How does a fingerprint end up on the reverse of a penny packaged at the Denver mint ?

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Edchildress
Edchildress Posts: 35 ✭
in Q & A Forum

I purchased a uncirculated 1974 mint set and was looking at the coins and found a thumbprint/fingerprint of some sort on the reverse of the 1974 D penny the coin is still in the original ( I assume ) packaging is that common ?

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  • JBK
    JBK Posts: 17,860 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Mint worker touched it?

  • Edchildress
    Edchildress Posts: 35 ✭
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    Okay touched it
    But with what ?
    Ink ?

  • Edchildress
    Edchildress Posts: 35 ✭
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  • Edchildress
    Edchildress Posts: 35 ✭
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    Maybe dried blood ?

  • atom
    atom Posts: 494 ✭✭✭✭
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    I'm sure all mint employees are fingerprinted when hired. Should be easy to match against the fingerprint database to see who the culprit is. Then you are one step closer to getting the true answer.

  • Edchildress
    Edchildress Posts: 35 ✭
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    Thank you for your input
    Just wanted to know why the mint would allow something like that out the door

  • JBK
    JBK Posts: 17,860 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Either grease on their finger, or very aggressive contaminants that turned the fingerprint black.

    It is possible that it did not look like that when new.

  • Oldhoopster
    Oldhoopster Posts: 2,930 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    It didn't look like that when it left the mint. In fact, it may not have been visible. Over time, the oils from the fingerprint darkened as they slowly reacted with the copper. Now it has permanently stained and etched the coin

    Member of the ANA since 1982
  • Edchildress
    Edchildress Posts: 35 ✭
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    So does this lessen the worth of the mint set ?

  • Namvet69
    Namvet69 Posts: 9,423 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    I would venture to say yes. Peace Roy

    BST: endeavor1967, synchr, kliao, Outhaul, Donttellthewife, U1Chicago, ajaan, mCarney1173, SurfinHi, MWallace, Sandman70gt, mustanggt, Pittstate03, Lazybones, Walkerguy21D, coinandcurrency242 , thebigeng, Collectorcoins, JimTyler, USMarine6, Elkevvo, Coll3ctor, Yorkshireman, CUKevin, ranshdow, CoinHunter4, bennybravo, Centsearcher, braddick, Windycity, ZoidMeister, mirabela, JJM, RichURich, Bullsitter, jmski52, LukeMarshall, coinsarefun, MichaelDixon, NickPatton, ProfLiz, Twobitcollector,Jesbroken oih82w8, DCW

  • WAYNEAS
    WAYNEAS Posts: 7,271 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @Edchildress said:
    So does this lessen the worth of the mint set ?

    Would have to go with a decrease in the mint sets value.
    Fingerprints are a hard sell.
    Wayne

    Kennedys are my quest...

  • JWP
    JWP Posts: 37,335 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Never underestimate the incompetence of a lazy government employee ( i was going to say worker, but worker and government are impossible to use back to back).

    USN & USAF retired 1971-1993
    Successful Transactions with more than 100 Members

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