1992 D Close AM Found! 1 1

[KolVCoinHunter]

Im fairly certain that I have indeed found a 1992 D CAM, but of course if you think otherwise id like to hear. My main questions are first, how well do you believe it would grade? The front does have some dark spots in the top right, but the back looks pretty good. Second Question, how much could this coin go for? Not even sure how best to go about selling it if I send it in to be graded haha, thanks for any help!

[KolVCoinHunter]

Trying to give the best pics I can, different lighting affects how it looks though 

[Greenstang]

Welcome to the forum

Nice find and nice photos.  
You have indeed a hard to find 1992D CAM but I will leave the value up to others.

[J P M]

Looks like a keeper to me. I would consider having this graded that would help to clarify the authenticity and the value somewhat. In the end it is, will someone want it.

Edited April 6 by J P M

[Sandon]

   Welcome to the NGC chat board.

   It is refreshing when someone appears to have actually found a significant coin in circulation, as this is not the case in the vast majority of the claims of this sort that are posted on these forums.  Based on the photos, I would say that this is a 1992-D "Close AM" cent.  I would grade the coin in the AU 55 to 58 range, although the scratch in front of Lincoln's chin could result in a "Details" grade.  (It is also possible that a third-party grading service could give it a low "red and brown" mint state grade.)  As the coin's surfaces are likely contaminated with skin oils and other substances to which it has been exposed, I recommend that the coin be soaked briefly in acetone or at least rinsed with clean (preferably distilled) water and patted (not rubbed) dry. 

   It is not possible to predict what this coin would sell for, but based on Coin World Values and the PCGS Price Guide--NGC does not provide values for this variety--the retail value for a 1992-D "Close AM" cent in my expected grade range, assuming that it is not "Details" graded would be approximately $1,700 to $2,200. See https://www.pcgs.com/prices/detail/lincoln-cent-modern/47/grades-25-60/ms?pn=2.

   If you are not familiar with submitting coins to grading services, you may wish to submit it with the advice of and through a reputable dealer who handles such submissions. NGC has a dealer locator at Find Coin Shops & Dealers | Coin Dealer Locator | NGC (ngccoin.com).  You may also wish to check for a dealer in your area who is a member of the Professional Numismatists Guild (the PNG) at https://www.pngdealers.org/.  If you want to submit the coin to NGC yourself--you will need a paid NGC membership--you should carefully review the various topics under the "Submit" tab on the NGC home page.  I would submit this coin under the "Standard" ($40) tier for coins valued at up to $3,000 and be sure to check "VarietyPlus" and pay the additional $18 "VarietyPlus" fee.

   

[KolVCoinHunter]

On 4/5/2024 at 10:20 AM, Sandon said:

   Welcome to the NGC chat board.

   It is refreshing when someone appears to have actually found a significant coin in circulation, as this is not the case in the vast majority of the claims of this sort that are posted on these forums.  Based on the photos, I would say that this is a 1992-D "Close AM" cent.  I would grade the coin in the AU 55 to 58 range, although the scratch in front of Lincoln's chin could result in a "Details" grade.  (It is also possible that a third-party grading service could give it a low "red and brown" mint state grade.)  As the coin's surfaces are likely contaminated with skin oils and other substances to which it has been exposed, I recommend that the coin be soaked briefly in acetone or at least rinsed with clean (preferably distilled) water and patted (not rubbed) dry. 

   It is not possible to predict what this coin would sell for, but based on Coin World Values and the PCGS Price Guide--NGC does not provide values for this variety--the retail value for a 1992-D "Close AM" cent in my expected grade range, assuming that it is not "Details" graded would be approximately $1,700 to $2,200. See https://www.pcgs.com/prices/detail/lincoln-cent-modern/47/grades-25-60/ms?pn=2.

   If you are not familiar with submitting coins to grading services, you may wish to submit it with the advice of and through a reputable dealer who handles such submissions. NGC has a dealer locator at Find Coin Shops & Dealers | Coin Dealer Locator | NGC (ngccoin.com).  You may also wish to check for a dealer in your area who is a member of the Professional Numismatists Guild (the PNG) at https://www.pngdealers.org/.  If you want to submit the coin to NGC yourself--you will need a paid NGC membership--you should carefully review the various topics under the "Submit" tab on the NGC home page.  I would submit this coin under the "Standard" ($40) tier for coins valued at up to $3,000 and be sure to check "VarietyPlus" and pay the additional $18 "VarietyPlus" fee.

   

Appreciate the detailed response! I'm definitely going to try and find someone in my area that can help me with submitting it. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction to get this process started!

