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What to do with 1964 Error pennies? Clean or no?

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 11:53 pm
by pennymom
Hi, I'm new to the forum and am grateful in advance for any information you can provide!

I inherited some 1964 Canada BU pennies from my Dad. When I opened them I was surprised and thought "oh, these look terrible!" But I soon realized that almost all of them have some kind of strike error. It's mostly scratches and stretched out beading, chips and such, as if the dies skidded a bit when they clashed together. There's also some pitting.

I'd like to sell some of these coins, and I'm wondering whether I should clean them before listing them on ebay. I feel like it would be easier to see / photograph the errors if I clean them. Also, some of the scratches look almost like tiny tire skid marks, and it's hard to know whether they're really scratches or dirt.

Will I kill the value of these coins if I clean them up a bit?

Again, thanks for any help!

Re: What to do with 1964 Error pennies? Clean or no?

Posted: Sat Jun 08, 2019 7:07 am
by coinguy
I don't want to burst your bubble but what you describe sounds more like damage than errors.
It is only an error if it happened during the striking of the coin. If you could post some pictures,
it might help us in determining what you have, but the fact they are pitted and scratched eliminates
any value they may have had.

If you want to clean them, soak them in acetone overnight and rinse thoroughly.

Re: What to do with 1964 Error pennies? Clean or no?

Posted: Sat Jun 08, 2019 12:59 pm
by pennymom
Here are some photos.

Re: What to do with 1964 Error pennies? Clean or no?

Posted: Sat Jun 08, 2019 1:51 pm
by pennymom
More photos. The poor Queen looks to have a really bad case of acne and a scar on her forehead! There’s also a big mark next to the 1 in 1 cent on the maple leaf side...