Minting Error US Unusual Foreign Material Error

Len sent us this picture of his unusual Indian Head Cent. In his note he says 'The coin was in the family for as long as I can remember. My wife has had it in a security box for the last 18 years. We did nothing to cause the stripe and I don't know why it has not tarnished.'

Len's coin appears to be a 'struck through' minting error where a piece of gold wire somehow found its way into the minting press and was permanently embedded in the face of the coin. Gold does not tarnish, so the original color remains. The fact that the gold stops short of the rim on the right hand side is a problem, however, with this theory.

DO NOT CLEAN YOUR COIN. CLEANING RUINS VALUE.

We are far from experts on such matters, but you can visit the intriquing web site of Mike Byers to see many examples of minting errors. Based on prices of coins on Mike's site, I'd venture that Len's coin is worth between $10 and $50.
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