Sandon

Welcome to the NGC chat board. The clear photos are appreciated. @Coinbuf is correct that a topic like this one is best posted in the "Newbie Coin Collecting Questions" or "U.S., World and Ancient Coins" forums. Although I am fond of all early U.S. coins, your 1810 over 09 large cent isn't one that I would submit to a third-party grading service. The coin was clearly polished or "cleaned" long ago and has retoned, leaving it with an unnatural appearance and shine. "Rainbow toning" isn't normal on a well-worn copper coin. I predict that the coin will receive a grade of "About Good (or at best Good) Details, Cleaned". Its market value wouldn't be much greater than what it will cost you in grading ($23 at the "Economy" tier) and processing fees and shipping costs. It's a fine coin for an album, not for a grading service holder. Before you even think about submitting coins to grading services, it is absolutely essential that you have the knowledge and experience necessary to at least approximately grade and otherwise evaluate coins yourself. You should be reasonably confident that each coin you submit will be awarded a grade at which it would have a market value of at least several hundred dollars. Otherwise, you are likely to waste a great deal of money that could have been better used to purchase some decent coins.

The coin has no mintmark because it was struck at the Philadelphia mint. As the Philadelphia mint was the original, or "main" U.S. mint, rather than a "branch" mint, it was thought unnecessary for coins of that mint to be identified by a mint mark. (The Philadelphia mint was the only U.S. mint from 1792-1837, and the first mintmarks on U.S. coins appear on coins struck at the branch mints that opened in 1838.) A "P" mintmark was first used on the wartime alloy five cent coins of 1942-45 to identify them as having been struck in a special alloy. The "P" mintmark was next used on 1979-P Susan B. Anthony dollars and was added to all other denominations of circulating coins except for the cent in 1980. The "P" mintmark was used on cents minted in Philadelphia only in 2017 to commemorate the 225th anniversary of the establishment of that mint. If you want to understand the coins that you collect, it is absolutely essential that you obtain basic resources, at a bare minimum a current or recent edition of A Guide Book of United States Coins (commonly known as the "Red Book" or the "Redbook", 2025 edition to be published within the next month), a grading guide, and a current price guide. Please see the following forum topics to identify and obtain these and other vital print and online resources: We have an old expression: "Buy the book before the coin!" It is still valid today, especially if "book" is interpreted as including legitimate websites.

Third-party grading services evaluate thousands of coins each day, so it wouldn't be feasible for them to provide a detailed, written analysis of each coin that they certify. You only get what they put on that little paper tag. This doesn't prevent you from performing your own research and doing your own analysis.

Your coin is a 1982-D large date, which is common in both brass (95% copper, 5% zinc alloy, official weight of 3.11 grams) (a.k.a. "copper") and the then new copper-plated zinc (official weight of 2.5 grams) composition. (Cents had ceased to be made in bronze alloy back in 1962, when tin was completely eliminated, although sometimes even grading services incorrectly refer to these as "bronze".) The 3.10 grams weight indicates that your coin is brass, as is most of the large date mintage. Both mints made 1982 cents in both compositions, and both mints also began striking cents from new, "small date" dies later in the year. The mint reported that it did not coin any 1982-D small date cents in the old, brass composition, but one was discovered in November 2016 and certified by NGC. See NGC Certifies Unique Cent | NGC (ngccoin.com). I understand that only one additional1982-D small date brass cent has been authenticated since, although a surprising number of people wrongly claim to have found one. The other seven combinations of the compositions with either large or small dates are common and have no collector value other than in better uncirculated grades. This "infographic", courtesy of @EagleRJO, shows and explains the differences between "large" and "small" date cents of 1982:

The coin was almost certainly plated or coated with nickel or some other magnetic metal, as I understand was frequently done in high school science labs decades ago. You can see the underlying bronze where the plating or coating has come off, and the plating or coating has an unnatural shine. Unless you can find evidence that the Philadelphia mint was making coins for some foreign country in or around 1953 that were exactly the size of a U.S. cent and had magnetic properties, it would be a waste of money and time to "send it in". Even then, the chances that it would be determined to be a "wrong planchet" error would be "slim and nil."

1811 Large 8 Capped Bust half dollar, PCGS graded VF 30:

As you know that this variety is listed in the Cherrypickers' Guide as FS-901 and can easily show others (such as through the VarietyPlus listing or the Cherrypickers' Guide) itself that the "Speared Eagle" is also listed as FS-901, why do you have to pay NGC or anyone else to print this on their little paper tag? Why can't you just make you own note of this attached to or accompanying the holder and use the money saved toward buying other coins? Sometimes in numismatics, as in most other endeavors, one just has to make use of a pen and paper.

