I have Lincoln Memorial penny that is extremely worn on the head side. You can only make out a faint outline of Lincoln, the lettering is all but gone, and somehow, with a magnifying glass I can barely make out a date of 198something. Maybe 1987? Also, you can see on the head side the horizontal edges of the building on the tail side coming through. The tail side has no such wear and looks to be in a normal circulated condition. Sorry for not knowing the technical terms for these things. I have inherited a big bag of coins and am trying to sort through and see if there's anything that jumps out. This one did. So, I don't know if this was an error in printing or just a weirdly worn coin. Thanks in advance.
Since metal changes occurred between coins minted in 1980-82 and those minted 1983-1989 that may help you determine whether the Lincoln was early 80s or later 80s.
Here are a couple pics. I didn't add them the first time because there wasn't much to see. I'm not so interested in the date as I am in the condition and how it got that way. Maybe it was just someone's nervous habit that wore it out!
Hello Somanycoins! It is always good to post clear pictures of any coins that you may have a questions about, and always the Obverse and the Reverse sides. There is a good reason for us to see what you have in hand. What I see and what you might have is an error known as a Capped Die. Here is some more info - I would like to share this webpage with you http://www.lincolncentresource.com/Errors/Struck_Through_Die_Cap.html
The reverse is in good condition. Very well-defined. The rims on the reverse are sharp but on the front are more rounded like the capped die image.
PMD for sure,almost looks like it was hit with a wire brush in a drill press until the portrait was gone?