incorrectly labeled PCGS sample slab

[SuddenAdoration]

Good evening everyone

I went to my first coin show yesterday and loved it! I met a lot of really nice people and saw some incredible lincoln cent errors and varieties.

One of the dealers gave me a PCGS sample slab (I think everyone who attends gets one?)
So.... I was very excited to get one even though I really don't know much about the slabbed cents, and how accurate the grading and labels are supposed to be. The slabbed sample cent I received is labeled as a 2015 D lincoln cent... and there is no D. So I am guessing its a 2015-P, which is pretty awesome for a couple reasons, I haven't seen a 2015 P cent EVER lol and secondly if slabs can bring in more value for a coin and are anything like (please don't laugh) beanie babies being mislabeled, that made them even more desired and valuable. I am wondering if collectors would freak out over something like this too?

Also is it possible that a cent minted out of Denver could have been made without the mint mark?

[Maineman750]

Cool that you had a good time at your first show. As for the sample slab....who knows what excites collectors, but I doubt that a typo is a huge deal judging by how many typos we hear of. Also, the master dies have the mint mark so it is pretty unlikely Denver will accidentally make coins without a MM.

[GrumpyEd]

I haven't seen a 2015 P cent EVER lol

Yep, out west I get exited if I get a modern P cent. That's why it's frustrating when modern P mint doubled dies start showing up. Some years they're finding doubled dies on the P mint cents and I'm still waiting to see a single P mint cent for the year LOL

[jfines69]

The only year I know of that had missing MMs on the Lincolns was 1922... That year Denver was the only mint that produce the one cent coin... There are weak and no D 1922 Lincolns running around... At that time the MM was not on the master dies and if memory serves me correctly the dies were made in Philly???

[SuddenAdoration]

Cool that you had a good time at your first show. As for the sample slab....who knows what excites collectors, but I doubt that a typo is a huge deal judging by how many typos we hear of. Also, the master dies have the mint mark so it is pretty unlikely Denver will accidentally make coins without a MM.

Ah ok, that was going to be my next question... if it's common for these types of mistakes or not.

I was wondering what their process would be for packing up the sample slabs... I would guess that they would streamline the process by doing one type of cent at a time... using uncirculated cents from obw rolls... so I wonder how a Philly cent would end up in there. Plus after searching for the sample slabs that were given away, they all look like 2015 D cents, so the mistake is most likely not on the typo side but just put the wrong cent in the slab.

I had a feeling about the mint mark, I thought I remembered reading that the mint mark was on the master die, but wasn't sure. I feel like I should know that by now lol. Then I also thought I remembered reading a thread that they did forget to add the mint mark to a cent that wasnt a 1922 year.. my memory is horrible, I could be wrong. Does that ring any bells?

[SuddenAdoration]

Yep, out west I get exited if I get a modern P cent. That's why it's frustrating when modern P mint doubled dies start showing up. Some years they're finding doubled dies on the P mint cents and I'm still waiting to see a single P mint cent for the year LOL

I met a dealer based out of Florida that is willing to do a box exchange with me for some 2015 P cents... all I have to do is send him 2015 d in exchange... lol now the hunt for those is starting haha... one day I will have a box :P I can PM you his info if you want.

[Maineman750]

Then I also thought I remembered reading a thread that they did forget to add the mint mark to a cent that wasnt a 1920 year.. my memory is horrible, I could be wrong. Does that ring any bells?

Yes, there is the 1990 Proof no "S", but we were talking circulation cents so I didn't mention that to avoid confusion

[Maineman750]

I guess I should explain in more detail....they could forget to put a mint mark on the master, but you wouldn't be able to prove it unless it were like the Proof "No S"....they could make them in New Orleans without a mint mark and it would mean nothing unless it were a special issue with something other than the mint mark to identify it.

[SuddenAdoration]

Yes, there is the 1990 Proof no "S", but we were talking circulation cents so I didn't mention that to avoid confusion

thank you! ok there must have been a thread on it then. that's good I am not going crazy then LOL (well...or more crazy than I am)

ps you replied before I made my correction. I meant 1922 not 1920.

[SuddenAdoration]

I guess I should explain in more detail....they could forget to put a mint mark on the master, but you wouldn't be able to prove it unless it were like the Proof "No S"....they could make them in New Orleans without a mint mark and it would mean nothing unless it were a special issue with something other than the mint mark to identify it.

Thank you for that information! So are all the shield cents made with the same exact design regardless of the mint location?

[Maineman750]

The 1922 "no D" was caused by grease filled or over-polished dies, not by the mint forgetting anything.

Yes, the shield cents for circulation are all the same other than the mint mark.