Do Mints use different dies for the same year? I'm not sure if I'm asking the question correctly. I noticed a difference on these two 1971 cents specifically on the 9 and the 7 and "BERTY" but since they're from different mints, maybe it's normal.
They can use several Dies at each Mint each year to strike millions of Cents.. They get worn and have to be replaced. Thus Die Deterioration Strikes. This may be the reason why the devices may look slightly different.
@JayF To answer your question the way it is presented, the answer would be yes, the Mint uses many different dies each year depending upon the life span of each die. But if you are actually asking if the Mint uses differently designed dies each year, the answer would be no, unless there is a change in the design. Think large date/small date as happened for example in 1960 and 1982 or nickels in 1913 and SLQ's in 1916 (there are other examples of course). Otherwise, each year the design is uniform or the same. The only difference you will/might see is the mint mark placement when they were hand punched into the dies. Wear and tear might make certain coins look different.
And the minute such coins enter circulation, anything can happen to the surfaces, so it would only be interesting if differences appeared on uncirculated coins from the different mints, the rest is always circulation damage. Jim
@paddyman98 @tommyc03 @desertgem Ahh THANKS!! All three of you answered my poorly phrased question. I was struggling with how to form the question....the DESIGN was what I was wanting to know. Thanks for the replies, you three answered everything I wanted to know. The How and Why (paddy and tommy's replies) and the How To Tell (Jim). Together with the replies in my other post, made my day as I learned quite a bit today.