[RonnieR131]

 Welcome to the chat forum! ---- When I read the thread topic, I rolled my eyes and mumbled "here we go again". What a surprise, and how refreshing it was when I immediately saw it was indeed a CAM!!! Congratulations!!!!   Grade? Who knows, about an AU55 is my GUESS. . Don't be disappointed if it grades EF45, and be very thankful if AU55. (You lucky dog) LoL......I don't search anymore, but this made my day.

[Henri Charriere]

I guess this is something I do not understand, and from the looks of things, never will.

You evidently knew enough about the Lincoln series to know a '92-D CAM, close AM is special.  Your coin is in pretty good condition for something that's been in circulation for thirty years.  You know that, too.

And yet, all you want to know is the condition it's in, i.e., it's possible grade, what it would go for, i.e., how much you might get for it when you sell it, and oh yeah, how to go about submitting it -- and selling it.  It appears to me the coin itself has no meaning for you beyond its possible value.  Would it be fair to say you are not a coin collector?  Do you have a Red Book?  I ask because I assembled an entire set of coins without asking anyone a single question. Prior to 2019, I had limited knowledge of the internet. I did not know what eBay was, never heard of PayPal, had no idea what a bank wire transfer was, never heard of TPGSs, Set Registries, the Sheldon scale, encapsulations or "raw" coins. The bulk of my sources were overseas. I never saw, spoke to or placed a single call to anyone.  I have two sets; my West coast set is ranked # 1.  I was mildly annoyed when coins I sent to my wife's sister as well as my own resulted in cold calls, regarding not their great beauty or gold composition, but in their value. I can assure you when all is said and done you will not get what you were hoping for when you sell your coin. Unbeknownst to you, your find defines you.  Without it, you revert to being "the guy who had that rare coin."  Savor the moment of your once-in-a-lifetime find and invest your money wisely!

Edited April 7 by Henri Charriere
Rumination.

[Just Bob]

Congratulations! Nice find.

[powermad5000]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

Well, I also see a CAM and after reading some of the responses, I don't think that part is in question anymore. What is still in question is opinions on grade and value.

Good photos by the way and yes, taking the photos in different lighting will always affect how the coin looks. It is usually best to try to take the photos of the coin well lit, but not washed out with too much light if that makes sense. If the lighting is poor, it can make the coin look dirty, or environmentally damaged.

I would say with the steps on the memorial being blended in the middle, and some evidence of light wear all around, this coin would probably grade as AU 53 RB. However, I do think the obverse scratch leading to Lincoln's face would get this coin a details grade so the actual numerical grade in my opinion is moot. Unfortunately, details coins usually only sell for a substantial reduced price below what the actual grade is on the label. Being an MS 61 is currently offered for over $2000 on eBay and a quick check of the NGC census has turned up very few of these submitted in any grade and only 8 in details census, I would think this coin even in details grade would not lose about half to two thirds of its value as is with more common details graded coins. All this said, however, it will only be worth what someone is willing to pay for it. I could even be wrong about the scratch getting dinged by the graders, but it does need to be taken into account for its possibility. As for declaring its value if you are submitting it, I would say you wouldn't go wrong by declaring it at $1000. No matter what you declare it, it will have to be submitted under the Standard tier as its value details or not is within that tier. You also need to pay the $18 Variety Plus fee for the coin to be properly graded.

There is a dealer locater listed right on the main NGC page here. Under the Resources tab, in the dropdown menu, click on Locate Dealers and put in your info. I think those on the list are dealers that will accept submissions but as always, contact them first. It would be cheaper for you to submit through one of them especially on a single coin submission.

Excellent find! Congrats! I will say I thought to myself "Ok, there must have been another get rich quick YouTube video on CAM's and WAM's for all these posts popping up.". It is nice to see an actual example come across the forum!! 

[KolVCoinHunter]

On 4/5/2024 at 9:39 PM, Henri Charriere said:

I guess this is something I do not understand, and from the looks of things, never will.

You evidently knew enough about the Lincoln series to know a '92-D CAM, close AM is special.  Your coin is in pretty good condition for something that's been in circulation for something that's been in circulation for thirty years.  You know that, too.

