How do I determine if a Lincoln is AU or unc.? Where are the main points of wear that I should look first?
The cheek, jaw and tips of the wheat according to the ana grading standards for United States coins. I recommend getting a copy of the book.
I will, but what about those areas will be different? I have looked at the cheek in the past and always looked for them to be rounded, but I have seen coins in NGC/PCGS slabs that have flat cheeks and are unc.
You are correct. But, you can see flatnes due to a poor strike. Lincolns suffer from the whole wear versus strike debate as much as any series, imo. Because these are minted by the billions, you can find weak strike MS coins in almost every date/mm. The key is luster. Look for luster breaks with the flatness. I initially found luster tough to spot on copper (versus silver), but if you study a coin, rotate it around, look for breaking points in the luster. This indicates wear. If you see flat points, but still see luster, you may have a MS coin. I should tell you, I still get fooled from time to time on some sliders...
I think you will find that looking at the luster is a good substitute for knowing the high points. When a coin gets circulation wear, generally the luster in the fields is affected. Personally, I find it easier to grade that way, although it can sometimes be probelmatic when grading from pictures.
To properly grade the series, you have to know it. I would buy the Lange book. Different decades have different strikes, colors, and dies. Knowing what those coins looked like in mint state helps in grading the circulated coins. Welcome to the forum !
I noticed the different stikes between the 60s and 70s , but not as much with 1909 through 1958. I never really looked that hard I guess. I'll look into getting that book.
