1996 no mint mark 1 1

[Larry Storer]

Found a 1996 no mint mark and close AM and I believe has die cracks on the back would it be worth getting graded?

[Coinbuf]

On 10/5/2024 at 11:51 AM, Larry Storer said:

Found a 1996 no mint mark and close AM and I believe has die cracks on the back would it be worth getting graded?

Not unless you like burning money, close AM is normal for a 1996 Philly minted coin, and your coin shows significant wear and tear from time in circulation.   Die cracks while at time interesting to some rarely add any value to a coin.   And in the case of your coin I see no die cracks, just some linear plating bubbles, also very common on the zinc core copper plated cents.

Edited October 5 by Coinbuf

[Greenstang]

Not unless you want to spend about $50-60.00 on a coin worth one cent.

All 1996 Philadelphia mint cents are CAM, the only WAM are S mint.   
Also your “die cracks” are linear plating bubbles

Sandon beat me to it. Glad our answers are similar.

Sorry, meant Coinbuf  reply.

Edited October 5 by Greenstang

[VKurtB]

[Henri Charriere]

   I would have liked to have seen @Sandon 's reply.

[Sandon]

   Apparently, @Greenstang confused @Coinbuf with me. 

   The last thing a new collector should be thinking about is submitting coins to third-party grading services, which is what I assume you meant by "getting graded"! It is essential that you first learn how to grade and otherwise evaluate coins yourself. You will also have to become familiar with the requirements and practices of grading services, for example, that neither die cracks nor plating blisters are generally attributable by grading services as mint errors. This will take you some years to accomplish fully, but if you are interested in coins, you should find it enjoyable. It involves studying legitimate books (starting with a "Red Book" and a grading guide) and online resources and attending such venues as coin shows and coin club meetings where you can examine a variety of professionally graded coins and speak with experienced collectors and dealers.

   The first fallacy that you must reject is that you have any reasonable possibility of finding a coin of sufficient value to submit to a grading service--at least several hundred dollars--in your pocket change or in accumulations of modern coins. The actual chances of finding such a piece in this manner are slim and nil--only one collector I know has ever found even one such coin--and you should be delighted if you find in change a coin worth a few dollars. (Did you read the article about internet misinformation about coins that I linked in my reply to your last topic?)

   Please see the following forum topics for reliable print and online resources from which you can learn about U.S. coins:

  

 

    

[powermad5000]

The question I have for the OP is if you thought the linear plating bubbles were die cracks which we know they are not, why that would make a difference in having this coin professionally graded? Grading services do not recognize die cracks as mint errors, and sometimes not even as markers or variety attributes so the coin would be graded normally as any other coin would. A coin exhibiting raised lines from die cracks are mostly just referred to as a die state (typically a late stage unless the die is having premature failure) and nothing more. Unless a die is shattered would die cracks have any added premium to a coin.