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Strike It
RICH WITH POCKET CHANGE
Error Coins Bring Big Money
BY KEN POTTER & DR. BRIAN ALLEN
3RD
EDITION
No
Ex pe rience
Needed!
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2 Strike It Rich with Pocket Change
Copyright ©2011 Dr. Brian Allen and Ken Potter
All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote
brief passages in a critical article or review to be printed in a magazine or
newspaper, or electronically transmitted on radio, television, or the Internet.
Published by
To order books or other products call toll-free 1-800-258-0929
or visit us online at www.shopnumismaster.com
ISBN-13: 978-1-4402-1578-0
ISBN-10: 1-4402-1578-2
Cover Design by Jana Tappa
Designed by Donna Mummery
Edited by Debbie Bradley
The photo of the $1 coin shown on the cover is courtesy of the U.S. Mint.
Printed in United States of America
Krause Publications, a division of F+W Media, Inc.
700 East State Street • Iola, WI 54990-0001
715-445-2214 • 888-457-2873
www.krausebooks.com
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Strike It Rich with Pocket Change 3
FOREWORD
Some of my fondest memories of collect-
ing coins as a child involve searching the pocketchange of my parents and finding coins to fill one
of the “holes” in my Whitman folders. Searching
eventually expanded to include rolls of coins ob-
tained from local banks, but that same thrill was
there whenever I found a coin that would fill one
of those empty slots in my collection.
My entire Lincoln cents collection from 1941
to 1958 was pulled from pocket change except forone coin. The 1955-S cent eluded my searches.
It was a special day when my coin collecting uncle showed up with a
special present for me – that 1955-S cent I needed to complete that set.
I treasured the gift and kept pulling it out to look at it. In so doing I
noticed what looked like an extra “I” between the B and E of LIBERTY.
After some research I learned it was a minor error known as a BIE die
break error. It was minor, but it was listed with a premium and it led me
to a whole new area of searching pocket change.I began looking for oddities on coins and searching for other exam-
ples of BIE errors and this led me to the discovery of my first doubled die
in 1971. It was a 1971 cent with strong doubling on the letters of LIB-
ERTY. It is listed as Obverse Doubled Die #1 and is featured elsewhere
in this book. I was soon adding other nice doubled die varieties to my
collection from pocket change. That thrill of finding something special
for face value was always there and still is today.
Thanks to the efforts of Brian Allen and Ken Potter, you can sharein these thrills. Strike It Rich With Pocket Change is an excellent source
of information on what is out there waiting to be found. It provides you
with something I never had when I was doing all of my searching. It
provides you with information on valuable varieties already found by oth-
ers, and lets you know where to look to increase your chances for success
with your searching.
By becoming familiar with the contents of this book you may soon
be finding some truly valuable coins for face value. You may even findsome not featured here that may end up in future editions of this refer-
ence. Good luck with your searching!
John Wexler
John Wexler
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4 Strike It Rich with Pocket Change
BANKROLLED
TREASURE!!!!
This 1969-S Lincoln cent doubled dieobverse was discovered in a wrapped roll
of Lincoln cents in late 2007.
This coin was auctioned in January 2008and sold for an amazing ...
$126,500
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Strike It Rich with Pocket Change 5
POCKET CHANGE
TREASURE!!!!
The 1992 reverse “Close AM.”
Only four copies known to date.
$5,000 -$12,000
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6 Strike It Rich with Pocket Change
BANKROLLED
TREASURE!!!!
This 1970-S Lincoln cent doubled die
obverse was discovered in a wrapped rollin late 2007.
Although this coin has not been sold(to the authors’ knowledge) it could easily
sell for ...
$15,000 - $25,000
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Strike It Rich with Pocket Change 7
POCKET CHANGE
TREASURE!!!!
On Jan. 25, 2009, this
1972 doubled die No. 4 sold for
$2,250
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8 Strike It Rich with Pocket Change
NAKED EYE!!!
Look at the edges of a Jefferson Presidentialdollar and you just may notice one that does
NOT have the edge lettering.
