From what I have looked up it says that there are no errors with the 1968 D penny? My question then what is happening with, IN GOD WE TRUST? Thank you in advance.
Common wear. As you may figure out, this cent is 51 years old. When coins are used what they were designed for, which is commerce (to buy things) they get bunched up in cash registers, purses, pockets, processed probably thousands of times from machines by the Loomis's out there, by banks, etc. They get worn. What you are seeing is normal "wear and tear" or "circulation wear" They also get hit, and scraped such as you can see on the reverse between the "C" and "E". The rim between the E and T was also hit, thus it has that mark. It's actually in pretty good shape considering it's age and that it is a coin used in commerce and as such goes through who knows what in all those years.
Sorry but Who said that? I bet nobody.. All coins from any year can have mint errors or varieties on them. Unfortunately yours is just years of circulation wear.
Michelle - I think your wondering why the motto is near the rim. Even unc 1968's are near the rim. Short version - I read somewhere this was caused by the master die at the mint. Over the years the master die was getting "stretched" or worn out causing this. That is why in 1969 a new Lincoln obverse was designed. Anyone else can chime in on this.
In 1969 the US MINT introduced a new design of the US Cent. The overall design theme didn’t change but all the dies and hubs wore out of the previous design, which were originally made in 1916. So, in short, the 1916 master hub they used to make master dies, which are used to make working hubs, which are used to make working dies for all those years, all wore out. Thus 1968 was the last year before the re-mastered Abe Lincoln US Cent. So for the run up to 1968 cents expect to see a lot of coins as the result of worn dies. From Master Hub/Die overuse, the lettering encroached up against the rim, was common for that era. The master hub was mushing and spreading really badly. As the hub spreads out the lettering moves further and further out from the center. Then when they would turn the dies down to the proper diameter the lettering was crowding into the rim. In 1969 they finally junked the old master die and created a brand new one with lower relief, smaller bust, and the lettering moved in closer to the center. The main difference was they created more space around the inside of the rim, thus everything was affected such as: · IN GOD WE TRUST was moved inwards · LIBERTY was moved inwards · The DATE was moved inwards · The BUST was moved inwards and visually decreased in overall size. · The same for the REVERSE someone has posted this pic in the past comparing the two.
@Michelle Holley , what you may not understand about errors is that very few are listed in any census by denomination/date/mintmark by any of the major grading services. Even if you just try to Google, say, "1968D Lincoln cent errors", you will probably come up with very little. And, your search will be made even harder if you don't know the actual name that is given to an error such as "Re-punched Mintmark", "Off-center Strike", "Misaligned Die", etc. In such cases, your best bet is to simply use the combined knowledge of the members on a site such as this, but don't be surprised if it is suggested that you try to learn as much as you can about the minting process so that you can eliminate "odd looking" coins that have been altered in the normal course of circulation. It's only natural that you may not recognize a particular error, but when you can explain what you think you are seeing (like you have done here) it will make it that much easier for others to help you. Chris
The minting of a coin is a complex manufacturing process, but, it is a manufacturing process. The process starts with a specified design and a specified product. As with any manufacturing process the outputs vary according to acceptable limits that reflect the variations. The closest a collector can come to finding a coin that meets the specified parameters is to buy a proof coin. Inherent process variables, such as worn dies, polished dies, re-punched mint marks, re-punched dates, etc. should not be considered as errors as they were intentional. Anything the mint does on purpose should be considered a variation not an error. So, when you pick up a coin in circulation, or even straight out of the mint, the chances are you do not have a perfect, to spec coin. IMHO.