And yet, all you want to know is the condition it's in, i.e., it's possible grade, what it would go for, i.e., how much you can get for it when you sell it, and oh yeah, how to go about submitting it -- and selling it.  It appears to me the coin itself has no meaning for you beyond its possible value.  Would it be fair to say you are not a coin collector?  Do you have a Red Book?  I ask because I assembled an entire set of coins without asking anyone a single question. Prior to 2019, I had limited knowledge of the internet. I did not know what eBay was, never heard of PayPal, had no idea what a bank wire transfer was, never heard of TPGSs, Set Registries, the Sheldon scale, encapsulations or "raw" coins. The bulk of my sources were overseas. I never saw, spoke to or placed a single call to anyone.  I have two sets; my West coast set is ranked # 1.  I was mildly annoyed when coins I sent to my wife's sister as well as my own resulted in calls, regarding not their great beauty or gold composition, but in their value. I can assure you when all is said and done you will not get what you were hoping for when you sell your coin. Unbeknownst to you, your find defines you.  Without it, you revert to being the guy that once had that rare coin.  Invest your money wisely!

I understand the confusion haha, I'm only 27 but I've always loved Coins growing up, and I actually used to have a red book back in the mid 2000's, but have since lost it. I learned quite a lot about coins, and what to look for when searching through them, and the different types of errors that exist have always fascinated me. The only part of numismatics I never really learned was how to grade coins looking at them, what to look for in a coin like the scratch that's been brought up and how that would affect the grade of the coin. Wish I could say I could look at a coin and know where it potentially stands condition wise haha, so learning what I did so far has been really helpful. When it comes to getting coins graded, I've never needed to do it before, so it was new territory that I wanted to get advise on. As far as assembling different coin sets goes, and being considered an actual coin collector, I've never really had much interest in it, besides for having the 50 US states quarters. So being that I never deeply got into the hobby, a lot of the terms you say you never heard of, don't even sound familiar to me. But I do stack gold and silver, love the history of different coins, and learning about the many varieties there are in US coin history, and really enjoy seeing the different silver coins other countries have, and I still really enjoy roll hunting and coin searching when I have free time. As far as the value of the coin I found, I was mostly curious to see what collectors had to say because of the huge ranges I've seen it go for.

A bit of context in how I found the 92-D, my grandparents had a huge jar filled with pennies, and they decided they wanted to cash it out. (Not insanely large, probably 20ish dollars worth) which explains its condition, its been sitting in a jar for 15-20 years. So of course I asked if I could search them first, and they were perfectly fine with that, and ended up getting lucky on it!

[KolVCoinHunter]

On 4/5/2024 at 11:33 PM, powermad5000 said:

Hello and welcome to the forum!

Well, I also see a CAM and after reading some of the responses, I don't think that part is in question anymore. What is still in question is opinions on grade and value.

Good photos by the way and yes, taking the photos in different lighting will always affect how the coin looks. It is usually best to try to take the photos of the coin well lit, but not washed out with too much light if that makes sense. If the lighting is poor, it can make the coin look dirty, or environmentally damaged.

I would say with the steps on the memorial being blended in the middle, and some evidence of light wear all around, this coin would probably grade as AU 53 RB. However, I do think the obverse scratch leading to Lincoln's face would get this coin a details grade so the actual numerical grade in my opinion is moot. Unfortunately, details coins usually only sell for a substantial reduced price below what the actual grade is on the label. Being an MS 61 is currently offered for over $2000 on eBay and a quick check of the NGC census has turned up very few of these submitted in any grade and only 8 in details census, I would think this coin even in details grade would not lose about half to two thirds of its value as is with more common details graded coins. All this said, however, it will only be worth what someone is willing to pay for it. I could even be wrong about the scratch getting dinged by the graders, but it does need to be taken into account for its possibility. As for declaring its value if you are submitting it, I would say you wouldn't go wrong by declaring it at $1000. No matter what you declare it, it will have to be submitted under the Standard tier as its value details or not is within that tier. You also need to pay the $18 Variety Plus fee for the coin to be properly graded.

There is a dealer locater listed right on the main NGC page here. Under the Resources tab, in the dropdown menu, click on Locate Dealers and put in your info. I think those on the list are dealers that will accept submissions but as always, contact them first. It would be cheaper for you to submit through one of them especially on a single coin submission.

Excellent find! Congrats! I will say I thought to myself "Ok, there must have been another get rich quick YouTube video on CAM's and WAM's for all these posts popping up.". It is nice to see an actual example come across the forum!! 

