I also checked for the VDB on the shoulder, and I compared the spacing on the date to my 1914-S and 1914, and it looks the same under the microscope. So I am pretty sure it is real. I cannot upload my pictures as they are all well over 90kb, so I will post them on flickr, and give you a link. The first photo is the 1914-D, the second and third are my 1924-D (which is similarly worn) for comparison, and the fourth is the 1914-D again. You can faintly see a trace of a D on the 1914-D, but it is easier to see if you are looking at it from a certain angle with light, as with my 1924-D. I can't manage to get this on camera, but I will try. Flickr link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31298790@N06/Edited by Alex Swanson
10/13/2008 11:20 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1424 Posts |
Sweet deal!! Just make sure its not an altered 1944-D
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Moderator
 United States
16677 Posts |
First of all,  . That is a great find! Here is a helpful article from PCGS. "This date alteration is fairly obvious to veteran numismatists, but to someone who is unfamiliar with the characteristics of the 1914-D cent it can be deceptive," said PCGS President Rick Montgomery. "There are two major giveaways on the obverse. One, the spacing on the date is incorrect, as the second 1 was actually the vertical leg of a 4 at one time, meaning that this coin was altered from a genuine 1944-D cent. Secondly, there is strong evidence of trying to cover up the VDB that was on Lincoln's shoulder. Since this lettering didn't appear until 1918 it is never found on genuine 1914-D cents." There are other diagnostics that are less obvious but just as telling, Montgomery continued. "On a genuine 1914-D cent the mintmark is boxy and the interior of the 'D' is triangular. The 1944-D has a differently shaped mintmark. Another extremely subtle difference-but one that is noticeable to a grader who has looked at coins for hours a days for many years-is the composition. Perhaps it is the lack of tin in the shell-case copper of 1944 or maybe it is something else, but the texture and look of the coin are different from a Lincoln Cent of the early years, even in circulated grades." swcoin.ecrater.com
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Pillar of the Community
United States
671 Posts |
Quote:
Just make sure its not an altered 1944-D You mean 1914-D right?  Unless there is some new ultra-rare 1944-D variety I should be on the look out for...  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
671 Posts |
Also, pictures would help us determine if it is real or not.  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1424 Posts |
Quote:
You mean 1914-D right? Nope, I meant for him to make sure the coin wasn't a 1944-D altered to look like a 1914-D |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
671 Posts |
Oops, now I look like an idiot...  My mistake... |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19935 Posts |
WOW! That was a LUCKY find. Congrats!
Sir Ferrari - A common way to fake a 14D is to grind off the left part of the 4. However, this leaves a very wide gap between the 9 and the "1". It's very easy to spot.
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Valued Member
United States
429 Posts |
Now for the obvious question that everyone missed...where did you get the grab bag and how can we all get one? Just the fact you had that many coins that were pre-1920 makes it a winner already but this put it way over the edge, congratulations on a great find (he said jealously).
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Valued Member
 United States
74 Posts |
If anyone is wondering where I got this, it is from an antique mall in Coloma, Michigan. (Great Lakes Antique Mall, I think) If anyone ends up going there the booth is case A and it is packed full of coins. There are some sweet deals, and some neat stuff for coin collecting newbies. It is to the right of the door when you go in, down the aisle.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
I looked at the pictures and I don't see anything.
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Valued Member
United States
74 Posts |
sorry, they aren't that good. In the first picture, you can kind of see a very weak D next to the scratch, and I sure hope you can see the D in the second and third, because that's my somewhat stronger 24-D. You can see a glint in the shape of a D (as on my 22 weak D and my 24-D) but I can't get this on camera with enough detail to be discernible, so it would be quite pointless to photograph that.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2373 Posts |
Here is one that came out of a bucket of wheats I bought a few weeks back. Not as exciting as a 14D but a nice UNC anyway. Still has mint lustre. nlp Image:  IMG_0146.jpg100.36 KB Image: IMG_0147.jpg91.73 KB |
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Valued Member
United States
74 Posts |
wow, a nice find indeed! that merits a dancing pepper, so here you are:  The only thing I ever got from a bucket was water. |
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Valued Member
United States
201 Posts |
Welcome to the greatest coin forum on the web : ) An easy way to get your photos under 100kb is to use MS Office Picture Manager and re-size the photos. I use the predefined width X height settings of 800X600 (document small) or 640X840 (web large). This will re-size/compress a 2meg photo to under 100kb and it will still be large enough to easily view.
Bill
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Replies: 14 / Views: 1,323 |
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Posted 10/13/2008 8:04 pm
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