This Indian Head Cent was in a lot given to me after my Grandmother passed away. It looks like die cracks it has a 19- date on the obverse and a 18- on the reverse? never seen one like it, wonder if it has any value?
Very interesting, the field of the coin appears to almost worn to smooth, is that the way the coin appears in person ? but the cracks seem to be quite sharp on top of the worn field, do any of the cracks extend to or involve the rim ? they dont appear to in the pics?
Maybe I misread the post or the pictures but, it seems to me that if it were a die crack the affected area would actually be raised, like a mountain, rather than indented like a valley.
The Longest die crack that extends across the middleto the small valley is raised on the reverse, and i can see light coming thru it as well in one spot. it does look worn, but i wonder if it was struck so hard that it not only cracked the planchet but prevented it from being fully struck? but the cracks are on the rim too.
The second picture looks more like a cracked die than it does like a coin struck by a cracked die. IMHO you have a coin that has been subjected to severe post-mint damage. l The combination of the raised line on one side and the deep crack on the other resembles a coin which has been bent almost into a foldover, and then straightened out.
That personally to me isn't a diecrack. Looks like post mint to me. Sorry. This is a diecrack if you were wondering. Still, it is an interesting coin. Only if coins could talk. Phoenix
If it has cracks in it...it is not a die crack. If there are cracks in the die, it will be reversed upon the coins , so the lines were in relief. Anyway, it looks either like a very very hard strike which has fragmented, or a coin that has been damaged very badly.....More likely the latter sadly...
Yankee at work I come from a long line of cheap New Englanders. I remember seeing my Grandfather (born 1892) use US copper cents to repair machines that came through his shop. It was a common source of round stock for a machinist and it only cost one cent. This coin was hit with a pair of machinist shears, but the placement was off a few degrees, so they probably just bought lunch with it. J
