Local Coin Club Meeting...shown an odd Lincoln Cent
ambro51
Posts: 14,053 ✭✭✭✭✭
Attended the local coin club meeting last evening and was shown a rather unusual Lincoln cent.
Im not quite sure what to make of this.....the reverse appears normal, but was somewhat cupped so that it was higher in the center when rested on a countertop. What is unusal is the obverse. What appears very much to be incuse impressions of the lettering and date, shifted from the normal position on the coin. ...now dont jump to conclusions because a vise pressing with another coin would result in reverse incuse impressions!
Opinions?
Im not quite sure what to make of this.....the reverse appears normal, but was somewhat cupped so that it was higher in the center when rested on a countertop. What is unusal is the obverse. What appears very much to be incuse impressions of the lettering and date, shifted from the normal position on the coin. ...now dont jump to conclusions because a vise pressing with another coin would result in reverse incuse impressions!
Opinions?
0
Comments
Wasnt this the year the rotary press was used?
<< <i>This is a genuine error. The coin was struck through a rotated, late-stage die cap. The normally-oriented, incuse design elements are characteristic of such errors. The convex reverse puzzles me, though. Possibly the coin was damaged after it left the Mint. >>
I think you are right, but the warping bothers me too.
Whoever owns it should get it certified as an error.
TD
Take a 1990 cent and put silicon rubber on it to make a mold.
After the rubber has hardened, separate it from the coin.
In the mold cavity, you will see incuse backwards letters and portrait.
Fill only the mold letters and portrait with something that will harden -
like hard epoxy.
After the epoxy hardens, sand the mold surface smooth so that the
exposed silicon rubber surface and exposed epoxy surface are all in
the same plane.
Use a vice to press the "mold" into the surface of the coin.
The silicon rubber will flex, but the hard epoxy will indent the soft
zinc cent.
On the obverse, not showing up on these quick photos I took there with a loupe and an iphone...the obverse also has a crescent shaped portion, at least 20 percent, that is lighter, and less defined, thats hear the date upper side.
I'm the one who presented this to ambro (though it's not my coin). The cupping on the coin is very, very slight. Also, not really noticable in the pics, there is a depression on the obverse that matches the Lincoln Memorial that's on the reverse. I believe that this is the reason for the cupping.
Theres no way anyone could get that degree of altertion on the obvrese impression through vise impressions, hammering dies etcetc since reverse was perfect.
any images of what that die error you mention looks like, Id like to see that.
I believe the coin to be a great looking man made error. In hand, somethings off about it in a major way. The rev is perfect, save for the cupping mentioned, which, I did notice by eye. While not majorly cupped, it is to some extent and noticeable.
The obv has somethings that make me think genuine error, but then the gut kicks in. The edge of the coin looks normal, but the obv upper rim does not. It almost looked like a badly cleaned Wheatie thats pitted somewhat. It didnt look real at all in this regard which is what stuck out to me. That, and Liberty is struck ok, not great, but ok for the issue. The upper obv legend is not though, its almost got a greese filled die look to it along the whole legend.
The rev while a normal looking rev doesnt match the obv to me. For a minute I thought it might have been a trick coin or something pieced together. I dont think thats what it is, but somethings going on thats telling me its a fake, just a great fake.
Whatever the case, I found it very interesting, and talking with the guys, Ray and Jesse and his friend, was a blast. We all had different opinions, but all thought it was cool.
If submitted, I hope an update or thread will happen, Im very interested in whats what with this piece.
we were told the coin was pulled from circulation.
Any photos anywhere on the error situation described? Maybe those of us who seen this in hand could make a comparison.
<< <i>I might be mixed up with this...and too lazy to dig out my QDB lincoln cent book...but wasnt 1990 the year they used a new rotary press design? >>
The feeder mechanism has nothing to do with your error.