NEVER Released! The 1933 Double Eagle & 1974 Aluminum Cents Explained
Three extraordinary U.S. coins with stories most collectors have never heard. Discover why the 1933 Saint Gaudens Double Eagle, 1974 Aluminum Cent, and 1974 D Aluminum Cent were never released into normal circulation and what happened to the surviving examples
#1933DoubleEagle #1974AluminumCent #1974DAluminumCent #RareCoins #USCoins
Three extraordinary U.S. coins with stories most collectors have never heard. Discover why the 1933 Saint Gaudens Double Eagle, 1974 Aluminum Cent, and 1974 D Aluminum Cent were never released into normal circulation and what happened to the surviving examples
#1933DoubleEagle #1974AluminumCent #1974DAluminumCent #RareCoins #USCoins
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00:00stop before you sell or dismiss these coins because their stories are far stranger than you
00:05might expect numismatic usa brings you the 1933 saint gaudens double eagle the 1974 aluminum scent
00:14and the 1974 d aluminum scent some were never officially released while others came from a coin
00:21program that was abandoned why were these coins stopped and what happened to the survivors stay
00:27with us for the full story imagine holding a 20 gold coin that the united states meant struck by
00:33the hundreds of thousands yet never officially released to the american public that is the
00:39extraordinary story of the 1933 saint gaudens double eagle one of the most famous and controversial
00:45coins in american numismatic history the story begins in 1933 during one of the darkest economic
00:53periods in american history the united states was struggling through the great depression
00:58banks were failing confidence in the financial system was collapsing and the country was undergoing a
01:05dramatic change in the way it handled gold the saint gaudens double eagle had already become one of the
01:11most celebrated american gold coins it carried a 20 face value and had been designed by the legendary
01:17american sculptor augustus saint gaudens his design is widely regarded as one of the greatest achievements
01:25in american coinage but the 1933 issue would become completely different from the double eagles that came before
01:34it.at the philadelphia mint 445 500 examples dated 1933 were struck on paper that sounds like a substantial
01:45mintage but here is where the story takes an extraordinary turn these coins were never
01:50officially issued or released to the public as legal tender that distinction is critical the coins had
01:56been physically struck at the mint but they were not authorized for normal circulation as the united
02:02states moved away from circulating gold coinage during the economic crisis the government ordered the 1933
02:09double eagles to be melted.so despite a mintage of hundreds of thousands the vast majority were destroyed
02:17the united states mint states that 445 519 33 double eagles were melted only two examples were lawfully
02:26transferred from the mint to the smithsonian institution for preservation and that raises one of the biggest
02:34questions surrounding this coin these coins were supposed to be melted how did any others survive
02:40that question would eventually lead to one of the most fascinating investigations in american coin history
02:46before we follow that story it helps to understand what this coin actually was the 1933 saint gaudens
02:54double eagle was a 20 gold coin struck at the philadelphia mint because it was produced at philadelphia
03:01it carried no mint mark its standard weight was 33.436 grams its diameter was about 34 millimeters and its
03:10composition was 90 percent gold and 10 copper that la contained approximately 0.9675 troy ounces of pure gold
03:20the copper was not simply an inexpensive substitute for gold it was intentionally added to give the coin greater
03:27durability because pure gold is relatively soft the result was a substantial gold coin designed for real
03:34monetary use but the 1933 double eagle never had the opportunity to fulfill that ordinary purpose
03:42its obverse carried the famous liberty design created by augustus saint gaudens liberty strides forward
03:50holding a torch in one hand and an olive branch in the other behind her rays of sunlight spread across
03:56the background while the united states capital appears in the distance the design was bold classical
04:03and unmistakably america on liberty are 48 stars representing the 48 states in the union at the time
04:11the reverse is equally dramatic a powerful bald eagle fl lies across the surface with sunlight behind it
04:19the inscriptions identify the denomination and the united states of america while the overall design
04:25reflects the artistic style that made the saint gaudens double eagle so famous the edge also contains an
04:32important detail it is lettered with the words e pluribus unum separated by stars for collectors these
04:40design characteristics are important because authentication requires much more than simply looking at a
04:47photograph and deciding that a coin appears genuine suppose 1933 double eagle is an extraordinarily serious
04:54authentication subject weight matters diameter matters metal composition matters surface characteristics
