Newbie Question 1997 penny 0

[Brian Dew]

I have no Idea what I'm doing ,I've recently  Gotten  interested in silver . I have been saving change for a long time and I've decided to go through it and I've stumbled  upon a few collectables we had laying around .While researching I've noticed  ,So many people love coins and they have value over just spending it on things you need or want .I found this 1997 penny it jumped out at me due to its color on the front the back looks more dull but the front is very orangey red  . I really don't know much about coins but I know this one is different and I've seen a few online now after googling it . I really would love any input on it and if its worth investing in it .Thank you so much for reading .Thanks Brian 

[JKK]

Looks like it's got some toning, a little crudulation, and perhaps some plating loss. It appears to be of face value only.

[Coinbuf]

Your photo of the obverse is out of focus, but I see nothing usual that would make it worth keeping or saving.  Coins can be different colors from one side to the other like this because one side was exposed to the environment where the other was not.  An example would be where this coin was the end coin of a coin roll with the reverse facing out, the reverse is exposed to the outside and the obverse is protected.

[Mr.Bill347]

If your just starting out you should buy a 2021 coin book. It identifies anything special about any us coin. I just got bitten by the numismatic bug in January . Had a lot of pennies but circulated used pennies are usually not worth much. The book identifies known errors. I wanted instant gratification so bought a set of brilliants 1959-2020 for about $30 they   Just about filled my three penny books with new uncirculated coins. 

[Brian Dew]

Awesome  a book would be easier ,yeah I'm drowning here I've a huge pile of change on my table 2 days now using a magnifying glass to look at everything ,I I've seen some of the videos of all the errors and thought why not try .I thought this penny was what they refer to as a red penny . I  also have a cheerios penny in the package a year 2000 someone online said something about AM but its in a package, I can't see the back . I have a strange color dime from 2003 close up it looks brown but who knows not I .here's a picture of it .

[Brian Dew]

I Found something 1969 D no fg  I think it looks like Bush's if there is fg then its not legible  on both sides I see a few online 100 .00 dollars is this legit error I see floating roof mine don't have that .

Edited February 25, 2021 by Brian Dew

[Mr.Bill347]

This is just environmental damage, referred to as PMD post mint damage. You see all kinds of thing here on the forum.

[Brian Dew]

On the dime environmental damage well that probably isn't gonna help I have about 1000 dimes on the table and that's the only one  that looks totally grey ,then very close up brown like an old penny maybe it has a lot of copper in it .I do know one  thing I have about every quarter from 1999 to 2020 which is pretty cool ,I have no idea if the quarters are desirable.    

[l.cutler]

8 hours ago, Brian Dew said:

I Found something 1969 D no fg  I think it looks like Bush's if there is fg then its not legible  on both sides I see a few online 100 .00 dollars is this legit error I see floating roof mine don't have that .

Your 1969 D very clearly has the FG.

Edited February 25, 2021 by l.cutler

[Brian Dew]

Thanks  , for the info  So unless you find silver or something with an S on it then its pretty much just for fun ,and even if you find something being that everything I have has been circulated except the cheerios penny  so the condition is definitely not gonna measure up to anything substantial .Its fun learning and looking through them anyway .I appreciate all the info  .

[JKK]

1 hour ago, Brian Dew said:

Thanks  , for the info  So unless you find silver or something with an S on it then its pretty much just for fun [...}

No, that is not correct. An S mint mark doesn't necessarily mean a lot by itself. And most of the silver you would find in circulation is worth only its silver value, which varies from a little over a dollar fifty to about $21 (and that would be extremely rare). If there were large amounts of riches to be found just reaching into one's pocket, everyone would do it until the riches were exhausted. There are not. Sure, it's worth looking, and a few times in life one might come up with something, but here is the reality:

Most collectors obtain their rare/valuable coins by buying them from people who want to sell them, and they pay a premium above face value to get them.