Attend this
weekend's Coin and Stamp Show in Rapid City and you will get a
glimpse of the kingpin of pennies.
It's the 1909S
V.D.B., and according to event organizer Dick Phipps, there aren't
many left in the world.
"That penny is in
real high demand just because it is so rare," he said.
Here's the story
behind the penny.
Like today, the
government sought out designers for the coin. Among those was
Victor David Brenner, whose design featuring a portrait of Abraham
Lincoln on the front and two "ears" of wheat on the back, was
chosen.
Although the coin
was an immediate success, complaints were raised about the presence
of Brenner's initials (V.D.B.) on the back of the coin.
"They ran quite a
few at Philadelphia and then not as many at San Francisco before
one of the other designers complained that Brenner had put his
initials on the penny," said Phipps, who owns one of the rare
coins.
As a result, new
dies were made without the initials, creating two varieties for the
year. Although Brenner's initials reappeared in 1918 (hidden at the
base of Lincoln's bust), their prominence on the 1909S V.D.B. Cent
makes it an extremely popular variety, according to
coinfacts.com.
Phipps and other
members of the Black Hills Coin & Stamp Club will be on hand
Saturday and Sunday to talk about coins, currency, tokens and
stamps.
More than 45 tables
will be set up at the civic center with experts and collectors
ready to buy, sell or trade, Phipps said.
And, with the price
of gold at an all-time high and silver selling at prices not seen
in decades, many people may be scouring their home safes and shoe
boxes for old and rare coins.
"Those at the show
will be able to tell people what the items are worth," Phipps
said.
If you
go
What: Coin and
Stamp Show
When: 9 a.m. to 5
p.m. Saturday, April 12 and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, April
13
Where: Rushmore
Plaza Civic Center
Cost:
Free