05:04matter the quality of the lettering the shape of the design elements the edge lettering and the
05:11manufacturing characteristics all matter a counterfeit can sometimes look convincing at first glance
05:17especially in photographs but an authentic gold coin produced by the united states mint has specific
05:24physical and manufacturing characteristics that specialists can examine this is why a coin with a history as
05:32extraordinary as the 1933 double eagle should never be authenticated simply because it looks
05:39right professional examination and certification are essential for any genuine example or purported example
05:48but authentication is only one part of the story the most important question is how these coins escaped
05:55destruction in the first place according to united states mint records none of the 1933 double eagles
06:02were officially released to the public as legal tender yet a number of examples somehow appeared outside the mint
06:08during the 1930s the secret service eventually investigated the disappearance of these coins
06:14several examples were recovered during investigations in the 1940s and 1950s those coins were returned to the
06:22government and ultimately destroyed but one particular example followed a completely different path dot
06:28it became connected to king farouk of egypt one of the most famous collectors of the 20th century
06:34the coin entered his collection and later when his collection was scheduled for dispersal
06:40that the 1933 double eagle was withdrawn from the auction for decades its whereabouts were uncertain
06:47then in 1996 the coin surfaced again when british coin dealer stephen fenton attempted to bring it into the united
06:55states for a private sale instead of completing a normal transaction the coin became the subject of a
07:01government investigation and was seized by the united states secret service what followed was not a
07:07simple coin sale dot it became a major legal battle over whether the coin could legally be privately owned
07:13think about that for a moment this was a gold coin that had been struck by the united states mint
07:19it carried an official date and denomination it was made from the correct gold alloy it had the famous
07:25saint gaudens design yet its legal status was completely different from an ordinary old american coin
07:32the government maintained that the coin had never been lawfully issued and therefore could not simply be
07:38treated as private property eventually a unique legal settlement changed the story dot in 2002 the united states
07:46mint monetize the famous farooq related specimen effectively issuing it as legal tender and allowing
07:52it to be sold that made this particular coin unique it was not merely a surviving 1933 double eagle dot
08:00it became the only example of its kind authorized for private ownership the coin was sold at auction in new
08:06york in 2002 for seven million five hundred ninety thousand twenty dollars including the buyer premium
08:13and the twenty dollar payment used to monetize the coin but the story did not end there nearly two
08:20decades later the same coin returned to the market on june 8th 2021 sotheby's offered the famous double
08:28eagle from the collection of collector stuart weitzman the result was extraordinary the coin sold for
08:34eighteen million eight hundred seventy two thousand two hundred fifty dollars that sale established a
08:40world auction record for a coin at the time and demonstrated just how powerful the combination of
08:45rarity history legal drama and provenance can become in numismatics but there is another fascinating
08:52chapter additional 1933 double eagles surfaced in 2004 ten examples were recovered from the family of
09:00philadelphia jeweler israel switt who had been connected to the distribution of several of the
09:06coins decades earlier the government pursued the matter in court the legal dispute lasted for years
09:12and ultimately the government prevailed those recovered examples were not treated like ordinary
09:18privately owned coins they were recognized as property of the united states government this is why the phrase
09:241933 double eagle can be misleading if we are not careful there is not simply one category of surviving coins
09:32that anyone can legally buy or sell the legal history of individual specimens matters enormously
09:39the smithsonian institution holds two examples that were lawfully transferred from the united states mint
09:46the government has also recovered additional specimens and one extraordinary example was uniquely monetized
09:53and authorized for private ownership that is very different from finding an ordinary old gold coin in an
09:59inherited collection dot it is also important to understand why the mintage number alone does not
10:05tell the whole story four four five five oh oh coins were struck but the number surviving today is
10:12dramatically smaller because the overwhelming majority were melted this is a perfect example of why mintage
10:19and survival are two different concepts in numismatics a coin can have a large original mintage and still
10:26become extraordinarily rare if nearly the entire production is destroyed the 1933 double eagle takes that
