Ideas on what this coin MIGHT be ?

GKL

Forum Supporter
Joined
Jul 22, 2016
Messages
8,544
Location
Winnsboro, South Carolina
I dug this coin on a hunt Thursday, it is the same size as a penny, but it is NOT attracted to a magnet.

With the level of crud built up would it more likely be an IHP rather than a Lincoln penny ?

Has anyone ever had a Lincoln penny look this bad ? (maybe it's neither an IHP or Lincoln)

If I could get enough of the crud off even to see a few markings I could at least tell if it's an IHP or a Lincoln penny, any ideas how to clean it or what to soak it in ?

IF it turns out to be an IHP it would be my first one ever !
(and I'd be glad just to have finally dug one, bad condition or not :lol:)
20201022_coin_side_a.jpg20201022_coin_side_b.jpg
 
I've had lincolns from the 80-90 year ranges come out even worse, missing chunks etc.

As far as cleanup, I don't know what might work. I have tried numerous methods on old worn coppers just to practice and nothing ever comes out from under the scale and rust.
 
I think I can see the silhouette of Lincoln in the first pic, I'm going with a wheat. Nice find!

I've had lincolns from the 80-90 year ranges come out even worse, missing chunks etc.

As far as cleanup, I don't know what might work. I have tried numerous methods on old worn coppers just to practice and nothing ever comes out from under the scale and rust.

You’re right I see it also ..it’s a wheat penny but great job


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks everyone !!!!!

I'm not doubting anyone, I just haven't yet been able to see Lincoln clearly myself, of course my close-up eyesight is not what it used to be though with how I magnified it I should be able to see it, maybe if I take another pic with light shining on it from a different angle, but I'd be glad to consider it my 3rd wheat penny even if it is cruddy :lol:

Even though it might not do any good I still might try to clean it off better somehow, if I can manage to get better details I'll post another pic.
 
If you can light it from the side, we may see some shadow detail that can't be seen with straight on light.
If the size matches, probably a wheat cent as stated previously. Not a zinc cent, for sure, it would be eaten up and have surface bubbles from corrosion.
 
Wheat cent for sure. In the second pic you can see the word "CENT" angled downward. You can see the sideways line in T fairly clearly, and then barely make out N E C above it. No chances of saving that bad boy, it's toast.
 
Don’t think it’s a wheat it’s IHP!

If you look at the pics attached it follows a IHP design. I think the coin is upside down because if it is it looks like numbers which is where the date would lie and the U shape that I’ve outlined would line up with the shield on a IHP. I’m new and no expert but seems to fit. The numbers for the date seem blocky too like an IHP. So if so congrats. I read a 5 day soak in Olive Oil can do the trick as long as your no TV worries about preserving value. Hope I’m right.
 

Attachments

  • 8BEFF5EE-F046-41C6-A0D5-22C8EF97EB08.jpg
    8BEFF5EE-F046-41C6-A0D5-22C8EF97EB08.jpg
    50.3 KB · Views: 573
  • 93D9B4D6-EE58-496C-A85A-EF16669DA6B4.jpg
    93D9B4D6-EE58-496C-A85A-EF16669DA6B4.jpg
    42 KB · Views: 531
  • 7EA43B65-E65A-4E6C-A9D1-45AF53F1826F.jpeg
    7EA43B65-E65A-4E6C-A9D1-45AF53F1826F.jpeg
    55 KB · Views: 557
  • 651EF602-D103-4716-AA1B-50B5E1F02253.jpeg
    651EF602-D103-4716-AA1B-50B5E1F02253.jpeg
    69 KB · Views: 570
I couldn't tell you, May try to zap it and see if you can get anything out of it to at least make it identifiable providing there is anything left to identify. Not that you can make it any worse.
 
This is what I'm seeing:
20201022_coin_side_a.jpg
20201025_094535.jpg
A right facing figure that closely resembles Lincoln IMO. Clean it up some, there just might be more clues under the crud. Then again, there might not be any clues under the crud. I'd say it's worth a shot, maybe tumble it with some clad?
 
I’m afraid it could be almost anything, although it seems likely to be some sort of corroded small cent. The “features” we are latching onto can easily just be a product of the extreme corrosion or a trick of the lighting as much as a real bit of detail from the coin.

All that said, I’ll make the case that it could be a relatively recent Canadian cent. The items FireKing circled look more like the letters “TH” or maybe “II” from Elizabeth II” on the obverse, while the “U” shaped object could be one of the maple leaves from the reverse. The “letters” might even be detail from Elizabeth’s crown. Canadian cents were made of copper right up to 1996. The lettering is noticeably larger on older Canadian cents, probably ruling those out.

I doubt the “U” shape is the shield from an IHP because the point of the U should be pointing toward the center of the coin, not the edge. And the parts that appear to be letters or numbers are too far from the edge to be the date for an IHP. Also, I don’t see the letters from “One Cent” of a Wheat or IHP as others are mentioning without a lot of imagination.

