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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;foundinrolls, post: 1809174, member: 4350&quot;]OK,&nbsp; let&#039;s put everything in context.&nbsp; We&#039;ll start with ...this coin is neither a doubled die on the obverse or the reverse.&nbsp; The thinning of the letters is due to, as suggested, die abrasion (used to remove the effects of a die clash) and then some additional die deterioration.</p><p><br /></p><p>When looking at 1983 cents in particular,&nbsp; there are many variables to consider before pronouncing a coin dead<img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>In 1983, dies were used almost to their breaking points.&nbsp; You&#039;ll find many 1983 cents with die cracks on the reverse extending from the corners of the Memorial building toward the rim of the coin.&nbsp; The overuse of dies means that you have to carefully determine if anything visible on a coin is due to die deterioration vs. anything else.</p><p><br /></p><p>In 1983, they were still &quot;experimenting&quot; with the , at that time, new cent composition.&nbsp; The copper-plated zinc cents combined with a perceived cent shortage at the time caused the Mints in Philly and Denver to produce billions of cent coins for circulation.&nbsp; More than 15 billion between Philly and Denver were struck.&nbsp; That pace of production meant that attention to detail was &quot;not so hot&quot; (Not official Mint terminology <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />.&nbsp; Dies clashed, dies cracked, dies broke and so on.&nbsp; We (those of us who have examined millions of cent coins)&nbsp; see many coins with clash marks, die cracks, and small CUDS along the bust.&nbsp; There are also many larger CUDs as well.&nbsp;&nbsp; We also see many 1983 cents with major effects of die abrasion on both the obverses and reverses.&nbsp; Some obverse dies have been so heavily dressed (abraded) that the bust of Lincoln is noticeably smaller and his neck is gone on coins struck by those dies.&nbsp; The effects of abrasion on the reverses causes the lettering to be smaller.</p><p><br /></p><p>The lettering on a die is the widest at the surface, as a die is abraded and metal is lost, the portion of the lettering that remains on the die is more narrow.&nbsp; Coins struck by those dies will have smaller looking letters.</p><p><br /></p><p>Also, Die production was in some ways careless.&nbsp; On cents, There are at least 2 doubled die varieties known on the reverses and close to 10 different obverse doubled dies when you consider the P and D mints.&nbsp; I lost track after the 8th different die variety.&nbsp; I have the discovery coins for several of the 1983 DDOs since I found them back in the early and mid 80s so I am very familiar with the characteristics of many of the individual 1983 DDOs and DDRs.&nbsp; Consequently, I ask to see images of areas on the coins that are important for me to see when a 1983 cent is presented.</p><p><br /></p><p>After seeing the images of all the pertinent portions of the coin, I can state my conclusions as they are in the first paragraph.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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