1998 lincoln cent struck on foreign copper planchet

Lolaniny

I recently went through my collection and found something I forgot I had. Since I collect Morgan dollars, I
don't visit my other coins that I keep in my "other coins" box which includes some error coins, old variety coins and such. But I came across a coin that I all but forgot. A 1998 Lincoln cent mint error PCGS MS66RD. Struck on a foreign copper planchet. The coin was examined by the US treasury and here is a transcript of the letter after their examination:



<< <i>January 11, 1999

This letteris in response to your submission of the enclosed coin/s for our examination.

We have measured, and examined the US coins, foreign coins, and the blanks for comparison with quality assurance standards. We will be taking appropriate actions to remedy the suppliers slip in quality control methods.

The best to you in this New Year and as always thank you for your interest in our nation's coinage.

Sincerely,

Dennis O'Neill
Assistant Director for Product Management >>




I have read that 100 of these got through and graded from PGCS. My question is how can I check on the population of this and how much would this be worth to a Lincoln cent collector?

nwcs

Well, I think the coin needs to get more authentication than that. I suggest sending it in to one of the three big services for them to investigate. Alltrista in Greenville TN produces the planchets. You can see what they produce here.

JrGMan2004

<< <i>Well, I think the coin needs to get more authentication than that. I suggest sending it in to one of the three big services for them to investigate. Alltrista in Greenville TN produces the planchets. You can see what they produce here. >>

He did He says PCGS graded it, and attributed it as being struck on a foreign planchet...

Sounds like a cool coin! How did you find it?

seanq

Nwcs, he said it is in a PCGS 66RD holder. I've seen many cents from 1997 to 1999 struck on smaller diameter copper-plated zinc planchets, I believe they are either intended for coinage of Malysia or Singapore. I believe there's another foreign blank from the same tiem period that is copper-plated steel and will stick to a magnet.

I don't believe there's any way to check the pop of an error coin, as PCGS doesn't include them in their reports. If you can find someone with a copy, the ANACS pop report will give you some information. A while back these were selling on eBay in the $500 range, though lately they have settled back into the $150-$250 range. I occasionally kick myself for not buying a half-dozen raw 1998 examples from a local dealer for $50 each.


Sean Reynolds

Lolaniny

Thanks guys, I got it at a local dealer. I saw it in the showcase while he was in back looking for a coin I had on my wish list. It was raw and looked odd. The blank must have been slightly smaller because the rim is half missing. I baught it for $30 and had the US treasury look at it. Then had it slabbed. I kept the letter and the coin in the box now for 4 years and forgot about it. I'm not a Lincoln collector, but every now and then I buy something that sparks my curiosity.

nwcs

Ahh, I just skimed over the PCGS part. Foolish me.

Rampage

Yes, I have seen these several times, too. I used to have one dated 1998, but no longer have it.

Cool purchase. Wish I still had mine.

Wolf359

Welcome to the boards. Nice first post.

errormaven

It's a foreign planchet, but almost certainly not "copper", despite what the slab may say. From 1996 to 2000 we saw quite a few cents struck on undersized copper-plated zinc planchets -- the same composition as our cents. Most are struck on dime-sized planchets and weigh around 1.7 grams. A smaller population shows a slightly larger diameter and weigh around 2 grams. So at least two different planchets are involved. To eliminate the possiblity of a copper-plated steel planchet, apply a magnet to the slab window.

A lot of these coins are mislabeled by the major grading services as "copper" or "Malaysian 1 sen" (a steel coin).