Hello all, I have been collecting coins for just a few months & have a few questions

[Guest]

Hi,
I'm basically a newbie with about 6 months of learning and collecting. I have a few questions that I could use some help with please.

1. I just found a 1992 Lincoln Cent, NO MM. It is in very, very nice condition with what appears to have all the finest details showing. A nice smooth red & brown finish with no dings, scratches or marks to the naked eye, and little with a scope. From what I have seen, my personal grading would be at least MS65 or MS66 conservatively. Its from a roll I just got, and compared to most of my other coins for the year it really is impressive to me. It has some nice toning starting on both sides. My search found that a Close "AM" would have been a Grand Slam, however it is not.
My question is, it does have a date that caught my eye. On 1992, the "2" is much smaller then the other numbers, and I believe it might smaller then the "1"? The two "9's" are much longer and wider then the other two. Is this an error or anything that has any collectors value or just a nice penny?

2. Going through all my coins, I am seeing A LOT of coins with Close/touching "AM's" and MANY with other letters touching each other. Also flat and wide looking letters that are touching the rim and each other. These seem to be the most common errors I am seeing. Is this normal to find so many like these?


3. Also I have a Dime with the reeded edge going all the way over the rim like an upside down "L". When first touching it I thought it was a beat up neglected coin with rough edges. After further investigating it looks like an evenly punched or re-punched strike some how? You can see and feel the reed edge on the front rim.

I will get some images uploaded ASAP to help you. Being new at this, its very exciting at times, like searching for gold! If any of these questions lead to some good finds, it would sure be a good feeling For my first post on here, I admit that I obviously have a long road ahead of me and I will truly appreciate any advice you care to offer and try to help others when I can.

Thank you,

BorrowedTime&Money

[stoneman227]

I will say welcome to the forum on this thread !
Honestly the best way to get a question answered is to post some pictures of a single coin at a time, what you see on it and include obverse and reverse. Many good people here to help you along.

John

[willbrooks]

I cannot speak to the dime, but everything else you are observing is perfectly normal. The 2 on a 1992 is small. That's just how it was designed. View this link for information about wide and close AMs. http://www.lincolncentforum.com/290-2/

[Indie]

Hi, and welcome,
as willbrooks said, most of them are normal. As to the dime, I am not sure but suspect it simply has been damaged by a coin counting machine. Have run across several coins over the years that look like what you state. An image of both the obverse and reverse would be best to know for sure. Good luck with your treasure hunting.

[BorrowedTime&Money]

Hi to all,
thanks for everybody's information, I appreciate it. I realize that I did write way too much at one time and should of had pics uploaded. I was very tired this morning while doing this and got carried away, I should have known better. Please stop back soon when I add some images.

Thank you

[enamel7]

I've seen what I think he's talking about. It shows on dimes usually. I believe it may be a clash between the obverse or reverse die and the collar. Pics will help.

[Indie]

could be.. I tend to believe damage since I have seen the same "L" edge on coins from a sorter at a local bank my sister worked at. clashed dies are possible though, thats why we need the pics to be help him with the coin.

[jfines69]

Welcome to the LCF... Lots of knowledgeable folks here ready to help you out... Everyone started out as a newbie with little or no knowledge of varieties or errors... Looking forward to your postings!!!


Added - I moved this thread to New User Introduction!!!

[GrumpyEd]

2. Going through all my coins, I am seeing A LOT of coins with Close/touching "AM's" and MANY with other letters touching each other. Also flat and wide looking letters that are touching the rim and each other. These seem to be the most common errors I am seeing. Is this normal to find so many like these?

Touching or not does not make them errors. That may be that die polishing made them not touch on ones that are close.
If you look at pics then it makes more sense, we call them wide or close AMs but that's only because it's one easy way to spot them but the AM touching or not isn't the issue, they are different reverse designs. You first might notice the AM but then you need to verify what it is by looking at the FG location and letter placements to be sure which reverse design it is.

Also, none of them are "errors" the rare ones are varieties, an error is a different thing. These are not errors as they are made, they are perfectly the way the die is.... An mint or strike error is when a normal die makes a coin with an error because of how it's struck. These are die varieties because it's caused by a die with an issue but the coin is struck normally.

A gap does not mean it's a wide AM, it only means you should check the FG location to verify which it is.
There are other reverse varieties that are only related to the style and placement of the FG, some grading companies call them wide/close AM but they only mean the FG is different.

The years with different reverses that we call wide/close AM and might have extra value are these:

1992 close AM - super rare
1992D close AM - super rare
1998 wide AM - special but not that rare
1999 wide AM - special and pretty rare
2000 wide AM - special but not that rare
1998S Proof close AM - Sort of rare
1999S Proof close AM - Sort of rare
1996 wide AM - rumored to exist but not proven to exist

[BorrowedTime&Money]

GrumpyEd,
thanks for the nice break down regarding the AM errors. Having seen so many close AM's on most smaller US coins and searching for many of them on google would not show any results. Now I understand a lot more about them and the initials being so important, but still a little fuzzy about the die polishing. Is it a very heavy or strong buffing type wheel that creates enough friction that can actually move the bottom part of the A or M over a little bit from some created heat and plain force?

Thanks again and I appreciate your time

Note: As soon as I posted this thread I got hit with something out of the blue and it knocked me out like an Ali right hook, for almost a week I still want to upload my pics to help clarify everything I wrote. Next thread I will be more prepared to do it right

[enamel7]

It doesn't move the bottom of the letters, it polishes the area between the letters creating a gap.

[GrumpyEd]

Is it a very heavy or strong buffing type wheel that creates enough friction that can actually move the bottom part of the A or M over a little bit from some created heat and plain force?

Think of it like 2 pyramids almost touching close together, as you sand away the layer from the bottom up you get 2 smaller pyramids that are further apart.

[WaterSport]

Ahh such info this group offers. You can not find it elsewhere so welcome.

WS

[jfines69]

GrumpyEd,
thanks for the nice break down regarding the AM errors. Having seen so many close AM's on most smaller US coins and searching for many of them on google would not show any results. Now I understand a lot more about them and the initials being so important, but still a little fuzzy about the die polishing. Is it a very heavy or strong buffing type wheel that creates enough friction that can actually move the bottom part of the A or M over a little bit from some created heat and plain force?

Thanks again and I appreciate your time

Note: As soon as I posted this thread I got hit with something out of the blue and it knocked me out like an Ali right hook, for almost a week I still want to upload my pics to help clarify everything I wrote. Next thread I will be more prepared to do it right

Hard to do it right if you don't duck the hook Glad you were able to make it back!!!