I can see that there is at least a misaligned die at work here because of the large gap between the bust, and the motto right at the rim. The reverse looks normal. What I can't figure out is the extra ridge at the top running through the motto and it has the appearance of the letters running downhill. Would this have occured during the strike, or did the planchet come in wrong to begin with? Will you guys help explain this one to me?
That ridge looks somewhat similar to the one I have on a 1987 D cent I just found...the thread is called "What is this?"...it seems a lot of people said it had to do with a very worn down die...I am way new to coin collecting but maybe it is a similar case??
Don't know how I missed that thread, but you're right they do look similar. I'm going to go read it all now, I'm sure I'll find the answer there so they don't have to explain it again - thanks!
I seen that! Now I really don't know how I missed it! Overall, very educational thread though. I learned a lot will probably go back and read it one more time and let it all sink in.
Hi All, Just to confirm your suspicions....this is the result of a very worn die being used to strike the coin. Thanks, Bill O'
Thanks Bill. So, do "very worn dies" and "Late die state" go hand-in-hand? Or better yet, are they interchangeable terms? Seems I've seen some late die states coins that were much more worn than this as far as the overall strike detail. I also noticed in the other thread that die fatigue came up, so can a die "fatigue" way before it is deteriorated? Or am I once again using interchangeable terms?
"Die fatigue", "die wear", "die deterioration", and "late-die state" all refer to the same thing -- a die that's approaching the end of its useful life.