10:33principle to an extreme collectors also need to understand the difference between rarity and value
10:39rarity is only one factor historical importance legal status provenance condition authenticity collector demand
10:49and the circumstances surrounding a particular specimen can all affect the market the famous privately
10:55owned example is not valuable simply because it is made of gold its extraordinary price reflects a
11:02combination of factors that almost no other american coin can match dot it has a documented connection to
11:09the united states mint it was never officially released into circulation dot it became involved in an international
11:16ownership story dot it passed through the collection of king farooq dot it became the subject of a major
11:23legal dispute dot it was uniquely monetized by the united states government and it later achieved a
11:29record-setting auction result that combination is almost impossible to reproduce condition still matters
11:36even for a coin this famous collectors and professionals examine the sharpness of the design
11:42the preservation of liberty and the eagle the quality of the surfaces the presence or absence of marks
11:50and the overall visual appeal but for a coin with such an unusual legal and historical background
11:57authenticity and provenance become especially important this is also a coin that should never be cleaned or
12:04polished harsh cleaning can permanently alter the original surfaces and can damage the historical
12:10character of an important numismatic object if someone ever encounters a supposed 1933 saint gaudens double
12:17eagle the correct response is not to polish it test it with an amateur method or immediately advertise it for
12:24sale the correct response is to preserve the coin exactly as found and seek qualified professional
12:31authentication and legal guidance and that leads to perhaps the most important lesson from this extraordinary
12:38coin the 1933 saint gaudens double eagle teaches us that a coin is not defined only by its metal
12:45denomination date or appearance sometimes the most important part of a coin is the story of what happened
12:53after it left the dies the 1933 double eagle was born during the great depression at a moment when america's
13:01monetary system was changing dramatically dot it was struck in large numbers dot it was never officially
13:07released to the public dot it was ordered to be destroyed most examples disappeared
13:12into melting pots a few survive through extraordinary circumstances some were recovered and destroyed
13:19others became government property and one unique specimen was transformed through a legal settlement
13:25into the only 1933 double eagle authorized for private ownership that is why this coin remains one of the most
13:33fascinating
13:33pieces in american numismatics if you ever encounter a supposed 1933 saint gaudens double eagle remember that
13:42the date alone is not the story the authenticity the provenance the legal history and the documented chain of ownership
13:50are what make this coin extraordinary and perhaps that is the greatest lesson of all some coins are valuable
13:57because they are old some are valuable because they are rare but the 1933 saint gaudens double eagle became legendary
14:05because its entire existence sits at the intersection of american history anomics government policy uh collecting
14:13and mystery it is not simply a twenty dollar gold coin dot it is a surviving piece of one of
14:20the most dramatic
14:21transitions in american monetary history and that is exactly why the 1933 saint gaudens double eagle continues to
14:29fascinate collectors historians and the public nearly a century after it was struck what if one of the most
14:37unusual lincoln sense in american history was never meant to reach your pocket at all the 1974 aluminum scent was
14:45created during a serious problem facing the united states mint the price of copper had risen
14:50sharply and the metal inside a traditional scent was becoming increasingly expensive the mint needed to find a cheaper
14:58alternative and one of the most ambitious ideas was to replace the familiar copper alloy with aluminum what
15:04followed was an experiment that produced more than one and a half million 1974 dated aluminum scents
15:11yet not one was officially released into circulation and that is what makes this coin so fascinating
15:17the 1974 aluminum scent was not simply a rare version of the normal lincoln scent it was part of an
15:24experimental program that attempted to change what the american penny was made from to understand why
15:30the mint considered such a dramatic change we have to go back to 1973 copper prices had risen to the
15:37point
15:38where the metallic value of the scent was approaching its one cent face value producing billions of
15:44cents every year was becoming a financial problem for the mint the government began studying alternative
15:50materials that could reduce production costs among the materials considered were aluminum and other
15:56experimental alloys after testing different possibilities the mint selected an alloy containing
16:03approximately 96 percent aluminum with trace elements intended to improve its performance aluminum had several
