Tiny small lines that run over the entire face of the penny. Some have it only on one side and others have the lines on both sides. What is it? Iv found a handful of these and can't seem to get any info. Thanks in advance!
Same as furryfrog02..I think they are really nice,not sure how they become like that but I do keep woodies if i come across any.
Improper alloy mix. I want to share this webpage with you - http://www.error-ref.com/improper-alloy-mix/ from the error-ref page - quote "A poorly mixed alloy can result in alternating light and dark streaks. This is often referred to as a “wood grain” pattern, and the coins themselves as “woodies”..." closed quote
In my opinion, these are not improper alloy mix errors. I strongly suspect they are roller marks. See this article for more information: http://www.coinworld.com/news/us-co...ripes-on-coins-are-not-fully-understood.html#
Although I agree they are not improperly mixed alloy, unless someone comes up with a better name, I will stick with the name "woody".
"Disco era cents"? Is that term used by just the writer or is it part of the numismatic jargon? Informative thread.
It looks like die damage. I have like 50 years of "Uncirculated," sets that have this kind of die scratches! Technically, I would think that they all errors in a way, but I am not an expert on this kind of thing. The fact that these scratches are not just in the fields, but on the devices as well, suggests to me that it's die scratches.
Those "lines" are actually grooves cut into the CnClad sheet from the rollers as the sheet is fed into the blanking press or perhaps somehwhere else along the production run. Remember, CnClad stock is shipped to the US Mint in gigantic rolls which must be handled during the production of the blanks.
Don't know if this is true or possible but someone once said that there was a clamp of some type used to start or pull the strip thru the rollers. The clamp could slip and leave these marks. I don't understand why the strike would not remove the lines. Is any of this even possible Mike? One more example.
I haven't heard of a clamp being using, but I suppose it's possible. I've seen several cases of incuse roller lines (at least I presume they're roller lines) that weren't erased by the strike. The lines on other stripies (like the disco-era cents) are not incuse. They're simply bands of discoloration.