As you know, over the life of a series of coins, changes are made to improve the looks of coins, to improve useage, to appease critics and to save money in costs of coin production. This article deals with another often occurance: Worn or overused Master dies. Since the first time the mint produced over a billion coins (1944 Lincoln Head Cents) things, like design and letter spreading, became evident on the coins minted. The original chosen coin design's image begins its journey to the final coin product with a plaster sculpture about 8 to 12 inches in diameter, from which a Master Hub is created using a special process that reduces the image to actual coin size. This Master Hub, which bears a relief image of the coin design, is then copied into a select number of Master Dies, (which bear the negative, or incuse image of the coin. The Master Dies are then copied, using a special extremely high-pressure "squeezing" process which employs tremendous hydraulic force, to create the Working Hubs (commonly simply called hubs.) Then, from Hubs, the mint creates the Working Dies . It is from these dies that our coins are actually struck. The coin image on the hub is always a positive, or relief image, and the image on the die is always a negative, or incuse image. In this way, when our coins are struck, we get the raised detail we expect on our circulating coinage. The coin hub itself looks just like a coin die, with the exception of the relief image. It is comprised of a steel shaft with the image of the coin impressed into one end of it. The 1968 Cent's obverse was victim to the letter and image spreading problem. When you view the photo of the 1968 Cent, notice how the letter spreading problem pushed the letters to the very rim of the coins. The image of Lincoln looks worn and flattened (Coinpage.com photo): http://www.coinpage.com/coin-image-1040.html In 1969 the Mint changed the obverse Master dies to correct this problem. Not only did they change the obverse Master dies, but they incorporated the design of the obverse Master die to that of Victor David Brenner's original obverse design. Take a close look at the lettering on this 1969 Lincoln Head Cent. The letters are crisper and do not touch the rim. The image is clearer (coinpage.com photo). http://www.coinpage.com/coin-image-2069.html Since you've read this article all the way through you're entitled to compare the obverse design of the 1969 Lincoln Head Cent to that of Victor David Brenner's original 1909 design. Here's the photo of a 1909-S V.D.B. Lincoln Head Cent courtesy of coinpage.com: http://www.coinpage.com/coin-image-8009.html Who would've thought. Did you know? Clinker