Based on the photos, this is a normal, lightly circulated 1974-D cent that was struck from a slightly misaligned obverse die. There is nothing unusual about coins exhibiting die polish marks. There is no evidence presented that it is of a "mixed alloy" and contains chemical element "Al" (aluminum) or any other element other than the normal copper (95%) and zinc (5%).

When the registry has placed a coin in the wrong slot, open the page for the individual coin, click the link in blue that says, "Wrong Coin/Grade?", and follow the steps until you have indicated the correct slot for the coin. This should enable the NGC staff to correct the problem.

If you were seeking advice on this issue from the NGC staff, it would have best been posted on the "Ask NGC/NCS" forum. There is a line between parts 11 and 12 of the Submission Form for "Customer Notes" that might be used to inform NGC that you believe that a submitted coin exhibits a new variety that you want attributed notwithstanding that it is not currently listed on VarietyPlus. Be advised, however, that if NGC does not agree that it is a variety and is of sufficient significance to attribute, the coin will not be attributed notwithstanding your payment of the "VarietyPlus" fee. You should consider posting appropriate photos of the coins at issue in the "Newbie Coin Collecting Questions" forum for the opinions of forum members as to whether the coins exhibit actual die tripling or doubling and, if so, whether it is sufficiently significant to make submission likely worthwhile.

The photos we would need to provide any opinion about the coin's likely grade range would look something like this: NGC graded this 1938-D Buffalo nickel MS 66.

I assume that, just as you won't show us a photo of the reverse of the coin, you won't identify any of the dealers whom you claim agreed that the coin was a "Special Strike" or state the basis of their opinions. Correct? As for submitting the coin to a grading service, that's up to you. I would expect that one or more of the dealers who thought it was a "Special Strike" would have been eager to assist you with your submission.

Look at this page for upcoming events that NGC is planning to attend. Events | NGC (ngccoin.com). You can also find this page under the "Submit" tab on the NGC home page.

Here is a properly cropped version of the OP's image of the well-worn (Very Good to Fine or so, based on the obverse) 1927 Buffalo nickel claimed by the OP to have originated as a "Special Strike". (We've never been shown a photo of the reverse and can't even determine that it was minted in Philadelphia, where such pieces were made). This coin does not have a "squared off" edge as contended by the OP. The top of the edge appears mostly angled or beveled where it meets the rim, although it is not possible to say for sure what it looked like when the coin was struck due to edge nicks and wear from circulation. The following photos are edge views of two early Jefferson nickels (from the same era as later Buffalo nickels) in fairly recent PCGS holders that allow a view of portions of their edges, (1) a proof of 1938 graded PR 64 and (2) a circulation strike of 1939 graded MS 63: On the proof, the edge is only slightly slanted where it meets the rim, as is typical for a proof, which is what is referred to as a "squared off" edge. On the circulation strike, the edge has a slightly wider slanted or beveled area between the edge and the rim, as is typical for a circulation strike and more closely resembles the OP's 1927. These differences are subtle and may vary from issue to issue and coin to coin, which is why the presence or absence of a "squared off" edge is not determinative of a coin's status as a proof or a circulation strike in the first place. It appears to me, however, that the OP has put forward no evidence whatsoever that his worn 1927 nickel originated as a "Special Strike".

This is clearly a private ink stamp. If you still think that it isn't, you might want to ask on the PMG (Paper Money Guaranty) chat board, https://boards.pmgnotes.com/.

The mintmark location for all Walking Liberty half dollars dated 1917-1947 is on the reverse to the left of the rock on which the eagle is perched and beneath the pine, as shown on the reverse of this 1938-D: The mintmark location for 1916 and some 1917 issues is on the obverse beneath "IN GOD WE TRUST'. That indispensable resource, the "Redbook", indicates mintmark locations for all U.S. coins. Do you have one?

I see no "baby ducks" below the flying duck either on your photos or on an Arkansas quarter I examined under a 10x loupe. What you're likely seeing is an optical illusion, such as when one sees the shapes of angels or dragons in clouds.

It's not just the "2" but the whole date and the lettering as well! Note, for example, how much smaller the top loop of the "8" is on the small date than the bottom loop, while on the large date the loops are nearly the same size.

Here's an NGC Coin Explorer photo of a 1982 small date:

It's also a large date.

Your coin is a 1982-D large date, which is abundantly common in brass (95% copper) composition. See the following "infographic":

Technically, proof is a method of manufacture and not a grade, so a well-worn coin that could be proven to have been manufactured as a proof would still theoretically be a "proof", but in this case there would be no way to identify it as such. NGC has never certified a proof Buffalo nickel below the grade of "58" nor PCGS below the grade of "55". See Buffalo Five Cents (1913-1938) | Coin Census Population Report | NGC (ngccoin.com) and https://www.pcgs.com/pop/detail/buffalo-nickel-1913-1938/83/0?t=5&pn=1. The 55-58 grades are close to unworn, so the original surfaces would be largely present. A "squared off rim", assuming that it could be determined to exist on a well-worn coin, would not be conclusive, as circulation strike coins may also have square rims.