I appreciate the response! I wish I could get better pictures of it, but have failed to get the lighting correct. But the scratch by Lincoln's chin was super light, and probably only showed up as apparent as it did due to the lighting hitting it at the right angle, I didn't actually even notice it until looking at the picture lol. I do see what you mean with your other points, and really appreciate having those things pointed out! These are things my untrained eye misses! 
As far as declaring a value before sending it in, I really appreciate the tips! Its all new to me, and didn't even know where to start with a guess to that! Especially with the huge range of prices its gone for! So thanks! And yeah, I noticed a ton of posts from others claiming to find them as well lol, was actually afraid my post would be ignored because of them  

[KolVCoinHunter]

On 4/5/2024 at 1:58 PM, RonnieR131 said:

 Welcome to the chat forum! ---- When I read the thread topic, I rolled my eyes and mumbled "here we go again". What a surprise, and how refreshing it was when I immediately saw it was indeed a CAM!!! Congratulations!!!!   Grade? Who knows, about an AU55 is my GUESS. . Don't be disappointed if it grades EF45, and be very thankful if AU55. (You lucky dog) LoL......I don't search anymore, but this made my day.

Completely understand the initial reaction lol, I looked through those posts as well, and had to face palm on a few. What gets me is on ebay, in the sold listings is what appears to be a 1992 D that sold for thousands, but not even actually being a CAM! Like its actually insane! 

[Jason Abshier]

@KolVCoinHunter Congrats on your find !! That’s cool to see new collectors finding the good stuff worth talking about on here, definitely soak it in 100% acetone use a glass bowl acetone eats through plastic and get the the 100% stuff at hardware store and not fingernail polish remover stuff  ,it always a good idea to soak every coin you get or plan to keep in your collection or send of for grading 

[powermad5000]

On 4/6/2024 at 6:43 AM, Jason Abshier said:

it always a good idea to soak every coin you get or plan to keep in your collection or send of for grading 

Not exactly. I only resort to this for a coin with an actual problem. Acetone is a chemical and while more on the "gentle" side, it is still strong enough to eat through paint. I just had to do this for a Lincoln Wheat that was half covered in grey paint. On these copper coated zinc cents, I would be a little leery of using this on a cent without a visible or noticeable issue. Being the plating had issues from the mint, I am not sure what would happen in the future if doing this and then having the acetone get under the plating somehow. I am sure there are no studies on what it would do if it got to the zinc core. Maybe nothing. Maybe something. Just not something I would risk doing on every coin I send in.

[powermad5000]

On 4/6/2024 at 3:10 AM, KolVCoinHunter said:

What gets me is on ebay, in the sold listings is what appears to be a 1992 D that sold for thousands, but not even actually being a CAM! Like its actually insane!

One thing to remember in cases such as this, eBay sold listings are not a very good "guide" to overall FMV. There are damaged coins on there listed as errors with asking prices in the thousands by sellers looking just to scam some unsuspecting dupe into being separated from his money. There is no real oversight on there. And just because a seller lists a coin like this as a super rare CAM, doesn't mean it is. Sellers on there can list a coin with whatever description and for whatever price they want to. It doesn't mean they have to be correct in the description, nor fair in the price.

If you want to look at more reliable gavel prices, check the bigger auction houses like Heritage, Stacks and Bowers, and Great Collections. Also, HiBid has been gaining in some market share so that is another one to check.

[Jason Abshier]

@powermad5000 I’ve never had single problem soaking a coin in acetone , reason I do it is because I have no idea how previous person handled the coin left skin oil and such on a coin . so I soak them for about 10 minutes and let them dry transfer them to a 2x2 

Edited April 6 by Jason Abshier

[powermad5000]

On 4/6/2024 at 3:22 PM, Jason Abshier said:

@powermad5000 I’ve never had single problem soaking a coin in acetone , reason I do it is because I have no idea how previous person handled the coin left skin oil and such on a coin . so I soak them for about 10 minutes and let them dry transfer them to a 2x2

We each do our things differently. Completely ok. No problem here sir! I was just making a mention of of my opine. It may be something I try to do an experiment on with some ordinary circulation cents when I get time for it.

[Jason Abshier]

@powermad5000 I’ve never tried a circulated copper clad Lincoln cent … I got some acetone in my garage I’ll drop a few in for whole week see what happens …. I highly doubt nothing will happen acetone evaporates so fast … 

[Henri Charriere]

To the OP:  I wish to apologize to you publicly for my intemperate remarks.  In light of the comments posted before and after mine, it is only right I do so. To shed further light on your discovery, and give it some perspective, you had the tenacity and resolve to examine some 2,000 cents and were so eager to share the good news of your find that you posted photos of it within five minutes of becoming a member, undoubtedly a record that will stand for some time!

Congratulations on your find!  I believe yours is the only success story I recall reading about since I began my forays onto this Forum.  

[The Neophyte Numismatist]

Wow... I was not expecting to actually see something... it's rarer than the coin itself.  Congrats!  I am very happy for you.