
Lincoln Errors-Part One
Lincoln memorial cents are not the most exciting to collecting. It has the same obverse design as the previous 50 years of coinage, with a less thrilling, but I must agree, a more fitting reverse. Their mintages were sky-high and after 1982 the design was shallow, and the color seemed preposterous for a "copper" coin. But I found a little niche in the collecting work that made Lincoln memorials very fun and amazing to collect; their errors. Errors are created when the mint's vast systems, dies, and machines do not do exactly what they were intended to do resulting in wide variety of wrong planchets, off centers, clipped planchets, and increasingly more rare and hard to info errors after that. A double-struck coin is quite self explanatory. It is a coin that has been struck twice by the dies on the same planchet. This happens when the planchet is struck by the die, and instead of being properly ejected out of the next coin to come out, it moves very slightly creating another Lincoln's face next to the first one, on the same coin. Sometimes these errors are paired with others, and can be off-center on both strikes, clipped planchet( a clipped planchet paired with multiple strikes is something to be on the lookout for, this would be a huge find as this is extremely rare) and something even more rare than the previous one, wrong denominational planchet. Every one o these coins are different. Sure two can be struck multiple times, bu tit won't be in the same spot. This offers to add some spice and additional collection, like having the second strike at each hour on the clock. Harder to collect is a date an mintmark set of these coins, because as stated above, they often do not have either visible, but as long as one is there, you can find it. A double struck coin usually goes for around $25, but there are many above and below that Priceline. Ones that do show the full date an mintmark are priced accordingly, which those can be quite expensive. These errors can be found at coin show, coin shops, and if you can find one, an unopened bag of coins directly from the Mint that you can dump out and search through the bottom to find some beautiful uglies of the numismatic world. Double-struck coins give you more bang for your buck, two coins for the price of one, well maybe one-and-a-half.
Comments
Kepi
Level 6
Always give your change a quick look...you never know what you might find ; )
Longstrider
Level 6
very nice. These are most likely the most collected. Always check your change.. Thanks
It's Mokie
Level 6
We collectors have to always remind ourselves to Check our Change, you never know what interesting errors or varieties are out there, waiting for the patient eye to find. Thanks for your blog, since Lincolns are our most produced coin, it would seem they would have the most potential for errors.
JudeA
Level 4
I love Lincoln cents. I collect the errors and varieties, and any Lincoln Bicentennial pennies, which are dated 2009! I have a pretty good collection going with the 2009's and recently picked up a mint sealed box with the D and P pennies for only $2, which is only $1 above face value!
"SUN"
Level 6
Nice thoughts. A collector does not have to spend big bucks to enjoy the hobby.
Mike
Level 7
Absolutely right on the money. People write them off but I love them. There fun to look at. There is no shortage. And I can't think of anything to do that makes me happy is the hunt. After looking from the time I stated collecting till twenty five years later I enjoy it. A few months ago I wrote a blog on the change my wife brought home. In it a 1931 S. That's right so don't tell me there not out there. Thanks very enjoyable and in your own words. Can't beat that..P.S. I find allot of DD and varieties come from Denver.. They make them after Happy Hour!!!!