We blogged a while back about how we noticed that there were two different positions for the "D" mint mark on the 1970 Denver penny -- one low and one high. After peering at several dozen of these through a magnifying glass for a while, we figured out there were actually three -- a low, a middle, and a high.

Now we're going through the 1971s, and lo and behold, there they are again:

    

Given the many nerdly distinctions that coin collectors make, we're still surprised we haven't seen this discussed anywhere else. But if no one's writing about it, it seems likely that there were enough of each variety minted that they're all of equal value (which apparently isn't all that much).

As we've said before, though, it's about the thrill of the hunt.