I have had this cent in my collection for years and I just came across it again. It really has an unusual appearance. It looks like the metal is streaked as if the alloy is not totally correct. Above the "LIBERTY" it also appears as if a layer of metal is kind of "peeling." I know it is NOT a scratch... Is this a lamination error? Does this enhance or hurt the value of this cent? Thanks guys! https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/rieb/web/Coins/1920%20cent.jpg?uniq=-iptslb
der_: What you have is a Lincoln cent with a streaked planchet and a lamination. The streaked planched occurs from the improper mixture of the alloys during the preparation of the metal prior to the creation of the metal sheets used for making blank planchets. The lamination has similar reasons for occuring. "Does this enhance or hurt the value of this cent?" Normally, for a rare/scarce date I would think that it would hurt the value. For example if this had been a 1909 S VDB, then the buyer would want a nice unblemished example for his/her collection. In this instance, for a common date piece, it may add a few cents to the value as a curosity.
