One sided Lincoln Penny

Sorry if this is something I could have found somewhere without asking. I am pretty good at searching, and could not come up with a clear answer.

I have a 1967 Lincoln penny with one totally blank and flat side. The side with Lincoln's head seems to be slightly misaligned, but everything is readable. Is this that unusual, or is it more of a curiosity? I did find one explanation of how this might happen, but that one seemed to preclude the completely flat side.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

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From what I know of the minting process, it's almost impossible to get only one side of the coin struck. (But I am just a newbie...)

How much does it weigh? Do you have calipers to measure the width?

 

Eric, I'm afraid what you have there is actually a Cent and not a Penny. Pennies come from Great Britain. Also, I'm in agreement with Doug, they can't only stamp one side, so either the other side fell off, or it was tooled off.

 

There, Their, They're, in the south, proper or not, I would say that is a penny.
Someone has more than likely ground the surface off of the back side. When I blow your picture up there are marks that appear to be from being chucked in a lathe

 

Confucious say - "One faced coin better than 2 faced friend"

 

Capped die strikes can have one side only, but they normally have some ghosting of the image on the blank side and some upturn to the rim, the rim is turned up before the strike.

This coin looks like post mint damage.

 

Eric, can you give us a better close-up of the rim between 12 & 3 o'clock? It looks like there might be some trace of the upset rim. It may just be that this was a failed attempt at making a magician's coin. In any case, it is highly unlikely that it was struck on only one side while in the coining chamber.

Chris

 

I've only been on here a short time and have seen several threads on this same subject. I and a couple of buddies, made all kinds of things out of whatever we could chuck in a lathe while in shop class. Lots of coins. When a coin is chucked in a lathe, it leaves 3 distinct marks on the outside edge. One each at 12, 4, and 8 o'clock. The first picture appears to have those markings with the first at about 11.

 

The blank side was machined off. This is not a mint error. It is PMD. The object which was formerly a coin is now not worth anything.

 

I agree, I was a machinist in a pattern shop for 10 years and we mad some cool damn "error" coins. And little compact coin carriers for our - well you all know what we used to do in our 20's. The only problem I have is how did they re-tone the machined surface to match the rest of the coin?? We used to machine copper/nickle coins - easier to not make it look like new surfaces

 

Could have been machined 30 years ago...

 

30 years ago machinists had real jobs that provided their familys with a living - didn't have to create fake coins for extra income - unless of course the kid got a handle on how to operate the old mans lathe!!!

 

I was in school over 30 years ago.

 

I have it on good authority that people did occasionally goof off more than 30 years ago.

 

I wasn't born yet

 

Thanks for the feedback, and the banter.

I asked about this because I found one thread somewhere in which someone indicated it was possible to end up with two blanks (planchets?) in the same die. I do not have scales that would let me get a weight accurate enough to determine if it had been machined. It does appear to be the same thickness as other coins. Of course without something beyond the naked eye, I cannot be certain.

Attached are two slightly larger and higher resolution pictures that give more detail on my monitor.

No big deal either way. For the most part, it is just curiosity.

Eric

 

Yes, it is possible to have 2 planchets enter the coining chamber simulataneously. (Numismatic Lingo note: a blank and a planchet are *not* the same thing). But the result looks very different from what you have posted.

 

People got bored and had too much time on there handz and owned sand paper and/grinder 30 years ago too, not just today

 

I guess - but 30 years ago the average Joe in his garage shop with grinders and sand paper would tear a copper coin to smitherines or at least leave evidence of doing "something fishy" not leaving a smooth surface. Unless left in acidic solution to smooth down the tooling marks - but then wouldn't it also smooth down other features and leave a pitted surface?