How did the coin ring up? If it showed as copper on the VDI, then we can rule out an IHP - regardless of condition, an IHP would be highly unlikely to ring up in the copper cent range. If it rung up like a Zincoln, then it doesn’t tell us much - of course, IHPs ring up there, but I’ve also had worn Wheat and copper cents ring up low like Zincolns.

Where was it found? Highly corrosive environments can easily cause that level of corrosion to even a “modern” coin - but keep in mind, even a ‘96 Canadian could have been exposed to that environment for as much as a quarter century, more than enough time to ruin a coin.

Here are some pics of what I’m seeing with comparison on a Canadian cent.
 

Attachments

  • A638785C-B2AA-4A3B-829D-C87EF2D137F9.jpg
    A638785C-B2AA-4A3B-829D-C87EF2D137F9.jpg
    74.4 KB · Views: 544
  • AAE999E4-402D-4CB1-A09E-7FDB290FBFC1.jpg
    AAE999E4-402D-4CB1-A09E-7FDB290FBFC1.jpg
    95.7 KB · Views: 520
  • 23A01D33-03FB-4B50-9504-1647AB3E3364.jpg
    23A01D33-03FB-4B50-9504-1647AB3E3364.jpg
    96.6 KB · Views: 512
  • 315CB353-A082-4CAA-9744-B5409DB85458.jpg
    315CB353-A082-4CAA-9744-B5409DB85458.jpg
    118.7 KB · Views: 518
If you can light it from the side, we may see some shadow detail that can't be seen with straight on light.
If the size matches, probably a wheat cent as stated previously. Not a zinc cent, for sure, it would be eaten up and have surface bubbles from corrosion.

I did try side lighting from various angles, didn't seem to help too much.

Wheat cent for sure. In the second pic you can see the word "CENT" angled downward. You can see the sideways line in T fairly clearly, and then barely make out N E C above it. No chances of saving that bad boy, it's toast.

If you look at the pics attached it follows a IHP design. I think the coin is upside down because if it is it looks like numbers which is where the date would lie and the U shape that I’ve outlined would line up with the shield on a IHP. I’m new and no expert but seems to fit. The numbers for the date seem blocky too like an IHP. So if so congrats. I read a 5 day soak in Olive Oil can do the trick as long as your no TV worries about preserving value. Hope I’m right.

And an IHP Says ONE CENT on the back as well!!

I couldn't tell you, May try to zap it and see if you can get anything out of it to at least make it identifiable providing there is anything left to identify. Not that you can make it any worse.

This is what I'm seeing:
View attachment 473884
View attachment 473885
A right facing figure that closely resembles Lincoln IMO. Clean it up some, there just might be more clues under the crud. Then again, there might not be any clues under the crud. I'd say it's worth a shot, maybe tumble it with some clad?

I’m afraid it could be almost anything, although it seems likely to be some sort of corroded small cent. The “features” we are latching onto can easily just be a product of the extreme corrosion or a trick of the lighting as much as a real bit of detail from the coin.

All that said, I’ll make the case that it could be a relatively recent Canadian cent. The items FireKing circled look more like the letters “TH” or maybe “II” from Elizabeth II” on the obverse, while the “U” shaped object could be one of the maple leaves from the reverse. The “letters” might even be detail from Elizabeth’s crown. Canadian cents were made of copper right up to 1996. The lettering is noticeably larger on older Canadian cents, probably ruling those out.

I doubt the “U” shape is the shield from an IHP because the point of the U should be pointing toward the center of the coin, not the edge. And the parts that appear to be letters or numbers are too far from the edge to be the date for an IHP. Also, I don’t see the letters from “One Cent” of a Wheat or IHP as others are mentioning without a lot of imagination.

How did the coin ring up? If it showed as copper on the VDI, then we can rule out an IHP - regardless of condition, an IHP would be highly unlikely to ring up in the copper cent range. If it rung up like a Zincoln, then it doesn’t tell us much - of course, IHPs ring up there, but I’ve also had worn Wheat and copper cents ring up low like Zincolns.

Where was it found? Highly corrosive environments can easily cause that level of corrosion to even a “modern” coin - but keep in mind, even a ‘96 Canadian could have been exposed to that environment for as much as a quarter century, more than enough time to ruin a coin.

Here are some pics of what I’m seeing with comparison on a Canadian cent.

Thanks for all the replies and ideas everyone, sorry it took a while to reply as I hadn't checked this thread again till now, so just a quick reply for now.

I am considering doing the olive oil soak, any reason why I shouldn't or any better cleaning ideas ?

I figure it's already in such bad shape that I likely can't make it worse and just might reveal just enough extra detail to tell for sure what it is.

