I was asked to post this information on the 1974 Lincoln cents. First off, Lange in his work on the Lincoln cents, noted the large and small dates, as well as the altered hair style. He also mentioned a RPM. Thats a beginning. He also mentions that at the beginning of 1974, the mint experimented with aluminum cents. The surviving 1974 aluminum cents are of the large date variety. And the dies (for the aluminum cents) appear to be the model dies used in early 1974. Later the small date dies were created and used extensively up to about 1982. [1] The mint struck its aluminum 1974 cents in October of 1973. The 1975 (and later) cents all relied upon the newer small obverse hubs, this may explain why the hubs were altered in mid-1974. The large date hubs may have been designed especially for the aluminum cents, and when Mint did not adopt the metal change, they manufactured the small date hubs. With about 9 billion P, D and S 1974 cents minted, it is no wonder that they are still common in rolls today. I suspect that more research can uncover more data as concerns die states and other minute variations. So, now for a visual display of some of the common variations seen in the series. First an image of the Smithsonian aluminum sample: As one can see it is of the large date variety, as is the PCGS 1974 D. Note also the increased detail in Lincoln's hair, especially the "curl" just below "we". Next is a typical large date circulated copper sample: Followed with a small date sample: The S mint marks also present variations, note a side by side comparison below: The left image shows a "blob" S, the right image shows a "tall" S, with the large date. Hence the S mint mark variations occur on both large and small dates. Neither one is considered rare. All of the proof 1974 S coins, which I have examined display the blob S; Also, all the proof samples I have examined show the large date, as above. A repunched mint mark is also seen in the 1974 D: below, This appears identical to the RPM demonstrated in Lange. Felix Schlag's initials (FG) were reduced in 1974, back to their previous size, prior to the larger size introduced in the 1973 issues. The initials all appear of equal size in each of the 1974 samples. Lincoln's hair underwent increased detail, yet a "wildhair" as I dubbed it appears on SOME of the 1974 coins. It is a simple curl or loop which extends above the hairline. It is seen just below the "WE" of the motto, observe The wild strand is within the black area, the area in the green may indicate a taller head of hair which was abraded (polished away), while lowering the hair design (in some coins) a strand remains, my "wild hair". In all of the 1974 coins, the details of Lincoln's hair are enhanced, more detailed. Over polishing is not rare in the 74 series, note of the reverse of some coins: Below is a better comparison of the over polished hair, and the new enhanced 1974 style: on some coins Lincoln was slightly scalped, leaving the wild strand. Hence this die presents with a variation in the series. And finally, we will see machine doubling, with some samples suggesting a DDR: in particular 1974 P small date. I have reached my 10 image limit. Lots of combinations of variations present themselves in the 1974 Lincoln cents. I hope these notes display some of the variations. Gary in Washington
Nice pictures, both small dates and large. Note, you show no wild hair, no DDR or RPMs. These are harder to locate, as are nice circulated S mint marks. Thank you Bad Thad
These are tough as hell in high grade. Most left the mint beat-up and LDS. As you can tell, I'm a 74 fan too. This coin has an interesting story. I opened an OBW roll (think it was 1999 roll) and this coin was in the middle. It was a WTF moment, all those red, minty fresh 99's and this. Turned out....it was a KEEPER! Did the Coin Gods seed my roll with a target toned rainbow cent?
This one came from a mint set - I'm still looking for a better example but they are TOUGH to find. It's not like you can walk into a dealer or a show and look at trays of them in high grade. It takes determination and grit to collect memorial cents.
I consider this 74S as the best one I'll probably ever find, worthy of an airtite after looking for years on end.
Here's a toner I found in a 74 OBW roll. Perfect, full steps and eye appeal like crazy. It's on my PCGS future list, should hit 67+.
I ran into some 73D jailed and ghost Lincoln's. The early 70's have always been a nemesis. They are out there. I have found very few that were still MS but plenty of high AU.
