1987 penny

[Atrus]

Hi to all,

I started with an old Rayscope metal detector when I was in High School, back in the 60's. I just retired a few months ago, and dragged the old Rayscope out to play. It still works after all these years. Well, the bug has bitten again, and I just bought a new Minelab E-Trac. Went out hunting with the "master" yesterday, trying to learn how to use it!

One of the pennies I found was a modern, 1987 Lincoln head penny. No biggie. I created a simple database in Microsoft Access to keep track of my finds, and as I was entering the data for this penny, I noticed something... Just under the date, there is a "ghost" of the number 8. The rest of the stamping on the coin is actually quite crisp, but the "8" is NOT stamped. You gave to tilt the coin just right to see it in the reflection of the light. I don't think it's a double stamp, but the "8" is very plainly visible.
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Under the date, you can see a "ghost" 8. In this picture, it looks more like a 9.


It's NOT a double strike, but I have no idea how it got there.​

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Any ideas on how this phantom "8" got here?

Thanks,


Jim

08/31/09 - Thanks for all the input! Just marked it "solved."

 

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[IronSpike]

Welcome to Tnet Atrus

Great that you've gotten back into metal detecting

I think the ghost '8' is just that. It's two spots (corrosion/dirt) looking like '8'.

 

[Woodland Detectors]

Jim, I'm glad to see you are here! Folks, Jim is a friend of mine who is retired from the phone company of 441/2 years. Jim worked on fighter jets in Vietnam for the U.S.A.F for 4 years. He is a fine gentleman and fun to detect with. Yesterday, he found his first wheaties. We studied the Etrac "curve" for the most part of the day. Thanks for hanging out...Best regards, Mike

 

[Atrus]

Welcome to Tnet Atrus

Great that you've gotten back into metal detecting

I think the ghost '8' is just that. It's two spots (corrosion/dirt) looking like '8'.

Thanks for the quick response, IronSpike! I think it's a "ghost" too, but it seems way too perfect to be just random spots of corrosion/dirt. Hey, if nothing else, it's still worth at least a penny, and it's just a little more interesting and "different."

Jim

 

[hunterken]

nice photes, great post!!

 

[spartacus53]

Welcome to T-net and nice find there It does appear to be some sort of ghost strike as that 8 is a little bit too clear

 

[allen]

that is really interesting !

 

[CoinHELP!]

It's pitting on the coin causing it to appear like an "8", and the reason you must tilt it in the light to see it. I have seen coins similar to this, and when you become familiar with the minting process and how dies are made, then you can eliminate certain impossibilities.