Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1896-05-23
COPPER CENTS OF UNUSUAL VALUE.
If UncircuIated. They May BE Worth Very
Many Dollars.

Many Dollars.
a coin may DO rare and yet 10
nearly worthless if worn 10 any cX-
tent. Tho precious center 1919 can
be got for s. or even less ii il poor
condition, but its value i multiplied
u hundredfold if it retains tho gloss
of the minting, Tho copper pennies
one sees occasionally in circulation
arc black with age, hut the uncircu-
lated cent half u century old which
las been put away and carefully
kept from injury by the collector
still retains somewhat of the yellow
sheen CT the newly stamped piece.
This, with its cameo design unrub-
bed and unworn, is what is called n
"perfcct coin.
All United States coins of dates
prior to 1869 arc worth u premium
if in perfect condition. To such a
point is this matter carried that II
pieco in n good state OF preservation
is actually damaged by cleaning
from the collectors point OF view.
From the standpoint of tho numis-
matist an uncirculatcd coin Is some
thing sacred to be wrapped in cha
mois skin and kept even from en-
posuro to the mir. Tho most COM
mon of the pennies of carly dates is
that of 1898, which may be purchas-
cd for as little as 3 cents, yet per-
feet specimen will fetch $50. y por-
feet cent of 1893 can be sold for
500. 1t was the first penny issued
by this government. Plenty of 1SO3
cents may lo bought for 10 cents
each, but Il perfect and uncirculatcd
example will fetch $50. Only half ii
dozen perfect cents OF 1893 arc
known a perfect cent of 1904 has
brought $500. One may buy an 1906
penny for 0 cents, but IL perfect one
is worth $lUO
In the year 1904 no fewer than 81
dies were used for minting pennies.
At that time all of the coins were
struck by hand and not as now by
machinery. Tho method being dc.
fcctjvc, tho dies were broken now
and then and had tn he replaced by
others. Variations in the cutting OF
the dies gavo rise to recognizable
differences in tho mintcd pieces. AT
present 10 complete collection of thu
cents of that year exists. Tho orig
inal idea WAS that each penny should
contain exactly l cents worth OF
copper; hence the inconvenlent size
of the piece All cents from 1908 tc
1914 with the head of an Indian arc
rare when rerfect--espccially those
Of 1909 and 1871, which are worth
$50 each. No pennies We're coine'l
in 1915 because of the burning of the
mint That il tho only break in the
continuity Of tho coinage Of cents.
Tho cents of 1917, 1918, 1919 anC
1920 used to 10 rare, but bags full OF
them were found in an old bank all(
flooded tho market. Prices Of coins
are controlled by tho lass Of supply
and demand. Many pieces which
ten years ago were scarce arc now
plentiful. Perhaps tomorrow tic
newspapers may chronicle the sale
of certain penny for $G1. The peo
Pile who read it go down into theil
stockings and look for pennies Of
that date. Maybe lot of them viii
DO found, tho result being a lowering
of tho price of that coin, AS for the
folly of paying out good money il
the pursuit of such "a fad. chronic
collector said to the writer tho Other
day that it was all the same whether
a man found pleasure in whisky ol
dogs or bicycles. If he found enjoy
ment in the study of old coins ant
had the necessary means, there wa:
Just as much fun in it as in collect
ing books, pictures OF diamonds
Boston Transcript.