need help with grade

what's the value ? In F-12 ?

 

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$500 or there abouts

 

Auction results show $450 to $550 in F Details. With a straight grade, $600 to $700

 

I would be tickled to have it in my collection.

 

That's a lot of wheat stalks showing for an AG3, but I defer to the real experts.

 

I think it's VG10, maybe details I'm not really sure here, there's a nice rim notch at like K7, I'm im not sure about the striping on the obverse at all, and I feel like there's some corrosion or something going on E Pluribus Unum on the reverse if the picture was clearer as well as something funky above the V.D.B. a clearer picture would make this more or less apparent.

I think it has the ability to grade VG10, not sure if it will based off these pics. seems like there could be some damage that blurred out, and I'm not sold on it being "woodie". this is more like someone striped it with a paintbrush with something on it in my opinion maybe to remove an adhesive or something.
Also I'm not liking the much more coppery rim on the reverse compared to the rest of it, or the obverse rim.

 

Could someone please explain what is meant by "woodie" as per John Burgess and Inspector43 who says "woodgrain"?

 

rosethe, sure. "woodie" is a term for lincoln cents with improper alloy mixing for bronze cents. The Bronze was 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc and alloyed. On occasion it's not mixed enough and as a result you have specks/globs of copper in the Bronze alloy metal that goes to the sheet rollers to then bring to to specification thickness and punched out. these specs or globs get stretched on out in the rolling process to get the right thickness, and they tone at a different rate than the properly mixed Bronze alloy. the copper tones faster. the streaked toning looks a lot like "wood grain" hence the nickname for it of "woodie".

An example, although mine is lightly toned and not as developed or dramatic as other examples, and more toned on the obverse than the reverse (I guess due to it being in a folder for a period of time), it's evident the metal is toning at different rates, this is due to the copper streaks in the bronze alloy.
it would be totally invisible when the coin was struck and all of it would be red BU. it's only once toning develops does the issue manifest because it's toning at different rates. Some are stunning, some kind of look terrible also in my opinion, but it's a preference. People that like the "woodie" for the eye appeal will seek them out and fight over them at auction, but it's not like a "set pricing thing" it's a case by case basis, even in a lot of cases adding no value at all. Just niche collecting really, like rainbow morgan dollars or VAM collecting.

 

the copper tones faster. the streaked toning looks a lot like "wood grain" hence the nickname for it of "woodie".

Thank you for your in depth response, John Burgess. The term 'woodgrain' always catches my eye because that's what I do for a living. I make things look like wood that are not wood. (Disney)


Are there particular dates that this was occurring?
And, dang, I just finished cataloguing My Father's Collection and inspected thousands of Wheat cents and I never knew to look for this characteristic. I guess I could go through and at least look at the 1909-S VDBs and the low teen S cents.

 

It occurred on the bronze cents. 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc more commonly.
1864-1942 yes even Indian head cents.
1947-1962
Didn't happen on the steel cents for obvious reasons...plated with pure zinc and didn't happen on zincolns after 1982 which are pure copper plated.

I'm not really sure if it happened or not in the "brass" (gilding metal) years of 1944-1946 and 1963-1982 where it was 95% copper, 5% zinc. The composition is an easier alloy to make without tin in the mix. I don't think I've ever seen one but I think the possibility exists if the alloy wasn't thoroughly melted and mixed.

 

I need to take better photos but these will pass on my 1982 LD.