i have this penny i found roll hunting and i have a question about it. on the word (one) the letter n is skinny compared to the rest i found. is this common? is it a error coin?
It is the result of die polishing in an attempt to remove a die clash. Quite common and not worth a premium.
There are at least two different die varieties that effect the reverses of 1983 cents. I wouldn't rule this one out until I can see the word UNITED.
True, but the question was "why are the letters thinner?" Doubled dies do not make letters thinner, they make the devices thicker. The thinning out of the letters is due to abrasion/die polishing.
MORE PICS. OF 1983 PENNY. I WAS TRYING TO FIND OUT WHY DO YOU THINK THE LETTER N IN THE WORD ONE IS SMALLER THAN NORMAL. ANY HELP WOULD BE NICE. THANKS
OK, let's put everything in context. We'll start with ...this coin is neither a doubled die on the obverse or the reverse. The thinning of the letters is due to, as suggested, die abrasion (used to remove the effects of a die clash) and then some additional die deterioration. When looking at 1983 cents in particular, there are many variables to consider before pronouncing a coin dead In 1983, dies were used almost to their breaking points. You'll find many 1983 cents with die cracks on the reverse extending from the corners of the Memorial building toward the rim of the coin. The overuse of dies means that you have to carefully determine if anything visible on a coin is due to die deterioration vs. anything else. In 1983, they were still "experimenting" with the , at that time, new cent composition. The copper-plated zinc cents combined with a perceived cent shortage at the time caused the Mints in Philly and Denver to produce billions of cent coins for circulation. More than 15 billion between Philly and Denver were struck. That pace of production meant that attention to detail was "not so hot" (Not official Mint terminology . Dies clashed, dies cracked, dies broke and so on. We (those of us who have examined millions of cent coins) see many coins with clash marks, die cracks, and small CUDS along the bust. There are also many larger CUDs as well. We also see many 1983 cents with major effects of die abrasion on both the obverses and reverses. Some obverse dies have been so heavily dressed (abraded) that the bust of Lincoln is noticeably smaller and his neck is gone on coins struck by those dies. The effects of abrasion on the reverses causes the lettering to be smaller. The lettering on a die is the widest at the surface, as a die is abraded and metal is lost, the portion of the lettering that remains on the die is more narrow. Coins struck by those dies will have smaller looking letters. Also, Die production was in some ways careless. On cents, There are at least 2 doubled die varieties known on the reverses and close to 10 different obverse doubled dies when you consider the P and D mints. I lost track after the 8th different die variety. I have the discovery coins for several of the 1983 DDOs since I found them back in the early and mid 80s so I am very familiar with the characteristics of many of the individual 1983 DDOs and DDRs. Consequently, I ask to see images of areas on the coins that are important for me to see when a 1983 cent is presented. After seeing the images of all the pertinent portions of the coin, I can state my conclusions as they are in the first paragraph.
now that's how you answer a question. thanks very much for taking the time to help me. i have learned a lot from this coin.
Very well presented and detailed. Since the die had to have been abraded, as you state, the only conclusion can be a narrow letter at the surface. I have seen a couple like cents of 1983 also with narrow letters, but only on the N.
It is not a train proof I am trying to figure out what it is worth its the strangest penny I have ever seen I
Here are pics note how last pic shows shape of the penny in question any help will be greatly appreciated thanks
To put it simple the reason that some pennies have thin or missing letters compared to others could be from something called polished or over-used die . Also from the looks of it a collector might more interested in the fact that the coin you have in the first bottom picture you posted seems to have faint doubling on the letters N and E in the word ONE but it's hard to tell from the terrible photos ... And in regards to have much it's worth its just like anything else in this crazy world It's only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it since It's not a highly sought after coin to my knowledge ... But anyway if you ever would like to take some really great photos of your coin finds to share with anyone else including collectors . You should probably buy you some nice quality equipment to take good photos or you should either contact me to learn how to take professional photos with your cell phone so that other people wont have to keep asking for better photos ...