16:10advantages dot it was lightweight relatively inexpensive and resistant to corrosion most importantly it offered the
16:19possibility of producing a one cent coin at a lower material cost than the traditional copper based composition
16:26the mint began producing experimental pieces using the familiar lincoln scent design that meant the coin did not look
16:33completely foreign on the obverse was abraham lincoln based on victor david brenner's famous design that had appeared on
16:40the scent since 1909 lincoln faces right with the inscriptions and god we trust and liberty surrounding him
16:48along with the date 1974 the reverse continued the lincoln memorial design introduced in 1959 by frank gasparo dot
16:57it shows the lincoln memorial building surrounded by the inscriptions united states of america e pluribus unum and one
17:06at first glance someone might think they were simply looking at another 1974 lincoln scent but the physical
17:13characteristics tell a completely different story a standard copper alloy lincoln scent of this period weighed
17:20roughly 3 11 grams the experimental aluminum scent weighed only about 0.93 grams that is an enormous difference
17:28the coin was still about 19 millimeters in diameter but the aluminum composition made it dramatically lighter
17:35than the normal circulating scent this unusual weight is one of the reasons authentication is so
17:42important a genuine aluminum scent should not simply look like a 1974 lincoln scent its physical
17:48specifications metal composition surfaces die characteristics and manufacturing characteristics
17:56all need to make sense together professional authentication can involve precise weighing diameter
18:03measurements metal analysis metal analysis microscopic examination and comparison with known genuine
18:09examples a coin that appears silver colored or unusually light is not automatically an aluminum scent
18:16counterfeits and altered coins exist and appearance alone cannot establish authenticity the mint
18:23ultimately produced approximately 1.57 million 1974 dated aluminum sense at philadelphia that sounds like a large number
18:32but minted but mintage is not the same thing as surviving population these were experimental pieces
18:38not normal circulation coins they were never officially released to the american public some examples were distributed
18:45to members of congress and government officials as part of the effort to demonstrate the proposed new coinage
18:51the mint hoped the aluminum scent would gain enough support to replace the traditional copper scent but opposition
18:58developed quickly industries connected with copper had obvious reasons to oppose replacing copper in the scent
19:05there were also concerns from vending machine companies and other businesses that relied on machines
19:11designed to recognize traditional coin specifications a change in weight and metallic properties could create
19:18problems for coin handling and authentication equipment there were additional concerns involving medical imaging
19:25and the possibility of children swallowing aluminum scents these objections
19:30became part of a much larger debate over whether the united states should actually change the composition of its smallest
19:36denomination in march 1974 legislation was introduced in the house of representatives
19:43that would have authorized the mint to issue one-cent coins made from the proposed aluminum alloy
19:48but congress did not approve the proposal the aluminum scent project was effectively stopped and then the economic
19:55situation changed again dot by the end of 1974 copper prices had fallen enough to make the existing copper
20:04alloy scent more practical the immediate financial pressure that had pushed the mint toward aluminum had weakened
20:11there was no longer the same urgency to replace copper dot s o the proposed aluminum scent never became an
20:17official circulating coin this is the critical point for collectors the 1974 aluminum scent is not a normal
20:25circulating issue it is an experimental or pattern coin connected to a proposed change in american
20:31coinage that distinction makes its history much more important than simply looking at the date imagine what
20:37would have happened if congress had approved the plan millions of americans might have carried lightweight
20:42aluminum lincoln scents in their pockets children might have saved them in coin jars cashiers might have
20:49counted them every day collectors might have treated the aluminum scent as an ordinary part of the lincoln scent
20:55series but that never happened the proposal was rejected the copper scent continued and the aluminum pieces
21:02became artifacts of a coinage experiment that never reached the public the story becomes even more
21:08complicated because the united states mint later sought the return of aluminum scents that had been
21:13distributed outside the mint the government maintained that pieces made at mint facilities but never lawfully issued
21:20or otherwise lawfully disposed of remained government property this created an unusual legal and ownership issue
21:28surrounding surviving examples dot so if you ever hear someone say that a 1974 aluminum scent is simply a rare
21:36penny
