Stephen B. writes:Â I have a 1981 penny with a stamp of an outline of Arkansas and the letters AK inside the outline. The quality of the work suggests a professional job. Do you have any information on this coin.
This mutilation of cents has been going on for quite a while. Cents like this are stamped with a design by an organization that has no connection to the U.S. Mint. They use regular issue coins that are stamped with a design to commemorate an event or they are used for some other commercial purpose.
One that got a lot of play showed the head of Kennedy stamped in the right field of a Lincoln cent. A card accompanying the coin showed the similarities between Lincoln and Kennedy’s life and the circumstances surrounding their deaths. Stamped coins are in the same category as elongated cents and are collectable, though the modern ones have little value at present.
