Post your Lincolns!

Great find.

 

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I just finished a box of Lincolns and found a bunch of modern ( 84 -2008) nice crisp red MS examples that I'll post here on another post.. the best one was a 1992 ( not a closed AM) but it's in Proof type condition, which is rare since they didn't last long because of the zinc deterioration.. but my point here is.. 15 years of roll searching and this is the very first time I've never found a 3.1 gram penny in a box.

 

LMAO....no coins were harmed in the process, I assure. Just those old internal slab labels that no longer served a purpose.

 

Ahh...pitched all slab residue after cracking. I may have kept 1 or 2 but the rest - bye, bye!

 

That's about as good as they get! NICE 21-S!

 

That's a nice example, I think you mean "proof like".

As long as Zincolns are stored properly and the plating is not split, they will last a very, very long time.

 

Mine is pretty "proof like":

 

I did say Proof Like in my head...lol.. I just took better pictures.

 

That's a beauty

 

like I said.. 15 years I've been searching boxes of pennies and I have tossed thousands of 1992s back in the banks because they were always destroyed looking, this is the best one I've ever found.

 

Today I’m up to 1922. I don’t collect any varieties, even if the 1922 No Mint Mark has had a slot in the albums since, like, forever. Since most all of the cents I see from 1922 are from badly worn dies, I wonder if one like this is not actually more scarce?

The seller on eBay said “1922-D 1C Lincoln Cent Semi-Key Uncirculated Details Full Bow Tie & Beard Rare!”. I am not sure why they thought it would not grade, but it sold for $76, so I was thrilled with it.

 

Stole it! Beauty!

 

If a coin could be insulted, this 1923 should be, having sold on eBay for $31.15.

I don’t know if this is full red or would be red-brown, but I personally can’t see any brown. It actually replaced a graded MS 65 RB.







I like this coin better than the plate coin on the NGC Coin Explorer web site.


As I mentioned a few days ago, I prefer sharp strikes from fresh dies. The plate coin shows very pronounced flow lines from die wear. This may give tremendous lustre.

But it’s not to my taste. I think it detracts from the coin as it was designed and meant to be struck.

But the plate coin would probably be graded higher, I suspect. Eye appeal and lustre are large components of the grade, while strike is much less. It does put my standards out of sync with the TPGs and the market, so I just have go my own way.

I’m OK with that, but I have no incentive to suffer the disappointment of grading my coins.

 

NGC Coin Explorer states that “Most 1923-S cents were coined from worn dies that displayed incomplete or distorted details.” The details are not as sharp as I might wish, but still pretty good considering the year. The woody appearance speaks to alloys that haven’t mixed all that well in the planchets, either.

In the closeup shots, I like the mixture of blue, purple, orange, and red in the fields of the obverse.

ANACS called this an MS63 RB, and I got it at about half the price guide at $475.

 

This 1924 is another eBay purchase for $41.

 

I am unlikely to try to upgrade this 1924-D because I like the toning. Purchased raw at my local coin shop for $130.

 

This 1924-S was covered with something, possibly varnish, when I got it from eBay for $165.



It took me a few years to work up my courage, but earlier this year I decided to give it a bath in acetone, followed by xylene. I was delighted that the crud not only came off, but that this toning was left behind. I am not sure if the crud held impurities onto the surface over the years so they reacted to leave a thin layer.

 

A nice 1925 can be found pretty easily. This was $30 on eBay.

A full red coin is more valuable, but I actually like the look of a nice red-brown. It brings out the texture of the coin better.

 

I’m not perfectly happy with either of these 1925-D’s. But I am very, very close to it. Each has a flaw but the overall appearance and toning almost makes up for it.

The NGC Coin Explorer says ”The 1925-D cent is nearly unrivaled as the rarest date with a full strike from fresh dies. Even the most advanced collector may have to compromise a bit with this issue.” I’m not an advanced collector by any means, but I can compromise anyway.

These both came from the same seller. This one was only $43, so the big spot over the date is not too surprising. I like the pretty good strikes on both side, and the ridiculous toning on the rest of the coin. I can’t bring myself to get rid of it.







I only paid $71 for its replacement. The reverse is much stronger here. One problem with these weaker strikes is that it’s hard to tell if there is wear or it the coin is original. I try not to worry about it.

If I were making up the grading scale, strike and wear would be on a single continuum so we could get rid of the artificial boundary between AU and BU. Then we wouldn’t bother trying to figure out “why” this coin looks the way it does and just take it as it stands.

 

I paid $104.50 for a 1925-S that was pretty well made, but dirty and dull.


I experimented with the distilled water / acetone /xylene rinses, and ended up with this, which I like much better. As with the 1924-S above, the removal of the crud revealing some nice blue toning. I surmise this was from contaminants trapped against the surface of the copper for many years. (I may have used a shorter exposure on this set of pictures, so they are darker.)






Edit: For comparison, here is an MS64 RB sold earlier this year at Heritage for $2640. Are you kidding me?