Hi guys, I have this 1977 S Lincoln Proof Penny and see that there is a Rim Fin on the Obverse Right side and a Rim Fin on the Reverse upper right side. I thought that Proof pennies are carefully inspected and not released with any errors? Is this rare to have a rim fin on both Obverse and Reverse of a proof penny? Second question is about the "S" mint mark. It looks a bit like a block "S" and not a clear "S". Is there something going on with this mint mark?
The coin is normal the mm thats just extra metal/worn die strike that was struck into the coin aka blob mm.
I would suggest putting that coin in a 2x2 or in a flip for extra protection the coin has spots,scratches e.t.c already and its not an error
Just because a coin is a proof does not mean that every proof coin undergoes close scrutiny. Below are two 2005-S KS silver proof coins that were in my order from the Mint. Die Dent Lamination
Not really. Proof coins are specially struck 2 times. If there is extra pressure one side of the coin will have a slight Finned rim. Even on both sides. Neat but nothing major.
Sure.. what do you think a Die Chip is? When the mint mark starts to have deterioration it will chip away. So the MM will look like a "blob" Here are examples from my collection of Worn Die Issues that were attributed as Mint Errors that some members state they are not Mint Errors. Struck through grease And Die Breaks
it may help if you explained to the member with the question, how worn a proof die has to be to create a die chip...how many strikes, how incorrect pressure may cause the die to fail, etc. using the word worn can be a bit confusing when discussing proofs. there are, after all, die chips and worn die chips. when applying the term worn die to a chip on a proof coin, it would be educational to expand the reason for the opinion.
good help is hard to find, and needs to be paid for. evasiveness is not good help. however, in the spirit of numismatic camaraderie, and with the caveat that i do not have the coin in hand to examine physically, i am not so sure that a worn die/mint mark deterioration is the explanation. i defer to your opinion because you were able to quickly identify it as a worn die, and that the mint mark chips away, and leaves a blob. since it is a proof, i thought your expertise in explaining how a worn die can cause this to happen on a proof would have been useful. maybe the pressure of the strike, may the number of the strikes, maybe unequal pressure, maybe a n annealing issue, maybe a planchet issue, so many helpful thins and reason that could be explained. i am not good at all at doing this from pictures. i apologize for not having the ability that you do.
I've said this many times before and I say it again.. I'm not a Mint Error expert.. I just specialize in collecting them and sharing what I know up until now. I can just explain to the best of my knowledge. Thanks for your comments. Maybe we can work together to come up with more accurate responses. Time will tell.