I found this penny and I don't know how to describe it. It has error marks in God We Trust and some obvious die marks.
It's a combination of a poor strike brought on by a worn die, possible post mint damage or struck partially out of the metal collar that surrounds the planchet when it is struck. It is worth a cent with no collector premium. I would have to see the coin in person to determine the cause of loss of detail for lettering at the top of the obverse. It could damage or, less likely, struck partially out of the collar. Either way, there is not much value here. The 1968 cents were poorly made because the hubs or master tools were badly worn. The portrait of Lincoln is weak on details as a result. The master hubs had not been refurbished for many years. If you look at a 1969 cent, you will see that the Lincoln portrait is much sharper and different in subtle ways.
A weak strike by old worn dies and circulation wear and tear. Nothing unusual. The letters in IGWT and worn into the as describe above. Welcome to CT.
Thanks everyone for your help your points are well taken. Another question are state coins worth grading my dad started collecting them back in the late 90's. He also collected the beautiful quarters.