Welcome to the NGC chat board. Please note that a repunched mint mark ("RPM") is classified as a die variety, not a mint error. Before the early 1990s, mintmarks were hand punched into dies. If the punch moved between blows, the mintmark appeared repunched on the coins subsequently struck from the finished dies. I also can't see an RPM in your current photos and agree that the defect on the "1" may be either post-mint damage or a minor strikethrough. A strikethrough is a mint error but one this small probably wouldn't be worth a premium. NGC VarietyPlus, which catalogs the die varieties that NGC is willing to attribute, lists a total of six RPM varieties for 1957-D Lincoln cents. Lincoln Cents, Wheat Reverse (1909-1958) | VarietyPlus® | NGC (ngccoin.com) Most RPMs don't create much market value, but they are fun to collect.

The coins whose obverse photos you have posted, including those you have circled, are of ordinary, circulation strike (and circulated, some well-worn) Buffalo nickels, of which tens of millions were made in each of the pertinent years at the Philadelphia mint alone, or in the case of the 1936, nearly 119 million at the Philadelphia mint alone. Both of the 1936s you circled have rims that have been flattened by wear; they are not "square edges", which means that the rim is nearly perpendicular to the edge instead of being slightly beveled as is the tendency on circulation strikes. You have to view the coins from the edge to check for this characteristic. They are not proofs or "Special Strikes", and none is worth more than a few dollars. (We can't tell at what mints the coins were made without seeing the reverse, where the mintmarks are located beneath "FIVE CENTS".) It is difficult to explain how proofs differ in appearance from regular coins without your being able to see the actual coins in person, but I will try to using photos. A brilliant proof Buffalo nickel of 1936-37 looks like this 1937 in my collection, NGC graded PF 66, with the characteristics of an extremely sharp strike and a mirror finish: Photos courtesy of Stacks Bowers Galleries. For high resolution images of 1936 "Satin Finish" proofs, which are similar in quality but have a duller finish, see https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/coin/1936-5c-satin/3994 (photos and comments). The extremely rare and controversial 1927 "Special Strike" coins are similar in appearance to the 1936 Satin Finish proofs. See https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/coin/1927-5c-special-strike/3987, 1927 5C SP | Coin Explorer | NGC (ngccoin.com) The finish would not be observable on a coin as worn as the 1927 in your photo, and even if by some miracle your 1927 had originated as one of these purported experimental strikes (as opposed to one of the 37,981,000 regular coins struck for circulation), there would probably be no way to tell. In comparison, here are photos of an ordinary circulation strike but nice uncirculated (PCGS graded MS 65) 1936, with bright frosty mint luster and a full strike but some die wear: The provenance of such coins is also important. The mint sold the proofs of 1936 (4,420 of both types versus 118,997,000 circulation strikes) and 1937 (5,769, all brilliant, versus 79,480,000 circulation strikes) directly to collectors, and the vast majority have been carefully preserved and passed down within the families of the original owners or have been traded among collectors and dealers, always identified as proofs. Most have likely been certified by grading services and are sold through coin dealers and auction houses. They rarely just "turn up" unattributed. While some have been "cleaned" or mishandled, very few have any wear. Any proof that was "spent" and had as much wear as most of the coins in your photos would likely no longer be identifiable as a proof, even by an expert. Collectors and dealers saved many uncirculated rolls and bags of these coins, especially of the later dates, so the odds are that even any coin without circulation wear without clear proof characteristics is a circulation strike, not a proof. You must stop laboring under the conception that you can easily or regularly find rare, valuable coins without paying market prices for them. Respectfully, you appear to lack basic information about coins or understand what the rare pieces you have purported to find are supposed to look like. In one of your previous topics ("1988-D Lincoln Wheat [sic] Cent"), I directed you to some forum topics that identify print and online resources that will help you in gaining an understanding of what can be a rewarding pastime. Please refer to them. (Do you even have a "Redbook" and a grading guide? Have you ever been to a coin show?)

@Ross soltess--Welcome to the NGC chat board. No, the coin you posted looks nothing like one of the so-called "SMS" coins. It's just an ordinary, somewhat mishandled 1964 Kennedy half dollar, one of over 273 million minted, even assuming that it was coined at the Philadelphia mint, which we can't tell without seeing the reverse. Perhaps that's fortunate, as your holding it in your bare hands isn't doing it any good and would be devaluing to a rare coin. It's only worth its silver value, currently around $9. In the future, please post questions you have about particular coins as new topics, not as replies to someone else's old topic, and include clear cropped photos of each side of the coin.