21:36worth a lot of money there is much more to the story the first question should be
21:41authenticity the second should be provenance and the third should be legal status those
21:47three questions are particularly important because these pieces were never released
21:51into ordinary commerce the surviving examples are historically significant because
21:57they represent a proposed change that never became official american coinage there is also an
22:03interesting lesson here about mintages approximately 1.57 million aluminum cents were struck at
22:10philadelphia but the number of known surviving examples is dramatically smaller most of the
22:16experimental pieces were recalled or destroyed while a small number survived through unusual
22:22circumstances one of the best known examples became associated with albert p tovin a united states
22:29capital police officer the story surrounding that specimen is remarkable according to accounts of its
22:35discovery tovin encountered an aluminum scent after a congressman had apparently dropped it while
22:41rushing to a legislative vote tovin reportedly thought the lightweight coin was a dime and was told to
22:47keep it that unusual chain of events helped preserve one of these experimental pieces outside the mint
22:53the coin was eventually authenticated and became known as the tovin specimen its existence demonstrates
23:00something important about experimental coinage sometimes history survives not because an object was
23:06officially preserved from the beginning but because an ordinary person recognized that something about
23:12it was unusual the condition of an aluminum scent also matters because these coins were not normal
23:18circulating pieces many surviving examples can have very different histories from ordinary lincoln scents
23:24collectors examine the sharpness of the design the surfaces the presence of marks the quality of the
23:31strike and any signs of alteration original surfaces are especially important cleaning or polishing an
23:39experimental coin can permanently damage its appearance and reduce its historical value a genuine aluminum scent
23:46should never be aggressively clean simply because its surface looks different from a traditional copper scent the
23:52metal itself gives the coin a distinctive appearance and a very different physical character the edge is
23:58plain rather than reeded the diameter is approximately 19 millimeters the weight is approximately 0.93 grams
24:07and the composition is an aluminum alloy containing approximately 96 percent aluminum with trace elements
24:14these specifications are useful because they provide a starting point for authentication
24:20but collectors should not try to prove authenticity using weight alone a counterfeit can be manufactured to
24:26match a target weight that is why professional authentication looks at the entire coin
24:32the dies used the lettering the design details the surfaces the edge the dimensions and the metal all have
24:40to agree another important point is that an experimental coin should not automatically be called a mint error
24:47the 1970 four aluminum scent was intentionally struck as part of an experimental program that makes it
24:54fundamentally different from an accidental wrong planchet error or a double die created unintentionally during the
25:01minting process the coin is important because of what it was designed to be dot it was a proposed replacement
25:07for the
25:08traditional scent that proposal failed and the failure became part of the coin's historical significance
25:14there were also other experimental materials considered during the period the mint explored alternatives
25:20because the economics of coin production were changing eventually however the united states
25:26continued using the traditional copper alloy scent through the rest of the 1970s the composition would not
25:32change until 1982 when the scent was changed to a copper plated zinc composition so the 1974 aluminum scent
25:41represents a fascinating moment between two eras dot it was created because the old copper composition was
25:48becoming economically difficult but the proposed aluminum solution never became america's new penny that is why
25:54this coin is so important to collectors of modern united states patterns and experimental coinage dot it tells us what
26:02american money could have looked like dot it also shows how economic pressure politics industry
26:08technology and public concerns can influence something as ordinary as a one cent coin and there is a final
26:16reason this coin deserves attention the 1974 aluminum scent reminds us that a coin does not have to circulate
26:23for it to become an important part of american history this tiny piece of aluminum represents a major decision
26:30the united states almost made more than one and a half million examples were produced for an experiment
26:36congress rejected the proposed composition the mint stopped the project the coins were never officially
26:42released into circulation many were recalled or destroyed and the surviving examples became some of the
26:49most intriguing experimental pieces in american numismatics so if you ever encounter a supposed 1974
26:57aluminum scent do not judge it by appearance alone get the weight look at the diameter study the design examine
