Two 1969 D pennies but each having different font style for the mint mark (one very strong/bold, the other fine/weak). Same for the dates. Can anyone offer an explanation?
Hi Mimi - Welcome to CT. The answer is that the obverse and reverse designs have changed over the years (ODV and RDV). For instance, the 1969 ODV was the first year for that design. Visit a site called Variety Vista and explore the Lincoln Cent. You’ll find a link there for ODVs and RDVs. Learning the differences sometimes comes in handy when searching piles of cents.
Without photos it’s just a guess on our part. It could be a slight design change, grease on the die, a worn die, circulation or a number of other things.
The reason for different a bold and weak mint mark is because mint marks were hand punched into dies until 1989. This allowed for a lot of variation in not only strength of punch, but also position. If you look at several 1969-D cents (not all from an original roll) under magnification, you'll find the mint mark moves around a little from coin to coin.