EDIT TO ADD: after searching the forum with different cleaning key words, I think I'll just try cleaning it with a toothpick, might get a start on it tomorrow, could take more than one day depending on how easily the crud comes off, will post an updated pic if I can clean enough off to show more detail.
 
Last edited:
Put it in a glass bowl with hydrogen peroxide, then microwave for 20 seconds.
Let it bubble for 30 seconds.
Remove it and scrape with toothpick.
Do this 3-4 times and you should be able to get some details.
 
Maybe your photo is a little too close up? I see some edge damage, so maybe it's just a rotten zincoln...but it does actually look more like corroded copper. I dig 'em like that once in a while, but usually some piece of detail remains, so you can figure it out. I see Cellrdwellr's "LINCOLN" outline too. The "CENT" is also seeable, but takes a bit more imagination. Could be an old memorial that is badly corroded. Best guess at this point is a wheat cent, but will probably never get a year from it.
Further cleaning may just remove more detail because it looks like corrosion, not contamination. A little different lighting might do the trick. Try new pics.
 
Put it in a glass bowl with hydrogen peroxide, then microwave for 20 seconds.
Let it bubble for 30 seconds.
Remove it and scrape with toothpick.
Do this 3-4 times and you should be able to get some details.

Thanks, I was able to get a start on scraping with a toothpick, but still needs a lot more work, toothpicks are breaking, maybe I need bamboo :lol:

I'll see about working on it more tomorrow.

Maybe your photo is a little too close up? I see some edge damage, so maybe it's just a rotten zincoln...but it does actually look more like corroded copper. I dig 'em like that once in a while, but usually some piece of detail remains, so you can figure it out. I see Cellrdwellr's "LINCOLN" outline too. The "CENT" is also seeable, but takes a bit more imagination. Could be an old memorial that is badly corroded. Best guess at this point is a wheat cent, but will probably never get a year from it.
Further cleaning may just remove more detail because it looks like corrosion, not contamination. A little different lighting might do the trick. Try new pics.

Thanks, I'll also see about taking some different pics tomorrow.

Some of it does seem like corrosion, but some of it seems to be caked on crystalized crud.

I was just checking a pic of the 2nd wheat I found in that same park, a 1945, and it only has relatively slight corrosion and is very readable, it would be amazing that wheats from the same park could have such extreme differences in the level of corrosion, I'm not saying this corroded one is not a wheat, but just amazed at the extreme difference for being from the same park.
 
Okay, after not making much progress with the toothpicks, I used a Brillo pad and dish soap :lol:

Here is the most recent view as of now, it does look like Lincoln on the front, but I am still not 100% sure if it's a wheat or a Memorial, I would think the distinct outline of the Lincoln Memorial would have stood out at least partially.
S20201027_penny_front.jpgS20201027_penny_reverse.jpg

(I still might try to get the reverse cleaner later on)

EDIT TO ADD:
Now that it seems fairly obvious it is likely not an IHP but either just a wheat or Memorial it's likely not worth spending much more time on, I was hoping at first it might have been my very first IHP, but now that it seems extremely unlikely, my search for my first IHP will continue :lol:

(and hey, maybe my first IHP will be in good shape and not need cleaning to tell if it is or not :lol:)

Thanks again to everyone for their help !!!!
 
Last edited:
I dug this coin on a hunt Thursday, it is the same size as a penny, but it is NOT attracted to a magnet.

With the level of crud built up would it more likely be an IHP rather than a Lincoln penny ?

Has anyone ever had a Lincoln penny look this bad ? (maybe it's neither an IHP or Lincoln)

If I could get enough of the crud off even to see a few markings I could at least tell if it's an IHP or a Lincoln penny, any ideas how to clean it or what to soak it in ?

IF it turns out to be an IHP it would be my first one ever !
(and I'd be glad just to have finally dug one, bad condition or not :lol:)
View attachment 473776View attachment 473777

The pictures strongly suggest a Lincoln penny. For several reasons. First is that the outer rim is pretty thin on your photos. IHPs are thicker. Second is the "C" shaped mark on the coin (See my attachment below). Compare that to an IHP and a Lincoln, and only one has the word CENT on the outer edge.

475px-NNC-US-1859-1C-Indian_Head_Cent_%28wreath%29.jpg
 

Attachments

  • penny.jpg
    penny.jpg
    20.7 KB · Views: 299
The pictures strongly suggest a Lincoln penny. For several reasons. First is that the outer rim is pretty thin on your photos. IHPs are thicker. Second is the "C" shaped mark on the coin (See my attachment below). Compare that to an IHP and a Lincoln, and only one has the word CENT on the outer edge.

Thanks, I appreciate the additional help, you're likely right about it being a Lincoln and likely maybe a Memorial and not a wheat.

I'm not counting it as a wheat as I'd want a coin to be more obvious as a wheat before I'd count it as one, so I'll just chalk it up to likely being a Memorial penny that was a fun challenge to study :lol:
 
Back
Top Bottom