By CoinWeek …..
CoinWeek reader Jimmy from Kingman, Arizona, writes in to share his excitement about his recent acquisition from Sullivan Numismatics. The coin is a scarce double-denomination error that was created when a 1982 Lincoln Cent was struck over a 1982-P Roosevelt Dime. PCGS authenticated the error and graded the coin MS65.
Jimmy has collected error coins for over 10 years and also has a number of unusual errors and modern pattern coins, including a 1983-P Jefferson Nickel struck on a 1983 Lincoln Cent planchet.
According to Mint Error dealer Jon Sullivan, cent-struck-on-dime errors are scarce but a common error type. He estimates that there are probably four to five thousand known, and that these coins often find their way into circulation after evading the Mint’s quality control. This error occurs when a normally struck dime is fed into a cent press by mistake. This can happen when a bin of dimes is not completely emptied and is then filled with cent planchets. In this situation, the dime is fed into the press and overstruck with the cent design. As the dime is slightly smaller, the reeded edge remains intact.
Errors like this typically sell for $1,000-$2,000, depending on condition and eye appeal. Jimmy’s example is a true gem and is quite “striking” to look at.
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I’m perplexed by the sequence of events stated in the story. Given that the dime post-dates the cent by a decade AND was struck at a different mint, it seems impossible for the error to have been a simple tote-bin leftover. Even if the double strike was intentionally created, the order as described (older cent over newer dime) would likely require some post-mint chicanery.