27:05the surfaces consider the provenance and most importantly have the coin professionally authenticated before making any
27:15assumptions about what you have the real story of the 1974 aluminum scent is not simply about a lightweight
27:22penny dot it is about an american coin that was created to solve an economic problem tested by the united
27:29states mint
27:30presented as a possible replacement for the traditional scent rejected by congress and ultimately stopped before it
27:38could enter everyday american life that makes the 1974 aluminum scent more than an unusual lincoln scent dot it is
27:46a physical
27:47record of a coinage experiment that failed to become america's future and sometimes the coins that were
27:53never meant to circulate can tell us just as much about american history as the coins that did
28:00imagine a 1974 lincoln scent struck in aluminum at the denver mint even though denver was never authorized to make
28:09one
28:09that is the extraordinary story of the 1974 d aluminum scent an experimental coin surrounded by secrecy
28:17government ownership and a remarkable discovery so how did this unauthorized coin ever exist the story
28:25begins with the serious problem facing the united states mint in the early 1970s the price of copper had risen
28:32sharply and the metal value of the traditional one cent coin was approaching its face value the mint needed to
28:38investigate cheaper alternatives and aluminum became one of the leading candidates
28:43the proposed solution was a new aluminum alloy containing about 96 percent aluminum it was lightweight
28:50resistant to corrosion and potentially much cheaper than the traditional copper alloy used for lincoln scents
28:57the philadelphia mint was authorized to conduct experimental work with the aluminum blanks
29:03but denver had a very different roll dot in 1974 sheets of experimental aluminum alloy were sent to denver
29:11so they could be cut into scent blanks the reason was technical denver used slightly larger blanks than
29:17philadelphia and mint officials wanted to determine whether the difference in blank size would affect the
29:23usefulness of the new alloy but there was a strict instruction the denver mint was not authorized to strike an
29:30experimental aluminum scent according to the united states mint most of the aluminum blanks were
29:36returned to philadelphia as instructed however at least one former denver mint employee recalled that
29:43experimental scents were struck at denver using an existing die carrying the d mint mark that striking
29:49was unauthorized and directly contrary to official instructions and that is what makes the 1974 d aluminum scent
29:57so unusual the d mint mark normally tells collectors that a coin was produced at the denver mint the united
30:04states mint identifies d as the denver mint mark but this particular d marked aluminum scent was never
30:10an authorized denver mint issue dot it was an unauthorized experimental striking that distinction is
30:17extremely important this was not simply a rare 1974 cent with an unusual metal composition it was a coin
30:25produced outside the approved experimental process the design itself was based on the familiar lincoln
30:31scent the obverse features abraham lincoln with the inscriptions and god we trust and liberty and the date 1974.
30:40the reverse features the lincoln memorial surrounded by united states of america e pluribus unum and one
30:48cent but the metal completely changes the character of the coin a normal 1974 copper alloy scent weighed about
30:553.11 grams the experimental aluminum scent weight approximately 0.93 grams that difference is dramatic data and
31:05aluminum scent feels unusually light in the hand compared with the conventional lincoln scent its color
31:10can also appear different from the familiar reddish copper appearance collectors expect from a 1974
31:18but appearance alone cannot prove that a coin is an authentic aluminum scent weight is important diameter is
31:25important metal composition is important the lettering design details surfaces edge and manufacturing
31:34characteristics are also important any supposed 1974 d aluminum scent should receive professional
31:40authentication because the history makes it an extremely unusual and potentially important numismatic
31:46object the most fascinating part of the story is that the coin was not supposed to exist in the
31:52first place the mint was investigating aluminum as a possible replacement for copper because of rising
31:59costs the project was serious enough that more than a million experimental aluminum scents were produced
32:05at philadelphia but the proposed change faced opposition there were concerns from industries that
32:11relied on coin operated equipment there were questions about whether aluminum would work properly in
32:16vending machines and other coin handling systems there were also broader concerns about changing the physical
32:23characteristics of american money then the economics changed copper prices declined reducing the immediate
32:30pressure to replace copper in the scent on may 21st 1974 the mint publicly stated that there would be no
32:38aluminum penny the aluminum scent experiment was effectively abandoned but the denver specimen had an even
