Share your favorites on Show & Tell

Another strange find!

In US Coins > Show & Tell.
US Coins98 of 1367My state quarterCool coin necklace
7
Love it
0
Like it

auraaura loves this.
billretirecollbillretirecoll loves this.
dav2no1dav2no1 loves this.
WatchsearcherWatchsearcher loves this.
fortapachefortapache loves this.
AnythingObscureAnythingObscure loves this.
blunderbuss2blunderbuss2 loves this.
See 5 more
Add to collection

    Please create an account, or Log in here

    If you don't have an account, create one here.


    Create a Show & TellReport as inappropriate


    Posted 3 years ago

    Stevieb123
    (11 items)

    Any ideas! Have no clue what or why someone did this. I found it in a roll of pennies and I was short a penny! So I hope its something with some good history for me to put on the shelf!

    logo
    US Coins
    See all
    Old U.S. Estate Coin Lots - Rare US Coins - Gold / Silver / Proof + BONUS!
    Old U.S. Estate Coin Lots - Rare US...
    $24
    ESTATE SALE FIND, OLD US COINS, GOLD, .999 SILVER BARS, BULLION, RARE U.S. BILLS
    ESTATE SALE FIND, OLD US COINS, GOL...
    $38
    1921-D - The ONLY Denver Minted Morgan Silver Dollar - 90% - Last Year Historic
    1921-D - The ONLY Denver Minted Mor...
    $35
    ESTATE SALE FIND, OLD US COINS, GOLD, .999 SILVER BARS, BULLION, RARE U.S. BILLS
    ESTATE SALE FIND, OLD US COINS, GOL...
    $38
    logo
    Old U.S. Estate Coin Lots - Rare US Coins - Gold / Silver / Proof + BONUS!
    Old U.S. Estate Coin Lots - Rare US...
    $24
    See all

    Comments

    1. keramikos, 3 years ago
      Stevieb123, Interesting.

      At a casual glance, it looks like somebody used it for target practice, but on closer examination, the bulge on the obverse looks like it has masonic imagery.

      Here are more:

      https://www.coincommunity.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=98449
    2. billretirecoll billretirecoll, 3 years ago
      Good one keramikos! :^D I think you figured this one out! Bill :^)
    3. AnythingObscure AnythingObscure, 3 years ago
      I was thinking that stamping on it looked masonic, too. Keramikos' link would make it seem like that's a "thing" that gets done to coins, but I don't know *why* either, I don't think I've seen one like it before...?
    4. keramikos, 3 years ago
      billretirecoll, Thanks. :-)

      I knew that I'd made a basic identification of what this was, but the question of how it was done still intrigued me.

      This one looks like it was punched from the reverse side. The pictures are a bit fuzzy, so it's difficult to be certain, but it looks like there are no masonic images in the depression; the masonic imagery is only on the obverse side.

      It's one of a variety of masonic coins:

      https://coinquest.com/cq_data/cq_ro/graphics/penny_mason_stamp.jpg

      *snip*

      There are several different varieties of these coins-turned-tokens. Some have a dagger, some have a compass-and-square, some have an antique pistol, some have an obelisk or monument, others yet have a star like in the picture - there is also a variant where one side is only stamped with a written inscription. There are probably more varieties out there than those we have listed here.

      Sometimes, the counter-stamp is raised instead of incuse, like in our secondary image, where it is also a lot smaller, and only has a design on one side of the coin.

      *snip*

      https://coinquest.com/cgi-bin/cq/coins.pl?coin=14432

      I was hoping to find a video of one of these being made, but no joy. I did find a video that shows the basics of coin punching using a punch set:

      Coin Punching Secrets HOLD STILL!!

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkSoi2oV9-A

      AnythingObscure, As to why anybody might do this:

      *snip*

      Belonged to my maternal grandfather, Otis L. Baggett of Bay Minette, Alabama. A Mason would sometimes carry a penny with this stamp that was dated the year he became a Mason, his birth year, or an important year for his lodge. Sometimes the coin was picked at random. I'm not sure what year he was made a Mason, but I suspect it was long before 1975.

      *snip*

      https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1975_Lincoln_penny_Masonic_obverse.jpeg

      https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1975_Lincoln_penny_Masonic_reverse.jpeg

      There's a ton of pictures and information out there in the Internet about these masonic coins. They're collectible, but not rare or valuable.

    Want to post a comment?

    Create an account or login in order to post a comment.