Question about a Lincoln Cent

gunnerdog · February 22, 2006 2:42AM

Hello, I am brand new to this forum and am resurrecting a hobby for coin collecting that I last entertained about 30 years ago when I was a kid. Rummaging through the sock drawer the other day, I found an envelope with a single Lincoln Cent in it. It is a 1983 Lincoln cent. What is a little different about it is that the "8" in the date looks like twin mounds rather than a clean digit. I am asking for opinions as to whether I should consider this a collectible, and if so, what I should do with it? Does it have any value?
I know you will ask for a photo, but at present I do not have a digital camera. Maybe if you feel it is warranted, I will try to borrow one and get some close-ups.
Thanks!

DMWJR · February 22, 2006 2:44AM

Let me be the first to welcome you. Many of us are enjoying our second round of coin collecting!

Have you compared that cent with others of the same date?

LucyBop · February 22, 2006 2:44AM

be bop a lula!!!

gunnerdog · February 22, 2006 2:56AM

I have had this penny since it was new. I think my Mother, who worked at a bank at the time, brought it home for me. It is still quite shiny. In comparing it to other cents I don't really know. I am not used to the nuanced differences talked about today. I only have a small magnifying glass. Nothing other than the "8" I mentioned really jumps out at me.

DMWJR · February 22, 2006 3:03AM

Does it look like this?

The pic is from www.coppercoins.com and the owner of that site frequents the boards. If I was looking at a 1983 cent, I would be looking at the reverse instead of the obverse, and I would be looking for this:

gunnerdog · February 22, 2006 3:45AM

Thanks for the photos to compare. No, I don't see any doubling on the reverse of the coin. Really, all I see is that the "8" instead of being clear like in the photo, has two mounds inside the "0"s. Like little hills where a valley should be.
Sorry for the delay in responding, was interrupted by a long distance phone call from Iraq....

OHC6 · February 22, 2006 6:36AM

Welcome, Im new here too. Is it possible post any pictures to help out?

cladking · February 22, 2006 6:43AM

Welcome aboard. It could be a filled die where the interiors of the "8" in the die filled
with debris so it left the humps instead, but more likely it is the result of a plating pro-
blem. The early zinc Lincolns had a lot of problems with the copper sheathing peeling
away from the zinc. This would be more common around devices and lettering like the
"8".

If the former it would be marginally collectible but little interest, if the latter it would not
normally be considered collectible. There could be someone interested in bubbling in
various location but I've not heard of him.

Question about a Lincoln Cent

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