32:44more unusual ending dot in 2016 an heir of harry edmund lawrence a former assistant superintendent at the denver mint
32:53returned the 1974 d aluminum scent that had once been in his father's possession the united states mint
33:00explained that the return supported the principle that items made at mint facilities but never lawfully issued or
33:07otherwise lawfully disposed of remain property of the american people that means this coin has a crucial legal distinction
33:14it was physically made inside a united states mint facility dot it carries the denver d mint mark but it
33:21was never
33:22lawfully issued as american circulating money dot so collectors should not think of it as a normal rare denver lincoln
33:28scent dot it
33:29belongs to the fascinating world of experimental and unauthorized mint pieces this also explains why calling it a mint error
33:38would be misleading the 1974 d aluminum scent was not simply an accidental wrong metal strike caused by a
33:45machine malfunction during normal production according to the mint it was an unauthorized experimental striking
33:52made at denver that makes its story different from famous off-metal errors such as an ordinary scent
33:58accidentally struck on the wrong planchet the coin is historically significant because it shows how experimentation
34:04could take place inside the mint and how strict the distinction was between authorized and unauthorized
34:11production for collectors that history can be just as important as the physical coin itself if you
34:17encounter a supposed 1974 d aluminum scent there are several things that deserve careful examination first is
34:25the d mint mark second is the weight third is the diameter fourth is the metal composition then come the
34:32surfaces and manufacturing characteristics a genuine example should be consistent with the known
34:38characteristics of the experimental aluminum pieces a counterfeit can be made to resemble an aluminum
34:45scent and a normal coin can be altered or treated to create an unusual appearance that is why professional
34:51testing is essential a collector should never assume that a lightweight or silver colored 1974 cent is
34:58automatically an aluminum scent the condition of the coin also matters original surfaces sharp design
35:06details lack of harsh cleaning and overall eye appeal can influence collector interest but with an object
35:14this unusual authenticity and documented history are far more important than simply assigning an attractive
35:20grade the 1974 d aluminum scent also teaches an important lesson about mint marks collectors often
35:28see a d and immediately assume the coin was part of normal denver production but here the d is part
35:35of a
35:35completely different story dot it identifies denver as the facility where the unauthorized experimental
35:41striking occurred that single letter transforms the historical significance of the piece think about
35:48what this coin represents the united states was searching for a cheaper way to make the smallest
35:53denomination aluminum appeared to offer a solution experimental sense were produced the idea reached congress but the
36:01proposal failed the mint abandoned the project and at denver an unauthorized experimental striking created a
36:10demarked aluminum scent that would eventually become the subject of a government recovery it is an extraordinary
36:16chain of events for a coin worth only one cent in denomination and that is why the 1974 d aluminum
36:23scent deserves attention dot it is not important because it was once a common coin dot it is important because
36:31it
36:31represents an alternative future for american coinage that never happened had the aluminum proposal
36:37succeeded americans might have carried lightweight aluminum scents in their pockets throughout the
36:43late 1970s instead the traditional copper scent continued years later the composition of the lincoln scent
36:50would eventually change to copper plated zinc in 1982 but the aluminum experiment of 1974 remains one of the
36:58most interesting moments in the history of american coinage dot so if you ever come across a
37:04coin described as a 1974 d aluminum scent do not clean it polish it scratch it or assume you know
37:12what it
37:13is from its appearance treat it as a potentially important numismatic object document where it came from
37:19preserve its original condition and seek professional authentication because the real mystery is not
37:26simply how much an unusual coin might be worth the real mystery is why it was made at all
37:31the 1974 d aluminum scent was never authorized as a denver mint issue it was never released into normal
37:39circulation it emerged from an experimental program that was ultimately abandoned and its surviving history
37:45became intertwined with the question of government ownership that makes this tiny lincoln set something
37:51much bigger than its one cent denomination dot it is evidence of an american coinage experiment that was
37:58never supposed to become part of everyday life and sometimes the most fascinating coins are the ones that were
38:05never officially meant to exist
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