Identifying Error

Obama did it lol

 

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??

 

I still don't understand how it's possible for Lincolns head to show under the word Liberty. The head detail should have smashed the Liberty. It looks like a hammer job but there must be more to it.

 

I agree. I have been stumped by this for two days. The rim is smashed, which almost always points to damage. However, it almost appears as the mirror image was struck into the coin before it was struck. However, if that was so, Lincoln's shoulder would have wiped out those letters that are mirrored in that area. So it's damaged after striking? How is LIBERTY still intact? It's an oddball. I just don't know.

 

Another cent was smashed at an angle with the rim lower and not smashing liberty, then all that stuff you all think is hair/head was smashed in with tooling avoiding liberty, then it was polished.

That hair/head stuff is not in the right place to be from the same coin that did the rim.

 

The IGWT and the rim are pretty deep. Wouldn't it be hard to get the other coin at an odd enough angle to go that deep without transferring some of the head? Also, wouldn't the bottom of the letters be loosing some of there depth. I do see what you saying though. The position does appear to be off. Weird.

 

Assuming the hammer coin was whole, original and complete...

 

There's nothing "wierd" about this alteration. It's a perfectly representative example of a vise job (a.k.a. hammer job, squeeze job, smash job, sandwich job).

 

for those of you that is still wondering how the word LIBERTY is still intact on the op's coin and not smashed down , Lincoln's shoulder and his hair details helped to keep the other coin up off the letters . for those that believes the damaged sunken in areas is not from the hair details we need to remember that this is from the area above the ear and not from the very top of the head. only the highest areas appear to have got pushed into this coin.

 

You folks don't seem to have any problem with the IGWT impressing into the one coin,why can't you understand that LIBERTY would impress itself into the head of Lincoln and not "smush"? Also note that the LIB IS beginning to "smush". The rest of the word was protected because it wasn't making contact with the other coin

 

I want to take a guess at this coin. I agree with AWORDCREATED...maybe the left side of the cent originally had some sort of lamination or planchet defect. The person then did a hammer job on purpose on that particular side to create what we see. It might not be Abe's hair so the word LIBERTY would still be raised when struck on a lamination. Makes any sense?

 

Thanks rascal. That told me what I was wondering. Makes sense.

 

STOP.


hammertime.


But no seriously, that's definitely a hammer job.

 

First, thank you for all your replies. I thought the most likely explanation was that someone had hammered two coins together (I didn't see why the mint would have a "reverse" die) and how would a genuine error like that go unnoticed for so many years. The things that made me wonder about the origin was that the "reverse" lettering looked very cleanly indented, like it was done with a metal much stronger than copper. I also saw the word LIBERTY was still standing-up while it was in an area of the coin that was indented. It looked to me as though the "reverse" image was stamped into the coin after the Lincoln bust was put on (cut into the bust), but before the LIBERTY was put on (LIBERTY stands up in a recessed area) - but this would be impossible as I would imagine that the bust and LIBERTY are stamped at the same time. Well, it is just something that I stumbled across in a hand full of change - my total investment: $.01.

Alan

 

well just like the coin you have is imprinted, do is that other coin imprinted with the word liberty on it in reverse. the two coins being made of the same metal would have an equal effect on each other. just to help explain your curiosity of the liberty still standing

 

Definitely an interesting piece and I certainly learned something from this thread. Good luck on your future hunts.