A quick and simple look could net you ...
$2,500 - $4,000
BLANK EDGES = $$$$$
Jefferson photo courtesy of U.S. Mint
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Strike It Rich with Pocket Change 9
NAKED EYE!!!
Look at the edges of ALL Presidentialdollars and you just may notice one that
has doubled edge-lettering!
A quick and simple look could net you ...
$100 - $3,000
See the Dollar section for more details!
Adams photo courtesy of U.S. Mint
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10 Strike It Rich with Pocket Change
DEDICATION FROM KEN
From the very beginning of my
involvement in this great hobby,my brother Don was at my side.
In the early 1960s, we spent hours
together at Metropolitan Savings
and Loan on the corner of Seven
Mile and Evergreen in Detroit,
searching through Lincoln cent
rolls for early dates, anything with
an “S” mintmark, “steel cents,”and the occasional error. As we got
older we rode bikes to Livonia Mall
and attended the local coin show
and auction. We collected coins
from our pre-teen years all the way
into our adulthoods, sharing our
knowledge and exchanging ideas
on things like which coins would
go up in value the fastest or which
were the most beautiful designs. We visited numerous shops and admired
each others’ purchases or finds.
Our first real major discovery of a variety was together when, in response
to a Coin World article, we checked Don’s box of five Canadian 1973 proof-
like sets for the newly discovered “Large Bust” quarters, of which we were
lucky enough to find two.
Later we developed a devotion to the sport of fishing and purchased
a boat and motor and spent many hours together developing our skills onevery lake, river, pond, and stream we could find.
Don died of a heart attack at the age of 47 on Dec. 3, 1999. He was my
best friend and will be sorely missed. I dedicate this book to his memory.
Don (left) and Ken Potter show off their
catch in 1978.
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Strike It Rich with Pocket Change 11
DEDICATION FROM BRIAN
I have never put 40 years of memories
into one page and I don’t know if I cansuccessfully accomplish it now and give
my father the acknowledgement that he
deserves.
My Dad gave me the Zip-lock bag of
handed-down coins that got me started
with the never-ending enjoyment of
coin collecting. More over, he taught me
parts of life that one cannot read aboutor explain to others. Dad was a quiet
and reserved man who seemingly never
spoke out of turn, and through his silence
I learned numerous life lessons that I still
hold true and walk with every day.
I vividly remember eating a cinnamon
roll at the Clayton Café before he drove me to Boy Scout camp for my first
two weeks away from home. He would sit all afternoon below the broad-
leafed maple trees and wave at passing cars. He would sit quietly (very
quietly) on the grassy bank of Boosen’s pond, the water dam at Clayton
Lake and the cattle-hoofed mud at the Gerdes pond. I cherish every Saturday
morning that we rolled out at 6 a.m. to “beat the heat” or walk aimlessly
through the woods of Adams or Brown County hunting the elusive morale
mushroom that would certainly end up in a “perdy good omelet!”
From “wear and tear” on the car, omelets, fishing laws, peanut butter
(w/syrup), causes of flat tires, fly swatters, catfish bait, sleeveless shirts, deer
whistles, DOT hats, backup firewood, and Ray’s garage … I miss that man.I smile with the memories of “TOAST!,” the $20 hand-shake, Jay’s ball games,
peach ice cream, “feesh at Doesch,” stashing money in socks (before travel), and
Hannah Grace sitting on “Papa Dale’s” lap running her fingers through his beard.
I now laugh every time a door slams behind me or when I see a fly
on a TV screen, when I “heat the outside” with the door wide open, and I
chuckle at the memory of stepping on his broken toe.
On May 15, 2007, we lost a great friend, confidant, mentor, husband, Dad
and Grandpa. I can only hope to be half the gentle man that he grew to be.I speak for my entire family when I say that we love and miss you. There’s
not a day gone by that we do not think of how we miss your presence.
I dedicate this book to my Dad, Arthur Dale Allen, Feb. 5, 1941 –
May 15, 2007.
