Hey gang, aside from the bad pics, what else is wrong with this coin/picture. Please confirm my thoughts as to retooling and dremmel doctoring. The cheekbone distance and depth is off in MY opinion....... A scary scary auction......:loud: http://cgi.
WOW, I have been scratching my head on this one. I have edited and pulled the above post which included actual auction, no need causing seller grief if I'm wrong, but I have looked at this and swear it has been carved out to appear to be a stronger strike. Heres a pic:
Behind Lincoln's head at about neck level there appears to be a strike though. I dont see anything other the a lighting problem. Although I do see what your saying about the cheekbone being extra strong. But that could go hand and hand with what looks like a strike though. One thing that is more odd are the marks above the Date. That makes me think tooling. Its one of those need to see in your own hand type of coins if you ask me. Oldman ButI I do recall something I heard about 20 years ago about the 1926 lincoln being a problem year.
The color looks Off, and those marks above the date and behind the neck look cut in, and polished. Almost looking like spots or corrosion were removed, then overpolished. Nothing on a die can impress that into the surface, as I see it. Looks like someone held it their left hand, and scraped with their right. The details on the hair, and the face, they look correct to me. Much too small to tool that well and delicatly unless you were a true Michaelangelo of coin doctoring. Bet it would come back home in a BB
I think the look of the cheekbone is the result of the lighting being low angle and being from directly from the top of the coin. The action in the right field is what worries me. I don't know if it is photo manipulation or actual doctoring on the coin. Do you have a pic of the reverse ? One other possibility I am thinking is that the planchet could have been damaged before striking. It almost looks as if it could be a little thin. That "divot" behind the neck makes me wonder if those flaws existed before striking. If the guy tooled anything, you'd think he would have done something with that divot, too. Very interesting piece there, Jack.
It looks like an exceptionally strong strike to me, but not tooled. It is strange that the obverse fields have depressions, but it doesn't feel like "work" marks to me. It kind of reminds me of the 1962 that is struck so much stronger than the surrounding years. But, I am no expert.
That divot behind the neck shows through on the reverse. It doesn't appears to be under the C in CENTS, so I think it happened before striking. I'm leaning toward the damaged planchet theory.
