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<p>[QUOTE="johnmilton, post: 4890598, member: 101855"]<i>Photos courtesy of Heritage Auctions</i></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1180263[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1180264[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><u>1922 Plain</u></b> In 1922 cents were only produced at the Denver Mint. Apparently, the demand for new cents was low that year, and the Philadelphia Mint did not issue any cents for the first time since 1815.</p><p><br /></p><p> In those years the Philadelphia Mint produced all of the dies for the U.S. Mint System. In the early 1920s, the Philadelphia mint personnel were overwhelmed with orders to produce dies for the new Peace Dollar. As a result, Denver and San Francisco Mints pushed their cent and Buffalo Nickel dies beyond their normal limits. That resulted in coins with fuzzy images and, in the case of the 1922 Plain cent, no mint mark. There are three varieties of the 1922 Plain cent. By far the most desirable of these is the die pair which has the "strong reverse." The obverse of all 1922 Plain cents is weak to varying degrees because the variety was created by excessive die wear and polishing.</p><p><br /></p><p> The 1922 Plain cent started to become a part of the "standard" Lincoln cent set in the early 1940s. Judging by the articles that were published in <i>The Numismatist,</i> not all collectors thought that it was a worthwhile addition. One collector even suggested that one could save the money and simply scrape off the "D" if they really wanted a 1922 "Plain" cent! Unfortunately, counterfeiters have picked up on this suggestion. Collectors should exercise care whenever they consider the purchase of a 1922 Plain cent. Adding to the confusion are some coins that have “a weak” or “broken D.” Certification is highly recommended.</p><p><br /></p><p><b><u>The Great Depression</u></b></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1180268[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1180270[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><b><u>1931-S</u></b> The 1931-S cent was a product of The Great Depression when massive unemployment and hard times resulted low demand for new coins. With a mintage of 866,000, the coin is hardly rare, and enough were saved to make any undamaged piece below the Fine-VF grade "scarce." Still it is a "semi key" date. Interestingly the Philadelphia Mint, which customarily exchanged old coins for new coins across the counter, still had Mint State 1931-S cents available for exchange up until the late 1930s.</p><p><br /></p><p> Other cent mintages were low during the worst of The Great Depression. In 1930, the U.S. Mint System issued almost 221.8 million cents. In 1931, the mintage dropped to 24.8 million. In 1932 it fell 19.6 million and was 20.6 million in 1933. In 1934, there was a dramatic increase to 247.5 million.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1180275[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1180277[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><b><u>1943 Steel Cents</u></b> At beginning of World War II copper became a strategic war material. To save copper for the war effort, the composition of the cent was changed from bronze to steel with a zinc coating.</p><p><br /></p><p> The coins were immediately unpopular. Some people confused them with the dime. The coins also became unattractive in circulation. After only a year, the copper cent made a return although now the coins were made from metal recovered from spent gun shell casings. The color was a little different, but it can only be detected on high-grade Mint State cents with full red mint.</p><p><br /></p><p> For many years there were claims that the 1943 cents existed in bronze. Many collectors and dealers pooh-poohed the idea, but with advent of certification services, it has been proven that a small number were made and have survived from all three mints. Many bogus 1943 "copper cents” have been made by plating the steel cents. These counterfeits are easily detected because they are drawn to a magnet. The genuine bronze pieces are not magnetic. There was also a small number of 1944 cents that were made of steel with the zinc coating. These pieces have sold for tens of thousands of dollars, but they have brought lower prices than the more famous 1943 bronze cents.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1180280[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1180281[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><u><b>1955 Doubled Die Obverse Cent</b></u> When this coin was first surfaced in the mid 1950s, it had a market value of 35 cents. Its popularity increased rapidly. In 1959 it reached "the big time" when it won a listing in <u>The Red Book</u> at $35.00 in Uncirculated condition. Today prices range from over $1,000 in the VF, which is often the lowest "no problem" grade encountered to $35,000 in MS-65, Red.