Please excuse me if this is a stupid question, but I know very little when it comes to errors, I’m a die variety collector. I found this 2018-D cent in my pocket change. Could someone educate me on what this is above STATES, and how it happens? Does it have any value to anyone?
Those striations would normally be associated with a worn die. Can we see full size images of both obverse and reverse?
The striations are caused by worn dies. As a coin is struck the metal flows and will eventually make grooves in the die. Scroll to die deterioration on this link for a better explanation: http://www.error-ref.com/part_iv__die_errors/
That's a shield Cent which means it's made of zinc. The Die is totally worn and should have been replaced a long time ago. The only value it has is to a collector of sorts or face value. Very common on these Zinc Cents.
I'll echo the above. If you are going to be collecting, then put this in a 2x2 and label it as a word die flow example. You will find oddness that will make you scratch your head. It's these mechanical variations that interest me. I don't think the process that makes these humble coins gets enough appreciation.
