Old lincoln cent opinion please

Hi , ill post a pic if deemed worthwhile but perhaps my question will provide the answer.
Ive come across a 1911 cent which appears to be missing the L from Liberty.
The coin isnt worn to the point its eroded away , there was never room for an L by the looks of it , it simply says IBERTY.

Is it worth getting a pic and posting ? Is this a commen occurance on 1 cents ? Thank you

 

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Yes.....post a pic.

 

Ok , ill do so today.I tried but cant get it in focus.Ill keep trying until i get a good one.Thanks


Here we are.

 

The "L" in LIBERTY is missing due to the coin being either struck Off-Center or struck with a mis-aligned Obverse Die (MAD). We can't tell which until a picture of the Reverse is posted!


Frank

 

I think you are right Frank ,Thank you , in the pic it looks like the T from TRUST is also absent.
Ill get a Pic of the reverse.




The S is so faint as to be almost invisable.It shows good when magnified like this.

 

The coin has a full rim around the circumference that completely rules out a misaligned die scenario to a point where letters would be missing. It does appear to be struck by slightly misaligned dies but that is not the reason for the letters being weak.

The second T in TRUST is also weak. The odds are in favor of a few details being filled on the die. We call that a filled die.

 

Thank you for that , i can see how filled dies caused the T and the weak S , but what about the L ?Thanks

 

I agree that the last "T" in TRUST is probably missing due to a grease filled Die! However, I stand by my assessment of the "L" in LIBERTY as the rim has pretty much obliterated all evidence of it. Also note that both Dies were mis-aligned and not an Off-Center strike.


Frank

 

Let's turn this around for a second. If you can see how filled dies caused the T and the weak S, Why not the L?

Often the easiest and most logical explanation can be determined by the other attributes of the coin. It seems logical that there was some grease effecting some of the details of the die around the circumference of the die. As it is with filled dies, not all recesses in the die are always effected.

It just seems that with the overall attributes seen on the coin that it is most logical.

Also, if it was a misaligned die situation, why would the I and B of LIBERTY be effected. Since the I and B are also effected, it is logical that the slight misaligned die had nothing to do with the L of LIBERTY being missing.

Thanks,
Bill

 

Another thought here. By the looks of the other letters along the rim, a coin counter or roller could have taken out the 'L' and the 'I' as I've seen so many times with Lincoln cent. Grease filled dies is the other reason.

 

Thanks guys , its certainly the most unusual 1c ive ever seen.Thanks for all the tips and shared knowledge.
I dont collect cents but ill make an exception for this one i think.Seems like a keeper.

 

This is unusal to see this on an early lincoln cent, but it does happen. How about a slightly worn Master Hub. Most of the time you see these on WWII cents. Master Hub was used to make the Master Die, Master Die was used to make the Working Hub, the Working Hub was used to make the Dies for the coining presses. This slight ware caused the design to spread towards the rim. I have 2 1918 with no L, and a 1927, and a ton of late 30s&40s. BUT, with your 1911, the date doesn't appear to be out of place. Off center may be the cause...

 

But with a misaligned die the FIRST thing to go it the rim, then the details if it is far enough off. In this case the L is gone and the IB are weak but the rim is still there and pretty much of normal thickness. Grease filled dies.

 

There's no question that there is some die clogging going on, and the wear of the coin. Have you ever noticed the motto on lincoln cents, some are very close to the rim, and most have a normal gap between motto and rim. This is the exact same thing as the missing "L" on Liberty. The slightest wear of the Master Hub will create this spreading. Its not as noticable on the date because of the larger space to the rim...

 

But when the master hub speads the L gets closer to the rim and fianlly starts merging with it, it doesn't make it disappear. Unless of course the master hub were to spread so much that ALL of the L merged into the rim. But in that case the I wuld be much closer to the rim, which it isn't, and better than half of the IGWT would also be merged into the rim.