1943 steel penny error

[Jte]

I have a 1943 steel penny with what appears to be a wheat stalk on the obverse starting at the date and going thru Lincoln’s head.  Anyone ever heard of this?

[JKK]

1 hour ago, Jte said:

I have a 1943 steel penny with what appears to be a wheat stalk on the obverse starting at the date and going thru Lincoln’s head.  Anyone ever heard of this?

Not specifically, but without pictures there is nothing useful anyone can say.

[Jte]

[Conder101]

I suspect either a scratch or a plating bubble on a reprocessed coin.

[Jte]

Fair enough.....but....just in case by the slim chance that its legitimate, and the coin isn't reprocessed......how do I get it authenticated and if authenticated legitimate....what kind of dollars would you estimate something like that to bring?

[JKK]

6 hours ago, Jte said:

Fair enough.....but....just in case by the slim chance that its legitimate, and the coin isn't reprocessed......how do I get it authenticated and if authenticated legitimate....what kind of dollars would you estimate something like that to bring?

Part of the problem with not making the effort to post full pics of both sides is that, when it comes down to a question that relates to grading, we can't answer it. Grading still matters in the case of flawed coins. However, I would not expect this error to bring much of a premium, so even if it's the lowest uncirculated grade (optimistic), you might get $1.50 for it.

[Jte]

Good point.  Next post Ill be sure to include all of the necessary photos so that yall can give me your opinion based on facts rather than my descriptions.  Thank you.

[JKK]

1 hour ago, Jte said:

Good point.  Next post Ill be sure to include all of the necessary photos so that yall can give me your opinion based on facts rather than my descriptions.  Thank you.

On wheaties, not sure about anyone else, but my eyes go first to the lines in the wheat. Have to be able to see them all for F-12, as I recall. Since they are a high point, if wear happens, it will hit those early in the coin's life.

The other question left hanging is: one pic shows a sort of brown color similar to a bronze cent. The other shows what appears to be a zinc surface. This leaves the viewer wondering: what color is this thing? That would matter notably. It can be hard to get clear coin photos without glare, but that makes a huge difference in assessing them.

[Conder101]

IF this is an "error", what it most resembles would be a die crack.  And as a die crack it would probably be worth about a dollar at best.  As such authentication and error identification would not be fiscally advisable.  If you get a chance to show it to someone knowledgeable in person and they advise you to do more with it then you could do so (Who knows I could be wrong.)

[Travis Hale]

It comes down a lot of time to trusting your gut/intuition. If the pattern looks nothing statistically possible by chance, & just as an example I pulled a half dollar out of a mint roll from decades ago & all were perfect BU except it & I was only told it was road damage. Most times, your instincts are correct. As far as value that of course is based on the market & never one persons perception...

[Jte]

Good point. What was it that you pulled out and what was the outcome??

[Jte]

In fact studying the pic a little more it is apparent that the abnormality didn’t effect the date as it goes UNDER the 9.  The curve of it and the detail looks just like a wheat stalk to me.