Week 1712–18 October 2026
A Wartime Penny, DC Superheroes on U.S. Coins, and the Great Silver Meltdown
The 1943 penny mistake worth over a million dollars, three DC superheroes headed to real U.S. gold in 2027, and why the government deliberately melted 270 million silver dollars — the decision that gave us the Peace dollar.
- MondaySpecific History
The 1943 Penny: America's Most Famous Mistake (and the One That Happened Backwards)
You've probably heard that you should check your 1943 pennies. Here's the real reason — and it's stranger than the rumor.
Read the article → - WednesdayError Education
How to Identify a Doubled Die
Two pennies can both look "doubled," but only one is worth real money — a true doubled die is rounded and raised, while machine doubling is flat, like a shelf.
Read the article → - ThursdayNot in the Books
1918-S Lincoln Cent: A Known Rim Cud Die, and a Pre-Cud Not in the Books
A 1918-S wheat cent with the documented CU-1C-1918S-01R reverse rim cud at about 2:30, plus a pre-cud between 3 and 4 o'clock that the worn reference example doesn't show. Either that die had it all along or this is a later die state, so we catalogued it.
See the listing → - FridaySpecific History
The Pittman Act: The Meltdown That Gave Us the Peace Dollar
In 1918, the United States melted roughly 270 million of its own silver dollars on purpose. It sounds like vandalism. It was actually a wartime rescue — and it is the reason the Peace dollar exists.
Read the article → - SaturdaySpecific History
DC's Aquaman, Batgirl, and The Flash Are Headed to U.S. Coins in 2027
The U.S. Mint's Comic Art Coin and Medal Program has its 2027 lineup, and the designs just took their first step toward approval. On 17 September 2026 the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) — one of the two federal panels that review U.S. coin and medal designs — considered the candidate artwork for Aquaman, Batgirl, and The Flash, the three DC Super Heroes slated for 2027.
Read the article →