Arthur Dale Allen
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12 Strike It Rich with Pocket Change
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgments .................................................................Page 14
Introduction ...........................................................................Page 15
Age Does Not Always Equal Value .......................................Page 17
Circulated Coin Conditions ..................................................Page 19
Uncirculated Coin Conditions ..............................................Page 21
Tools of the Trade..................................................................Page 22
Preserving Your Finds ...........................................................Page 24
Valuable vs. Other Forms of Doubling .................................Page 26
Treatment of Minor Varieties and Errors ..............................Page 34
Author’s Disclaimer .............................................................Page 36
Grades Covered in This Book .............................................. Page 36
Foreign Coins ....................................................................... Page 36
How to Use This Book ..........................................................Page 37
Lincoln Cent Varieties ...........................................................Page 38
Jefferson Nickel Varieties....................................................Page 129
Roosevelt Dime Varieties ....................................................Page 162Washington Quarter Varieties .............................................Page 196
John F. Kennedy Half Dollar Varieties ................................Page 236
Dollar Varieties....................................................................Page 248
Collecting Errors an Interesting Venture .............................Page 285
Buying and Selling Error, Variety Coins .............................Page 296Where to Sell Your Coins ....................................................Page 299
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Strike It Rich with Pocket Change 13
Sources for Coin Information .............................................Page 305
Coin Verification Providers .................................................Page 308
Membership Applications .................................................. Page 312
Myths About Various Coins ................................................Page 315
Common Currency Questions .............................................Page 322
Circulating Silver Coinage ..................................................Page 3241999-2009 50 States Quarter Program ................................Page 330
Coin Terms and Definitions ................................................Page 338
Bibliography ........................................................................Page 344
Recommended Reading ......................................................Page 346
Final Tips .............................................................................Page 350About the Authors .............................................................. Page 351
Photo courtesy of: Chris Welch
This 1988 Lincoln cent reverse has been polished to the point that the “FG” is n o longer visible. This variety has never been published and therefore is not extremely sought after. This
variety is available on the Internet for about $6.00.
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14 Strike It Rich with Pocket Change
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book would not have been possible without the aid of the many
collectors, dealers, and researchers who contributed to the project. The
information provided by these persons and institutions assisted in numerous
ways, ranging from variety selection (what was appropriate for the book), pricing,
photography and layout. We would like to give special thanks and recognition to
the persons and institutions listed below for making this publication an enjoyable
and worthy project. The authors apologize to anyone who provided assistance
but whose name was inadvertently left off of this list.
To all those who made this book come together, thank you!
Abbott’s Corporation ANACS Chuck Avery Eric Axtell Don Barkeimer II Frank Baumann Peter BeanShawn Bell John Bordner Mike Bozynski Larry BriggsGary Burger Mike Byers
Richard CarlsonWendell Carpenter Jennifer CassanzaTom Cassidy Danny ChapmanChuck Chichinski Ron Ciampichini L&C CoinCoinWorld Curtis ColinStephen Colman Larry Comer
CONECA Billy G. Crawford Cumberland Coins & Cards Rich DarbyCharles Daugherty Mike Decarter Mike Diamond Gene Dorrough Mike Ellis Mike Fahey Bill Fivaz Kevin Flynn
Mark Goodman Pete Goydos James Griffin Jose Gutierrez Lloyd Hanson* Michael Harrison Richard Helbig Istaven Hendricks Herb’s Coins Alan Herbert Heritage Auction Galleries Heritage Coin Richard Imbaguria
Byron Jones Ken JonesGary Kelly John KnabeColin Kusch H.M. Kuykendall Frank LaBosco Jim LaffertyGJ Lawson Russ LeBeau*Gemma Leftwhich Lonesome John Devine
Mark LongasSam Lukes Arnie Margolis Jack Martin John Martin James P. McCarthy National Composites BJ Neff Erik Nielson NCADD NGC Don Norris
We would like to give special thanks to John Bordner, Billy G. Crawford,
Mike Diamond, Kevin Flynn, Numismatic Guarantee Corporation (NGC), J.T.
