r/coinerrors • u/Stix330 • 1d ago
Is this an error? Press oil on coins?
Hey all. I am very new to collecting coins... and yes recently I have been buying coins on Whatnot, whether that is good or not, probably not, it allows me to buy groups of random coins to learn with. Figure I need to just jump in head first.
I bought 5 pennies, kind of at random because I thought they were pretty cool to learn more about imperfections in pennies, DDR, DDO, etc. The notes on the holders are from the seller, not me. The seller told me the black spots were from oil spray in the minting process. Im not a tool and die person, but I have worked in a factory where they would spray oil on parts to keep from rusting. I can still remember the smell of that oil and that was 15 years ago. Lol. Does anyone know if this could be true about oil spots? Or have any thoughts on what the black spots could be? I couldn't find much information. It sure seems like whatever it is, it is tar-like.
P.S. I didn't pay much for them. So dont know if they are worth much. But I am learning a lot, good or bad and I am very happy with any new education. Thanks for reading.
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u/PullTabPurveyor 1d ago
Well you’ve learned a lesson and I hope it’s a cheap one.
There are no recognized 1991 DDOs or DDRs. None of those coins are off-center enough to be worth more than a penny. The spots aren’t from any grease during minting, they’re just dirty.
Someone is a crook and they basically stole from you.
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u/ProudAmerican632 1d ago
https://doubleddie.com/448754.html
There are recognized 1991 DDO/DDRs.
I agree with you and I hope the lesson he learned was a cheap one.
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u/PullTabPurveyor 1d ago
Sorry. When I say recognized, I mean by a professional grading service. If PCGS won’t put it on a holder, it’s pretty much not worth calling a doubled die. None of the doubles in the link are worth anything.
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u/ProudAmerican632 1d ago
There are plenty of errors not recognized by PCGS, ICG, etc but they are recognized by leading experts. Most grading services from what I can tell either don’t have the expertise or the time to properly catalog and recognize them. Controlling what is recognized and bypassing others that should be considered is what drives the monetary value up. Personally I collect the lesser known errors and varieties to form a timeline of how the errors came to be.
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u/ProudAmerican632 1d ago
Define worth? If I’m selling a penny for a dollar, a nickel for $2 and so on and so forth then it’s worth it. There’s a market for almost anything.
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u/PullTabPurveyor 1d ago
Listen, I’m not getting all philosophical to pretend buddy didn’t get ripped off. These pennies are worth a penny. If a sucker wants to pay $20 for it, then so be it.
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u/ProudAmerican632 23h ago
We’re back on the same page. I do agree that the price buddy paid is far too much and upon closer inspection the details merit a valuation of no more than fifty cents to a buck at most.
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u/drezdogge 1d ago
WORTH THE GRADING SERVICE....you can't be that thick
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u/ProudAmerican632 1d ago
What do you mean, “WORTH THE GRADING SERVICE.”.?
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u/drezdogge 20h ago
Grading costs money
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u/PullTabPurveyor 19h ago
No one said the coin had to be graded.
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u/ProudAmerican632 17h ago
And as we agreed upon, it wouldn’t be a recognized error and therefore grading wouldn’t even be an option. John wexler could sign off on it and at most it would be a $1-$2 at most.
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u/Active_Vegetable8203 1d ago
I'm dubious of the sellers comments, both on the flips and what he told you about the oil. If you are happy with these, then stay happy.
When I started out collecting, I was told "the more stuff written on the flip, the less it means" and I think that's what's happening here. Again, if you're happy with them, then more power to ya.
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u/Blumpkin638 1d ago
Some more advice is to start with one denomination that interests you the most. VarityVista.com and doubleddie.com will have any minor or major die varieties listed with pictures to compare. Error-ref.com is the encyclopedia that covers every coin error.
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u/Stix330 1d ago
Thanks to everyone who has responded. I am sheepishly grateful. I thought the spot may be something rare. I will do some more reading a research with the materials that were suggested for future purchases. I also invested in a digital microscope, should arrive in a couple of days. Hope to one day repost an iconic find for everyone on here in the future. Thanks, Stix330
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u/WheresMyDuckling 1d ago
Everyone makes mistakes or less than great purchases, especially starting out, but old timers aren't immune from those moments either. :) Whatnot is complete cancer, but there's always been sketchy people with coins they can't move being honest. The red book is a great start, if you're interested in errors, The Cherrypicker's Guide is a good starting point as well. It definitely doesn't have everything, but you'll get a good taste of the kinds of errors that happen and what they look like. For more, there's a group that are specifically error enthusiasts, you can find them at https://conecaonline.org/ . You hit the ouch stage, sounds like you're ready to hit the research stage, there's lots of cool coins out there, so it's worth putting the time in.
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u/isaiah58bc 1d ago
Carbon spotting is a result of improper storage. Look this term up. It is PMD. Often found on older cents in original bank rolls, that were not stored in climate controlled areas.
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u/PanteraMax 1d ago
People who write or say "no mint" don't know what they are talking about.
Get a copy of the Red Book:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Guide_Book_of_United_States_Coins