The most expensive coin in the universe

[DrRich67]

It is a 1909 vdb penny but, it's on MARS!!!!

 

Who says pennies have no use anymore

 

I still can't get the link to work but the text of the article is below and it's on the Gizmodo web site

 

 

[PennyGuy]

Is the coin that expensive or is it just the shipping?

[comicdonna]

The link doesn't work properly for me.

[DrRich67]

The forum won't let me post the link, the article and the picture are on the Gizmodo web site,

Here is the article:

This is the most expensive penny in the Universe. It's now on Mars, after an exciting $2.5 billion ride. Previously, the most expensive Lincoln penny in history was a 1943 copper-alloy cent that was sold for $1.7 million in a 1996 auction. That's peanuts compared to the cost of putting this coin up there, however.

 

Of course, those $2.5 billion put a lot more stuff on Mars than just the penny. You know, like the best interplanetary robotic outside-affiliatelinksnotallowed ever created by humankind.

 

In fact, if you take into account the total weight of Curiosity, the total cost of the penny is not that high: its 2.5 grams would only cost about $7,000. But being the first and only penny on Mars-and any other place outside Earth, as far as I know-I'm sure it would fetch a lot more than $1.7 million at any auction.

 

The penny is part of the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera's calibration target. The calibration target is attached to a shoulder joint of the arm that holds the camera, and contains red, green and blue color chips, different white point chips, a "metric standardized bar graphic and a stair-step pattern for depth calibration."

 

The penny sits between the last two. Usually, Earth geologists use a penny to know the scale in their photographs. But why include it when you already have an accurate metric scale there? According to MAHLI Principal Investigator Ken Edgett-at Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego-it's "a tip of the hat to geologists' informal practice of placing a coin or other object of known scale in their photographs."

 

It was Edgett himself who bought this very special penny with his own money, just to put it on the outside-affiliatelinksnotallowed. It is a 1909 "VDB" cent, "from the first year Lincoln pennies were minted, the centennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth, with the VDB initials of the coin's designer-Victor David Brenner-on the reverse."

 

That's the kind of commitment that NASA engineers put in their projects.

[comicdonna]

I would prefer to own a 1943 copper penny. Since I saw an ad in a magazine back in the 70's, saying the're were 5 known to exist and worth 10K, I have been checking my pennies every since.

[DrRich67]

I don't think that this one will show up in the marketplace anytime soon but you never know, maybe a Martian will bring it back sometime.

[newprepper]

Is the coin that expensive or is it just the shipping?

 

What if they don't like it and want to return it?

[cpm9ball]

I just got a response from a dealer on Mars, and he said that he took a look at the coin. His reply was very short because it costs so much for interplanetary correspondence.

 

[font:Comic Sans MS] Cleaned! [/font]

 

Chris

[newprepper]

Those NASA guys probably shined it up before they sent it

[mumu]

That is a gross mis-valuation of the coin. You can assign the same value to any other object on that ship from the nuts and bolts to the glass. Tally up all totals and theres trillions of dollars there. Clearly not the case.

[Coindude]

Is it cleaned or windblasted by one of those crazy windstorms? Whizzed maybe!

[delta]

Here's a link to the article referenced above:

 

gizmodo

 

There's no shortage of wrong information. The sale of the 1.7 million dollar 1943D copper penny was about two years ago, wasn't it? Not 1996. Not an auction but a private treaty sale. And we don't call the pre-1982 Lincolns copper alloys even though they're not pure copper but only 95%. Etc, etc.

 

As for it being the most expensive coin, that's baloney, it can only become the most expensive coin if it changes hands in a measurable transaction.

 

The article claims the space-trip penny would definitely sell for a lot more than 1.7 million bucks, but that's absurd, I'd guess it might sell at very most for about $10,000 to a space collector. Probably no numismatist would pay as much as ten grand.

 

However, if it turned out to be one of those common Chinese forgeries, that would likely increase the auction price to a bit over 10K because Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum might enter the bidding.

