Hidden Treasures: The 1970-s Lincoln Penny?

So I've started a new "hobby"--collecting pennies. Yes, I know: pennies??! You must be thinking, this guy's gone daft (and now British, too, for some reason?). Besides those very real possibilities--and one's initial skepticism--it's true: you can find quite a few various One Cent US Pennies that are actually worth considerable pieces of change (see what I did there..?)...

Okay, no more bad jokes. Maybe. Moving on.

There's something quite fascinating about an object that is, for the most part, discarded by society as nothing more than a nuisance: thrown on the ground, or left in those little cups next to cash registers. But some of those "nothings" turn into really big somethings..

In a way, it's kind of like crypto. Like its champion, Bitcoin, which was itself worth nothing more than a few pennies a piece just a few years ago.

During my adventures, there have been multiple denominations which have popped-up quite frequently in the areas of "valuable" or "rare" coins. Often times, these specially-valued coins are a result of what numismatists (a fancy term for coin enthusiasts) refer to as variations, or "errors:" basically, coins which have endured some kind of "mistake" during the minting process, thereby producing a coin which is somehow different from the vast majority of its friends. An "ugly duckling," if you will. There are many ways in which these variations can occur, and many different pennies on which they are known to happen. But there are still others that may not be so well-known. One such possibility is the 1970-s Lincoln cent.

Below is a regular, "circulated" version, as they're called, as it was made in 1970.. (pretty, isn't it?)

For those who may be wondering, that little mark below the "1970" on the front, or "obverse" of the coin is actually a small letter "S" which is called the mintmark and it tells us which US mint the coin was made in. This penny happened to have been minted in the beautiful city of San Francisco, USA.

(The penny kinda shines like the bridge, doesn't it? Above image from pixabay.com; all other images by author, gjones15.)

Depending upon its condition, and, believe it or not, the actual size of the date on this particular coin will determine whether or not it carries any extra value. For example, even the worst versions--meaning no "red," almost all browned-- of the "small date" 1970-s varieties can easily go for ~$20, all the way up to $900 for "full red," nearly-flawless versions. While the same high level of quality found on a "large date" version can go for twice that (https://www.pcgs.com/prices/priceguidedetail.aspx?ms=1&pr=1&sp=1&c=47&title=lincoln+cent+(modern)).

This is where my 1970-s penny comes in. After a close inspection of the coin, it has been determined it is of the "large date" variety (as is the one above) Though, seeing as it's not necessarily in the greatest condition, this is not why my coin merits a closer inspection. I have something that might be even rarer...

If you will look closely at the photos below, you'll see something very strange going on with the "0" on the imprint of the year on the coin's obverse (front).

It appears as though the machine decided it wanted to make a semi-circle instead of a "0!" (or even a tiny, capital 'D"?) I'm not exactly sure what happened--or if it even was caused my the mint itself--or whether it is some kind of other "environmental," or maybe even intentional "damage."

Although the latter would seem quite odd to me--I guess it's quite possible, especially as inexperienced in the field as I am, and have yet to encounter any "counterfeits" (that I know of), but I'm sure it's a plausibility. Even still, much more likely, in my opinion, is that it is a genuine "error,"--in other words, something caused by the minting process-- and, if so, my hope, of course, is that it will carry with it some kind of "added value..."

In the picture there does also appear to be what might look like some "doubling," especially on the date-- though I can say with relative confidence that is due to the camera or some other phenomenon, because it is not nearly as emphasized in real life. There is, though, a "doubling," or kind of "remnant" of what appears to be where the "missing" part of the "0" should have been--wherein lies, instead, a kind of a "silhouette" of a zero. There's something else strange about this coin. The "s" is considerably closer to the date than on the first coin shown. The mintmark is almost touching the bottom of the "9", whereas it is a distance away in the "non-error" version. This is really strange..

And this is where you, my fellow Steemians can possibly help! I know there are a few numismatists out there. Any ideas??

I have added some additional pictures below. If anything, it's just kind of a cool penny!

So what do you guys think?? Anything "rare" here? Have you seen this before? Should I start buying CCTV cameras and a bulletproof safe--preferably one big enough to hold a lambo in?

If you have any ideas on any of the above, please feel free to comment below: I would welcome any info, suggestions, or conversation regarding coins; particularly US pennies!! Thanks for reading! And continue to watch for more numismatic hijinx and adventure!