what causes "streaks" like the ones on this coin? i see them alot, even on pcgs and NGC coins (not just proofs). http://coins.heritagegalleries.com/common/view_item.php?Sale_No=26022&Lot_No=11079
I've heard it referred to as "woodgrain" style toning on copper cents. I believe it is supposed to be toning that follows some sort of graininess in the metal in the planchet.
I think that the coin is #1 over graded and #2 over priced... Look at the tip of the ear...looks like light wear...also on the highest points of the hair...and even if that isn't wear I would have a hard time calling that anything better than MS62 with the REV looking like that. Also if you look at the price it is way out of line...I wonder if PCGS is trying to buy it back..... Speedy
First, it's a proof, not MS anything, but that said, it is a little surprising that it got the RD and not the RB designation. It makes you wonder if it has turned in the holder, especially since there is such a huge price break between PF63RD and PF64RD and another huge break between PF64RB and PF64RD.
Hi, It's supposed to look that way. From 1909 to 1916, Lincoln cents were done in a Matte Proof. In 1909 the Philadelphia Mint, following a procedure used by the Paris Mint for many years and a process used in Philadelphia for gold coins beginning in 1907, discarded the "brilliant" Proof format for the cent and instituted the Matte Proof style. Pieces of this method of manufacture displayed a grainy microscopically pebbled surface, without lustre, which was said to "highlight" the design features. I hope this helps, Bill
Sorry...when grading a coin in a slab I never look at the label until after I grade it myself--that way I'm not just going along with the grading Co. This time I forgot---- Speedy
But not all matte Proofs have wood grain toning Bill - CLICK HERE - and it is the wood grain toning that is causing the question I do believe. MrSpud's answer is correct.
Why does the beard and the ear always look scruffy in these Lincons, even in proof (as compared to the 1999 Lincoln error in the other thread). Ruben
Did the metal flow a bit during the minting process, perhaps when the copper sheet was rolled? I'll bet the copper is crystallized , at least on the surface. Was it rolled cold? We have 200,000 lawyers on board to ponder the ethical and legal consequences of the texture, now all we need is an experienced metallurgist to tell us what happened to that coin.