Welcome to the neighborhood @Jiggirl ! Whenever you see a strange coin like this, the first thing you have to ask yourself is, "How could the Mint have created a die that could produce a coin like this?" The fact is, they didn't! Any die made with such obvious mistakes would be destroyed. Then you have to ask yourself, "How could this have occurred during the minting process?" Well, it obviously could not have happened in the stamping operation that creates the blanks. It could not have happened in the upsetting mill which turns the blanks into planchets. So, the only other possibility is that it happened in the coining chamber. It could not have been a strikethrough because there is raised coin metal along the edge of the anomalies. What could have caused it? The only logical explanation is that it is damage that occurred while the coin was in circulation. So, by having a fair understanding of the minting process, it is very easy to rule out "Mint Error" when you find coins like this. Chris
It's a nice circulated, although damaged, 1981 D Cent. Still worth face value so definitely worth 1 cent.
@cpm9ball ...well said. @Jiggirl ...again, Welcome to CoinTalk. Just in case you, as a new member, are not aware, you need to go to several sites on the web that we forum members recommend for beginners. ...doubleddie.com, error-ref.com and for Lincolns...lincolncentresource.com. Reading the info on these sites will jumpstart your knowledge of coins. Also, pick up a copy of Yeoman's Red Book. It is a excellent source of info for all denominations of U.S. coinage, and can be a source of inspiration for your personal interests in this hobby. We forum members can't know your level of expertise...yet...but hopefully this will help kickstart your collecting endeavors with the correct nudges in the right direction...Spark
