matte Lincoln business strikes?

xphobe

Sorry these pics aren't up to the standards of your leet foto skillz. I'm still learning.

But what I tried to show is that the one on the left has a distinct matte or satin finish uniformly across the surface, while the one on the right has deeply mirrored fields, which is common for new Denver cents. Is this just normal variation in the manufacturing process, or is the matte one a special coin?

Murphy

I've found both Satin Finish and smooth finish Business Strike cents in new rolls from the bank. I've found BS Obverse and SF Reverse cents on the same coin and visa versa, SF Obverse and BS Reverse on the same coin, all from new bank rolls. Over six months ago I sent these examples off to Ken Potter for his expert opinion. He has yet to reply. I won't try to put words in anyones mouth by guessing what his response will be. But I will say that whoever says that a business strike finish is the product of a worn SF Die is in effect saying that all 2005 and later cents are meant to have Satin Finishes. And that is contrary to what the Mint said when they introduced these new satin finishes as a way to tell the difference between Special Mint Set coins and Business Strike coins. I wish I knew what is going on here and why the Mint has introduced a SMS coin that you can get in new bank rolls meant for circulation. I admit that the quality of the SMS coins are better than the circulation examples, but in many examples, the finishes are the same.

xphobe

Another thing I just noticed is that the shoulder on the left one (SF) seems to extend farther toward the rim. Is it a completely different die, or a difference in upsetting, or maybe some kind of optical illusion?

Conder101

No it definitely looks like a different hub. Not only is the bust further from the rim at the base, the legends are also further from the rims as well. The coat and hair is also more detailed on the right hand coin. Is it possible these are overruns or quality rejects from mint set production that were then just diverted to circulation?

coinman420

i agree, the one on the right has much more detail.