Stanton, Fred Weinberg, John Wexler, and the U.S. Mint website for supplying
and granting permission to use a number of the photos appearing in this book.
Numismatic News Aleksandr S. Ogansov Parker Ogilvie Ken Olson Bill and Debbie O’Rourke Neil Osina PCGS Ron PopeColleen Presbish Jim Proctor Garrett Reich Brian Ribar Jimi Ribar
Pamala Ryman James SegoSEGS Dave SerbonichGreg Sigalov Mickey Smith JT Stanton Andrew M. SuchanTeletrade, Inc. Robert Tucker D.O. Andy Turnbill U.S. Mint.com
Troy Watkins Ken Weaver Fred Weinberg Chris Welch John Wells John A. Wexler Dennis White James Wiles Ph.D.Tim Wissert Richard O. Wobbe
*deceased
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Strike It Rich with Pocket Change 15
INTRODUCTION
Why Search Your Pocket Change?
Have you ever knowingly spent $100 on a candy bar or $50
on a soft drink?
As ludicrous as the concept sounds, there is no doubt that
you have unintentionally done this numerous times without ever
knowing it. The fact is, billions of coins pass through the public’s
hands every day and of these coins, a small but significant
percentage contain variations in design or errors that make them
different than the rest. Many of these varieties are the target of
avid collectors who are often willing to pay significant premiums
to acquire them. Searching your pocket change can be fun and
profitable! It can be done alone or as a leisurely pastime with
the entire family.
In many ways, searching your pocket change for hidden
treasures is like accepting lotto tickets in lieu of your change
at the local grocer – except that you can never really “lose” bychecking your change. You certainly wouldn’t accept lotto tickets
without scrutinizing them to see if you’re a winner – so why
bypass the possibility of a quick windfall by failing to search
your pocket change?
The next Lincoln cent you look at could be worth $50,000!
Just two examples of error Lincoln cents that could be lurking
in your pocket change right now are the 1969-S and the 1970-S
“doubled dies.” Both coins were struck from imperfectly prepareddies resulting in a strongly doubled date and lettering on all the
coins produced from those individual dies.
Because tens-of-thousands of dies are required to produce
our nation’s coinage for just one year, and because errant dies
are often detected and removed from service early, it can be
extremely difficult to locate any of the coins produced from
an imperfect die. Both of the coins mentioned above appear to
be from dies whose flaws were detected early, resulting in veryshort runs.
While we freely acknowledge that you may never find a
coin worth this much, it is a fact that thousands of other coins
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16 S ik I Ri h i h P k Ch
are circulating that are worth anywhere from $5 to $500 or more
and that are easier to find than you might at first think. Finding
them just takes a bit of knowledge as to where to look and a few
basic tools.
Coin collecting, known as numismatics, is one of the oldest
hobbies known to man. In the early days it was considered the
“hobby of the rich,” and even rulers of ancient kingdoms are
known to have collected coins. However, the collecting of Mint
errors and varieties is a relatively new dimension of numismatics
that has firmly established itself within the hobby in the last
several decades. The U.S. Mint’s new 50 states quarter program,
the introduction of a new dollar coin, and recent media attentionto several “rare errors” has spurred a welcomed increase in public
awareness of what can be found in circulating coinage, although
much of it has also led to misconceptions as to what is collectible
and valuable and what is not.
The purpose of this book is to dispel the myths and assist
you in discovering, marketing, and researching rare coins that
you can find in your pocket change. While its focus is on the
more valuable items that can be found, readers should be awarethat thousands of other less valuable varieties and errors, (that
fall into the $2 to $10 range), can be found in pocket change, and
that many others of great rarity and value can be found on older,
obsolete coinage generally found by searching dealer’s stocks at
coin shops or shows.
If we have whet your appetite sufficiently to have stirred an
interest in the “lesser items” or the obsolete coinage, we encourage
you to investigate some of the more specialized publications that
are listed later in this book.
Recommended