[michael]

no no

 

that used to be the name of my friends dog

 

 

the most expensive coin in the universe

currently on earth (sorry)

 

is one of the original thirty pieces of silver

[newprepper]

I include the cost of shipping into my cost for a coin, so if that were mine, it would be the most expensive coin, not valuewise, just in cost, just like if you buy something at a premium and overpay, it doesn't really increase the value to anybody but you, and this is a joke thread anyway

[mumu]

I include the cost of shipping into my cost for a coin, so if that were mine, it would be the most expensive coin, not valuewise, just in cost, just like if you buy something at a premium and overpay, it doesn't really increase the value to anybody but you, and this is a joke thread anyway

 

Im sure the op and everyone else here get it but the article writer is clueless.

[johnny9434]

i imagine that if you dont like it that return shipping will be freaking murder. ( ebay-mars )

[pendragon1998]

 

 

The camera's calibration target includes a 1909 Lincoln penny that Edgett purchased

for this purpose. "We're seeing the penny in the foreground and, looking past it, a

setting I'm sure the people who minted these coins never imagined," Edgett said.

 

The penny is a nod to geologists' tradition of placing a coin or other object of known

scale as a size reference in close-up photographs of rocks, and it gives the public a

familiar object for perceiving size easily when it will be viewed by MAHLI on Mars.

 

 

This view of the calibration target for the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) aboard

NASA's Mars outside-affiliatelinksnotallowed Curiosity combines two images taken by that camera during the

34th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars (Sept. 9, 2012). Part of Curiosity's

left-front and center wheels and a patch of Martian ground are also visible.

 

The camera is in the turret of tools at the end of Curiosity's robotic arm. Its

calibration target is on the outside-affiliatelinksnotallowed body near the base of the arm. The Sol 34 imaging by

MAHLI was part of a week-long set of activities for characterizing the movement of the

arm in Mars conditions. MAHLI has adjustable focus. The camera took two images with

the same pointing: one with the calibration target in focus and one with the wheel and

Martian ground in focus. The view here combines in-focus portions from these shots.

 

The calibration target for the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) instrument includes

color references, a metric bar graphic, a 1909 VDB Lincoln penny, and a stair-step

pattern for depth calibration. The penny is a nod to geologists' tradition of placing a coin

or other object of known scale as a size reference in close-up photographs of rocks,

and it gives the public a familiar object for perceiving size easily when it will be viewed

by MAHLI on Mars.

 

The new MAHLI images show that the calibration target has a coating of Martian

dust on it. This is unsurprising -- the target was facing directly toward the plume of dust

stirred up by the sky crane's descent engines during the final phase of the 6 August

2012 landing.

 

The main purpose of Curiosity's MAHLI camera is to acquire close-up,

high-resolution views of rocks and soil at the outside-affiliatelinksnotallowed's Gale Crater field site. The camera

is capable of focusing on any target at distances of about 0.8 inch (2.1 centimeters) to

infinity, providing versatility for other uses.

 

Image Credit:

NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems

 

Image Addition Date:

2012-09-10

[rainbow roosie]

So cool!

[Keigwin]

Should have been a VDB MPL.

Lance.

[pendragon1998]

You realize that if some alien ever finds that, knowing nothing about our civilization, it will think that we worship Abraham Lincoln as our god.

[$ilverHawk]

Great images. Absolutely nothing to support "most expensive coin in the universe". Simply a calibration device which has been traditionally used by geologists as a calibration marker for the public.

 

Nice to see a numismatic interplanetary reference device.

 

Carl

[newprepper]

You realize that if some alien ever finds that, knowing nothing about our civilization, it will think that we worship Abraham Lincoln as our god.

 

That is much better than worshipping our "Mickey Mousssseeeeeee" any body know the reference to that one?

[SkyMan]

I started a thread on this coin back in February. It has a link with information about other aspects of the MAHLI instrument.

