pappy what is this mystery penny

[mitwes56]

pappy i dug this today and its a 1976D penny the same year as our 200th birthday or centenial. The odd thing about it is the liberty bell and the USA map stamped into the face side of the penny. Its not in the red book

[PAPPY]

It's a merchant penny. Some stores gave these out during the Centenial. I have some with hearts, kennedy and other things embossed on them...PAPPY

[THing4CSA]

Hi All
Just a quick note to clarify the coin you found is not a 'Penny', it is a US Lincoln Cent. The Logo that you have on yours is considered damage akthough there are lots of collectors that go out of their way to locate and pay higher prices than make sense to me but that is what collecting is all about. The Bicentenial, 9-11, Peace signs, Thumbs up (or down) and all some of the logos you will find. Every state and many countries are also found on the Cent. One additional note if you decide to mark a Cent make sure you use one that was minted prior to 1982 as some of the 1982 to current Cent are copper plated zink and once the zink is exposed to air the zink starts to corrode. Education is the beginning of knowledge. These are not done by the US Mint, these changes are made by anyone with a die and a desire to convey a thought or idea to someone else.
Thanks :-)
Dave Mork
THing4CSA
PS: Remember; Don't leave it in the ground!