A LINCOLN penny worth a staggering $94,000 is still in circulation – but you have to check the three letters on the back of it.
The coin is over 100 years old and features a bizarre design element that many were oblivious to.
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The 1909-S VDB Cent got its name thanks to the unique addition that caused uproar and shock.
Introduced on August 2, 1909, the Lincoln cent immediacy inspired long lines of people wanting to get a hold of it.
People waited at a variety of key locations, including the Philadelphia and San Francisco mints.
People were also seen at the Sub-Treasury buildings in Chicago, Boston, New York, and St. Louis, banks, and the Treasury building in Washington, D.C.
Collectors and citizens alike were determined to get one for themselves, unknowing of the small detail that would cement its place in history.
A FREAK ISSUE
Those wanting a coin were oblivious to the small inclusion of the letters VDB, which stood for the initials of the designer Victor D. Brenner.
Right at the bottom of the coin on its back, the three letters are etched, and it took days for people to realise.
Four days later, on August 6, 1909, production of the VDB coins was halted.
People were amazed that they had missed it, seen in an extract from the New York American newspaper at the time.
It said: “Lay away your Lincoln pennies.
“They’re going to be worth something — something more than a cent apiece — after all.
“Word came from Washington yesterday the Secretary of the Treasury McVeagh [sic] had ordered the minting of the coins to be stopped for the present, while new dies are being made.
“The initials ‘V.D.B.,’ standing for Victor D. Brenner, the designer, have been deemed too prominent a feature of the cent pieces and, on the new Lincoln coins — those to be issued a few days from now — Mr. Brenner will be represented by a microscopic ‘B’ concealed in some inconspicuous place.
“Therefore the V.D.B. coins will soon be regarded as a ‘freak’ issue, and will be in demand by coin-collectors the world over.
“And with the lapse of time they will grow more and more valuable.”
THE AFTERMATH
And as predicted, the VDB coin became even more desired.
The coin is known among experts for its stark originality, along with its pristine pale-orange color and lemon-yellow highlights.
There are no marks to mention on the coin itself, apart from a few microscopic faint freckles.
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You may be holding something valuable in your wallet. Check out these articles on rare coins to see if you may have a treasure hidden deep in your pockets.
It earned its place as one of America’s most sought after rare coins.
It weighs 3.11 grams, and is made of 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc.
So if you have a spare $94,000 on you and want to be a part of history, this coin is still in circulation.
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