 

Feb. 2012 thread

 

Most likely if the VDB were ever recovered it would go into the Smithsonian.

 

If you use distance traveled as a factor in the cost of a coin, there are two State quarters, FL. and MD., that are currently on their way to Pluto and eventually out of the Solar System.

 

 

You realize that if some alien ever finds that, knowing nothing about our civilization, it will think that we worship Abraham Lincoln as our god.

 

That is much better than worshipping our "Mickey Mousssseeeeeee" any body know the reference to that one?

 

There is actually a Mickey Mouse Crater(s) on the planet of Mercury. Here's a pic of them...

 

[newprepper]

Walt has his fingers everywhere.............not the reference though

[CoinPulsive PCM]

I don't think that this one will show up in the marketplace anytime soon but you never know, maybe a Martian will bring it back sometime.

 

Will that happen before or after the Aliens destroy the planet?

 

-dave

[delta]

In my opinion it was inappropriate for a circulated 1909 Lincoln cent to be chosen as the coin flown along to Mars, since the year 1909 is not relevant to the space journey or the red planet, but is merely arbitrary. And choosing any particular circulated cent is carelessly capricious. So what if it's the first year of production of Lincoln cents, how is that pertinent? Why not an uncirculated 2011 Lincoln cent instead, to correspond with the launch date? In future times, when this Mars outside-affiliatelinksnotallowed is examined by later beings, at least a 2011 cent would be an artifact having some relevance.

[Plum]

 

 

The 1909 penny commemorating the centennial of President Lincoln's birth will act as a calibration target to help scientists and the public to gauge the size of objects on Mars.

 

principal investigator Ken Edgett with Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego

picked out and purchased the penny with his own funds. A 1909 "VDB" cent, the coin is from the first year Lincoln pennies were minted, the centennial of President Abraham Lincoln's birth. The initials ("VDB") of the coin's designer — Victor David Brenner — are etched onto the coin's reverse.

 

...and it's copper, not clad. perhaps to see if any reactions occur over long expose on Mars surface...

[delta]

The 1909 penny commemorating the centennial of President Lincoln's birth will act as a calibration target to help scientists and the public to gauge the size of objects on Mars.principal investigator Ken Edgett with Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego picked out and purchased the penny with his own funds. A 1909 "VDB" cent, the coin is from the first year Lincoln pennies were minted, the centennial of President Abraham Lincoln's birth. The initials ("VDB") of the coin's designer — Victor David Brenner — are etched onto the coin's reverse. ...and it's copper, not clad. perhaps to see if any reactions occur over long expose on Mars surface...

 

Wouldn't it be just about the crudest experiment imaginable to use a circulated coin over 100 years old consisting of 95% copper to see if any reactions occur on Mars? A clad 2011 with a pure copper shell and in uncirculated condition would be a far better choice for such an elementary experiment, if desired, but of course our rocket scientists are so advanced in their current knowledge they don't need that, or else they'd never have gotten involved in interplanetary travel to begin with. You're describing the type of experiment that might casually be done by grade school kids in their backyard.

 

 

[newprepper]

Lets not over think this, if they wanted to experiment they could easily ask the mint for a special 100% copper round the size of a cent, that would make it the control, (pure) instead, somebody thought it would be cool to put a $15 cent up the size comparison. The initials are also on the current obverse.

[delta]

Lets not over think this, if they wanted to experiment they could easily ask the mint for a special 100% copper round the size of a cent, that would make it the control, (pure) instead, somebody thought it would be cool to put a $15 cent up the size comparison. The initials are also on the current obverse.

 

Actually, if they really wanted a basic experiment like that, they'd recreate the known atmospheric composition and pressure of Mars in a lab container here on planet Earth, and subject copper to those conditions at varying temperatures. However, without further experimentation, we already know very well exactly how copper will react with the components of Mars' atmosphere, mostly carbon dioxide with some nitrogen and argon. This type of information has been available for hundreds of years.