1999 CENT/DIME MULE
Rarity:
Unique
Known examples:
1. PCGS MS-66 Red. Found in a bank-wrapped roll of pennies by an
anonymous collector sometime before December 1999, then sold to Jack
Dempsey of Dempsey & Baxter for an undisclosed sum, who displayed the
mule at the 2001 Florida United Numismatists Convention (it was not for
sale at that time).
|
Images courtesy of Dempsey
& Baxter
The following
information was provided by Jack Dempsey of Dempsey & Baxter:
Background:
This coin was stuck at the
Philadelphia Mint in 1999. The coin is a normal cent planchet, comprised
of copper-plated zinc, weighing approximately 2.5 grams. The coin was
stuck with an Obverse Lincoln cent die and a reverse Roosevelt dime die.
Prior to 1999, this type of a strike wasn't possible without some kind of
tampering with the coining presses and dies at The Mint. The Mint has not
released an official statement on this coin, so we can only arrive at two
scenarios by which it could have been manufactured and reached circulation
The year 1999 brought
with it a new era in Coin Manufacturing in the United States. The Mint,
while faced with a Cent shortage, needed to crank out billions of
Statehood Quarters. This, along with anticipated demand for the Sacagawea
Dollars to be released in 2000, prompted some changes at the Mint facility
in Philadelphia. High-Speed Schueller presses were installed to
manufacture Statehood Quarters for circulation. Our first guess is that
while these new presses were being tested, some trial strikes were
manufactured. It is likely that this coin escaped in a tote bin after a
series of trial strikes were run. The similar size of the coins, as well
as universally fitting dies and die hubs on the new presses make this a
very likely possibility
Another possible scenario
is the factor of simple human error. It is very possible that a high speed
press was being used to strike pennies when a problem occured with the
reverse die. When the die was exchanged at the die vault, the die
technician didn't realize he had been given a reverse dime die. When the
mistake was discovered, at least one of these 11-Cent Mules escaped the
scrap bin
It remains to be seen
whether this piece is unique. With all the publicity surrounding the
Sacagawea Quarter-Dollar Mules earlier this year, we thought surely
another 11-Cent Mule would surface. To our knowledge, this is the only
example, but the hunt for another continues. It's more than likely further
specimens, if found, would be circulated due to the amount of time that
has passed since the 11-Cent mule's manufacture. The coin is graded MS-66
Red by the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS).
Obverse:
The obverse shows details of a normal 1999 Cent, except that the
"L" in Liberty is obliterated due to the difference in sizes of
cent and dime dies. The "i" in Liberty, Lincoln's shoulder, and
"In God We Trust" also show considerable flatness due to this
die size difference. All other details show normally. The ear shows full
detail and there is a small amount of finger smudge in the fields from
handling.
Reverse:
The reverse side of the coin is that of a Roosevelt dime. The strike is
slightly off-center, with all details showing. The dime "rim" is
present all the way around the coin. The reverse is struck about 15-20%
rotated. Some photos make the reverse appear slightly clad colored; the
reverse is a full bright red, with original mint luster.
Sources and/or
recommended reading:
|