I'm new to error/variety coins so please be indulgent ! I looked trough my US coins ( i have like 6-7 US coins ) and i found this 1983 penny that looks strange to me. I have two coins from 1983 and after i compared them i am sure that there is something strange with this one.I don't have a magnifier yet but i took the pictures at a high resolution. Please note the "Y" in LIBERTY ( when you look at the coin with the naked eye it looks like instead of the "Y" there's just a scratch),the rim of the coin in front and near the "L" and also on the obverse the center of the coin and the "FG". PS: Please excuse me if i don't write 100% correctly but i studied english only for 2-3 years! http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/3793/dsc08066n.jpg http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/6314/dsc08064.jpg http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/4756/dsc08050t.jpg http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/4048/dsc08040z.jpg
I think the rim would be some sort of die deterioration or something... I've seen it before... and for the rest I wouldn't be able to tell you.. thought about getting a jewlers loupe to look through/ take pictures?
Thanks! I will get a magnifier tomorrow in order to get better details and i will post more pics. This is my first "possible" error. I was a little bit too excited about the "Y'" in LIBERTY and i posted too soon .
New pictures with a magnifier: http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/4103/65430751.jpg http://img831.imageshack.us/img831/9122/16759801.jpg http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/6797/86170716.jpg http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/6632/10343802.jpg http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/3793/dsc08066n.jpg
The thinned Y in LIBERTY is from die polishing that has removed enough of the field to to thin the device. Die clashes are strong in that area and they got real aggressive with the cleaning to remove the clash from that area. This was probably not just the first clash this die went through. But after several cleaning the die just thinned toward the devices in this area. So the die was normal when it started, but now that it has some age in it, it's no longer a spring chicken. The marks on the rim area is not from the die, but from the collar that holds the coin. The collar is chipping off. If the die were crumbling you would have a cud. But as you look at your coin you can still see the round area near the rim called a gutter. This is the outside edge of the die. If you look on the reverse of your coin in the third bay you can see the outline of the shoulder of the obverse and the jaw on the other 1/2 of the memorial. Here is an image of a double clash on a 1984 Cent that is stronger and still there on the coin. You can see why the over polishing was needed and why your Y on LIBERTY was thinned to remove the clash marks. http://imgs.inkfrog.com/pix/coop49/1984_cent_double_clash_TERRY_STEWART_IMAGES.jpg
I might keep it as an educational piece to show to new ones, or I might just spend it. It's your choice. Just a regular coin as I see it.
I agree with Coop about the Y, thin from overpolishing of the die to remove clashmarks. However the marks on the rim are from the edge of the die chipping not the collar.
Its a nice coin to keep for starters.. Im just starting to get rid of some of my worthless finds now that im replacing them with "actual errors".. LOL.. Keep up the search..:thumb:
I will keep it because is a my first "error" ) . Tomorrow i will buy myself a good magnifier and i will search trough all my coins. Hopefully this days i will post a real error coin.