</p><p><br /></p><p> The 1955 Doubled Die Obverse Cent is the most famous of a very large number of doubled die coins in the U.S. series. There are hundreds of varieties of doubled die Lincoln cents, but many of them display doubling that is too minor to be of interest to most collectors. Historically getting a spot in <u>The Red Book</u> has been a prerequisite for these coins to become famous and valuable. Others include the 1970, 1983 doubled die reverse, 1984 doubled ear, 1995 and the most expensive of all, the 1969-S.</p><p><br /></p><p><i>Photos courtesy of Heritage Auctions</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i>[ATTACH=full]1180282[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1180283[/ATTACH] </i></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><u>The Lincoln Memorial Reverse Introduced in 1959</u></b> Nineteen fifty-nine marked the 50th anniversary of the Lincoln Cent and the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth. Frank Gasparro designed a new reverse which featured a frontal view of the Lincoln Memorial complete with a tiny statue of a seated Lincoln between the two center columns.</p><p><br /></p><p> The depiction of a building on a coin is always a challenge. On a tiny thin coin like a cent developing a credible design would have been a miracle. Gasparro's work was better than what might have been expected, but some people have derisively said that “It looks like a trolley car.”</p><p><br /></p><p> On a personal note, the announcement of the new coin in "The Weekly Reader," an elementary school newspaper, prompted me to hoard every new cent that passed into my hands in the spring of 1959. This was the first indication that I might become a coin collector.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><u>1969-S Doubled Die Obverse Cent</u></b> This coin began its existence under a cloud of suspicion because an earlier reported 1969-P doubled die cent turned out to be a counterfeit. That piece was produced by a counterfeiting ring that made their creations from spark erosion dies. The Secret Service shut down their operation, and the perpetrators went to jail. When the San Francisco Mint coin surfaced, it was greeted with skepticism but then proved to be genuine.</p><p><br /></p><p> With an estimated population of around 15 to 25 coins, the 1969-S doubled die cent is a rare collectable. Most of the known examples are brown Uncirculated or AU pieces, and they are often unattractive. The record price is $126,500 which was paid at auction for a PCGS graded coin in MS-64, Red. Prices close to $10,000 for average pieces are not unusual. I once handled one when I was a dealer that was priced in the $8,000 neighborhood.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>To be continued ...</b>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="johnmilton, post: 4890598, member: 101855"][I]Photos courtesy of Heritage Auctions[/I] [ATTACH=full]1180263[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1180264[/ATTACH] [B][U]1922 Plain[/U][/B] In 1922 cents were only produced at the Denver Mint. Apparently, the demand for new cents was low that year, and the Philadelphia Mint did not issue any cents for the first time since 1815. In those years the Philadelphia Mint produced all of the dies for the U.S. Mint System. In the early 1920s, the Philadelphia mint personnel were overwhelmed with orders to produce dies for the new Peace Dollar. As a result, Denver and San Francisco Mints pushed their cent and Buffalo Nickel dies beyond their normal limits. That resulted in coins with fuzzy images and, in the case of the 1922 Plain cent, no mint mark. There are three varieties of the 1922 Plain cent. By far the most desirable of these is the die pair which has the "strong reverse." The obverse of all 1922 Plain cents is weak to varying degrees because the variety was created by excessive die wear and polishing. The 1922 Plain cent started to become a part of the "standard" Lincoln cent set in the early 1940s. Judging by the articles that were published in [I]The Numismatist,[/I] not all collectors thought that it was a worthwhile addition. One collector even suggested that one could save the money and simply scrape off the "D" if they really wanted a 1922 "Plain" cent! Unfortunately, counterfeiters have picked up on this suggestion. Collectors should exercise care whenever they consider the purchase of a 1922 Plain cent. Adding to the confusion are some coins that have “a weak” or “broken D.” Certification is highly recommended. [B][U]The Great Depression[/U][/B] [ATTACH=full]1180268[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1180270[/ATTACH] [B][U]1931-S[/U][/B] The 1931-S cent was a product of The Great Depression when massive unemployment and hard times resulted low demand for new coins. With a mintage of 866,000, the coin is hardly rare, and enough were saved to make any undamaged