Post your Lincolns!

Philadelphia produced an elegant proof in 1952, but this business strike has deep die scratches under ONE CENT. A coin that is original, yet marked like this, helps keep these fully red 1950's cents from all seeming like copies of the same thing.

81,980 proof cents were produced in 1952. This is still tiny compared to today's mintages. Even so, there does not seem to be much interest, and you can get one like the one here for under $20.

The 1952-D and 1952-S replace old iPhone photos in posts #3984 and #3985.

Proof


Business strikes

 

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Some fun in 1961 ...

 

My funny little type set. All images are PCGS TrueView photos resized.

 

WingedLiberty, What a great set. I have not seen this done before.

 

Just got this one. It seems to well match my '17 in color and luster.
It is NGC MS64RB.

 

NICE 1918!!!

 

Here's the 1917 I mentioned as similar...

 

Don't remember if I've posted this one.

 

That is a very nice looking 66. 27 was a good year for my collection both for all red and woodies.

 

1953 Proof


1953 Business strikes

 

NGC Coin Explorer says the 1954 Philadelphia cent is "genuinely rare in MS 67 RD". They list a guide price of $24,000. Yet, right under that is listed the auction records. For the four most recent auctions the highest price is $164.50. And that lot also included a 1954-S!

I guess nobody really thinks this is worth tens of thousands. I put this group together for under $13.

NGC also comments about the 1954-D that "spotting and staining is common for this and most issues of the 1950s". These coins are no exception. The die for the 1954-S also seems fairly abused with deep reverse die scratches and a weakly struck O in ONE. But I really like the color.

1954 Proof


1954 Business strikes

These photos replace those in post #3986.

 

I have noticed the weak O on some of my cents. Strange how the O was the letter that wore the most. Love your pictures.

 

I have been giving this some thought and have benefited from other members, too. I think there is no wear at all.

When the coin was struck the metal is forced into two deep areas of the dies that are opposite each other, the shoulder and the O. Often these do not get filled up completely. That causes the weak O.

Edit:
The bust of Lincoln often looks scratched on the sleeve of the coat, but this, too, is due to the metal not reaching all the deep parts of the die. Because it was not reshaped and smoothed by the die it retains all the original roughness (such as dings from the raw planchets going through a drying tumbler). On the S cent this area is smooth but the O on the flip side is weak. On the D cent you see roughness (not wear) on the sleeve but the O is stronger.

I think you could inspect these marks under a microscope to tell if they are from the strike or are dents from handling after the strike. If they are dents then the metal would have been banged out of its original shape, and there would be a higher edge along the dent where the metal was pushed aside. If they are from the strike then the metal was simply never there, and the marks would not have any signs of displaced metal around them.

The pervasiveness of these marks on the sleeve, across many coins and years, makes me favor the theory that they are from metal flow during the strike, like the weak O on the reverse. Of course there can also be dents and dings from handling after the strike, too, because this is a high point. This would be an interesting area for a detailed photo study.

 

I have two 1955 proofs so I can show the obverse of one and the reverse of the other. The second one shows the beginning of toning. On the reverse it shows up as a series of lines and a tracing under PLURIBUS.

There was a mystique about the 1955-S. The San Francisco mint was being shut down, and only produced cents for three months. This was no secret, so these were hoarded and are easy to find.

I still remember that aura of rareness from collecting in the 1960's. The graded 1955-S was the first coin I bought online when I started collecting again after a 50 year interruption. I bought an album with 57 years of uncirculated cents and I ended up with another.

The business strikes are from that album.

1955 Proofs



1955 Business strikes


PCGS MS66 RD

 

It is surprising how many red 1955S that I still find in bags of cents to search.

 

1956 Proof


1956 Business strikes

These replace the iPhone pictures in posts #3987 and #4059.