Wanted to post this before I hit the hay so I could respond at work tomorrow if needed, but I really just need clarification. I have found some good looking 60's from a box, but they never seem to have any details in the beard, yet most of the obverse is in really good shape and the reverse looks really nice. Google returns images where I don't see beard details, but I just want to make sure as the 1969 looks like it does have details. Here's an example of one of the ones I have found.
The Master Die was remade for the year 1969. It lost some of that High Relief and gained some finer details.
Nice find. As alurid states, the engraving for the master changed from time-to-time (as it did in 1969) thus why the look of Lincoln and the Memorial changed over time. I prefer the look of the Lincolns with finer details.
Not until 1969. The master model had last been redone in 1918, and detail gradually wore away as new master dies were made year after year.
I think nothing beats the original for beard and hair details. I have posted this on CT before and I think it has a very strong strike/EDS as well.
I think the 1916 Phillies have the best beard detail. Not the first year, but they did something right
Here is a 1909 Plain Matte Proof cent. It does not show that much more detail. The loss of detail on the 1968 cents was in the hair, coat and face. Everything was going mushy because the hubs had been used so many times. Here is the Victor D. Brenner Lincoln medal that was the inspiration for the Lincoln Cent. There is more detail on this bit of artwork, but you mush remember that the cent is quite a bit smaller than this piece. I'd have to look it up, but I also think that Barber had something to do with the Lincoln Cent artwork. Brenner's orginal work did not have "LIBERTY"** or "IN GOD WE TRUST" if memory serves. ** Edited to say that "LIBERTY" did appear on the models that Brenner produced. The mint staff moved the Lincoln portrait down to make room for "IN GOD WE TRUST." Brenner's Lincoln bust remained the same. I got this information from Renaissance of American Coinage 1909 - 1915 by Roger Burdette.
Nice early Lincolns folks!! Love that chocolate brown toning Razz!! This is a bit of a distance shot, but what I had on my phone.