piece below the Fine-VF grade "scarce." Still it is a "semi key" date. Interestingly the Philadelphia Mint, which customarily exchanged old coins for new coins across the counter, still had Mint State 1931-S cents available for exchange up until the late 1930s. Other cent mintages were low during the worst of The Great Depression. In 1930, the U.S. Mint System issued almost 221.8 million cents. In 1931, the mintage dropped to 24.8 million. In 1932 it fell 19.6 million and was 20.6 million in 1933. In 1934, there was a dramatic increase to 247.5 million. [ATTACH=full]1180275[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1180277[/ATTACH] [B][U]1943 Steel Cents[/U][/B] At beginning of World War II copper became a strategic war material. To save copper for the war effort, the composition of the cent was changed from bronze to steel with a zinc coating. The coins were immediately unpopular. Some people confused them with the dime. The coins also became unattractive in circulation. After only a year, the copper cent made a return although now the coins were made from metal recovered from spent gun shell casings. The color was a little different, but it can only be detected on high-grade Mint State cents with full red mint. For many years there were claims that the 1943 cents existed in bronze. Many collectors and dealers pooh-poohed the idea, but with advent of certification services, it has been proven that a small number were made and have survived from all three mints. Many bogus 1943 "copper cents” have been made by plating the steel cents. These counterfeits are easily detected because they are drawn to a magnet. The genuine bronze pieces are not magnetic. There was also a small number of 1944 cents that were made of steel with the zinc coating. These pieces have sold for tens of thousands of dollars, but they have brought lower prices than the more famous 1943 bronze cents. [ATTACH=full]1180280[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1180281[/ATTACH] [U][B]1955 Doubled Die Obverse Cent[/B][/U] When this coin was first surfaced in the mid 1950s, it had a market value of 35 cents. Its popularity increased rapidly. In 1959 it reached "the big time" when it won a listing in [U]The Red Book[/U] at $35.00 in Uncirculated condition. Today prices range from over $1,000 in the VF, which is often the lowest "no problem" grade encountered to $35,000 in MS-65, Red. The 1955 Doubled Die Obverse Cent is the most famous of a very large number of doubled die coins in the U.S. series. There are hundreds of varieties of doubled die Lincoln cents, but many of them display doubling that is too minor to be of interest to most collectors. Historically getting a spot in [U]The Red Book[/U] has been a prerequisite for these coins to become famous and valuable. Others include the 1970, 1983 doubled die reverse, 1984 doubled ear, 1995 and the most expensive of all, the 1969-S. [I]Photos courtesy of Heritage Auctions [ATTACH=full]1180282[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1180283[/ATTACH] [/I] [B][U]The Lincoln Memorial Reverse Introduced in 1959[/U][/B] Nineteen fifty-nine marked the 50th anniversary of the Lincoln Cent and the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth. Frank Gasparro designed a new reverse which featured a frontal view of the Lincoln Memorial complete with a tiny statue of a seated Lincoln between the two center columns. The depiction of a building on a coin is always a challenge. On a tiny thin coin like a cent developing a credible design would have been a miracle. Gasparro's work was better than what might have been expected, but some people have derisively said that “It looks like a trolley car.” On a personal note, the announcement of the new coin in "The Weekly Reader," an elementary school newspaper, prompted me to hoard every new cent that passed into my hands in the spring of 1959. This was the first indication that I might become a coin collector. [B][U]1969-S Doubled Die Obverse Cent[/U][/B] This coin began its existence under a cloud of suspicion because an earlier reported 1969-P doubled die cent turned out to be a counterfeit. That piece was produced by a counterfeiting ring that made their creations from spark erosion dies. The Secret Service shut down their operation, and the perpetrators went to jail. When the San Francisco Mint coin surfaced, it was greeted with skepticism but then proved to be genuine. With an estimated population of around 15 to 25 coins, the 1969-S doubled die cent is a rare collectable. Most of the known examples are brown Uncirculated or AU pieces, and they are often unattractive. The record price is $126,500 which was paid at auction for a PCGS graded coin in MS-64, Red. Prices close to $10,000 for average pieces are not unusual. I once handled one when I was a dealer that was priced in the $8,000 neighborhood. [B]To be continued ...[/B][/QUOTE]
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