1909 VDB Lincoln Wheat Cent Study Set

First, my advance apologies for those of you whose browser does not automatically resize the images I post to a manageable width. Stop here. Get FireFox or Chrome and/or complain to the administrators here.

I chose and have been focused on the 1909 VDB Cent for the last 6 Months. I started out wanting to create a PCGS Certified Lincoln Grading Set but found out quickly, that wouldn't/didn't work. Too much variance/discrepancy etc. I am now aptly calling this collection a 1909VDB Lincoln Study Set.

Background: I have collected (ok saved) all my pocket change for as long as I can remember. I was also handed down a rather large hoard of Lincolns. About a year ago, I found myself with time to go ahead and do something with these coins. I started with Google looking up values, learning key dates, then that took me to eBay to see what stuff was actually selling for, which led to learning grades, which then led to PCGS & NGC - which led to message boards.

With of all of that, I decided that I needed to put my hands on some certified coins to use for comparison against what I have. .... So, I went on a PCGS Cent buying binge - that just confused me more. So I decided to pick just one coin and last October, I chose the VDB for a lot of reasons, affordable, plentiful, controversial, 1st Lincoln etc. (Mintage = 28 million) As good luck and coincidence would have it..... I quickly ran into a guy who is probably best known for his 1909 Mint Sets. I found him on eBay selling off his lower VDB grades. If it were not for Illini420, I am not sure where I would be right now with cent collecting. Thanks Mike!

I feel comfortable, now that I have collected enough VDB examples... to create this thread as sort of an interactive journal. I now have in the neighborhood of 200+ VDB examples - half certified, half raw. I think/hope it will be helpful to others or maybe only to me (selfish, I know) to post VDB images as examples, to better understand Lincoln Wheat Cent characteristics through discussion and apply them to other coins?

It is important to add, that this Study Set was also started at the same time I decided to learn/build a set-up dedicated to the digital imaging of coins. As a sidenote: I feel that this hobby is far far behind what technology can or could do to take the guesswork out of coin collecting. That is another subject that I am passionate about, often very political and opinionated by stereotypes that have been coin collecting since the days of the abacus, that is probably best left alone.... for now... :devil:

The point I want to make, is that most of the images I post are shot with the same camera, lens, white balance and light settings. This is important in order for there to be consistency when making comparisons. When I post about digital imaging, I am doing it from my limited but intense experience of only shooting Lincoln Wheat Cents. I have not shot much nickel, silver and no gold.

I use a lighting set up different than the pros use/recommend. It produces, what I consider, to give a good balance of detail, contrast, color and reflectivity (luster) - key word = balance. Photography can be viewed as an art, it also can be executed as an exacting science. While one person might want to see a representation of luster another might want to see contrasting details or may feel that monster toning is most important.

Subjects that come to mind that I will post examples of looking for feedback, are Machine Doubling, Woodies (alloy impurities or poor mixing), Colors of oxidation and or "toning" and the contaminates that cause such, Doubled Dies. Early State Die (EDS, MDS, LDS) Die cracks, Die Polishing marks, Planchet prep or lack of, TPG grading and differences between the TPG's, the list is endless.

Post them if you have them!

I might as well start off with the king of the crop.

*Not a weak strike, but it seems details like in the beard are missing.
*Typical smudge on the reverse at 11 o'clock. I see this consistently on lot of the VDB's. I visualize the smudge could be a result of something happening when the coin is "kicked out" of the press.
*I believe this coin would show more of a "wood grain" if allowed to tone.
*The R in PLURIBUS was filled with something when struck.
*The little white dot on the N in CENT is on the coin, looks like a bit of quality control issue there?

 

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that is beautiful, i cant wait to see all the V.D.B's that people post, ill be studying this thread like a book

 

Sounds like this could be a really interesting thread :eating:

 

Didn't read the post, lol...but the pictures are amazing! I can see the freaking flow lines! NICE!!!

 

That is a great photo, I cant wait to see MORE!

 

Excellent photos!

 

That is an excellent observation/point worthy of expanding upon. Those "flowlines" are what causes "cartwheeling" luster when you hold/rock a coin in hand. Here is a NGC66 that is highly lusterous yet it is brown - notice how similar the flow lines are to the coin above.






Compared to a AU58 that is virtually "flat" no luster. Notice how you don't see any flow lines? That is because I firmly believe this coin is laquered and was missed as such by the TPG.

 

Yep, my fault for selling off some of my VDBs to ya

I've got a bunch of VDBs in my collection as well... just always liked the first year Lincoln Cent and the story behind the initials and their pretty quick removal by the Mint. Sold off quite a few of the ones that I had, but still have some good ones left.

This one here is one of my favorites that I still have. The coin is graded PCGS MS67RD and is a high end example for the grade. I searched a few dozen examples graded MS67RD before I decided on this example:



If you want to see the super huge TrueView image of the coin, here's the link:

http://www.pcgs.com/TrueView/Large/18319560.jpg

 

Another

 

Just amazing close-ups EyeEatWheates, I couldn't ever dream of getting photos that clear and sharp, and that up close.

 

1909 VDB DDO FS-1101

 

Anyone have a 1909 IH to post ???

 

Already did in my avatar pic

 

Doffff A Homer moment.

 

Where's the VDB???

 

What's up with this thread? It takes forever to load.

 

You are loading a couple picture in excess of 5meg each - plus several other large pictures.

 

1909 VDB DDO FS-1102 with identifying die marker at throat: