Inside Coin World: Readers find rare Lincoln cents

This 1984 Lincoln, Doubled Ear cent found in circulation is just one of three rare circulation finds reported by Coin World contributors.

Original images by Bill O'Rourke.

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Finding two 1992-D Lincoln, Close AM cents

A coin collector reported his discovery of a pair of one of the rarest Lincoln cents of the last three decades: a 1992-D Lincoln, Close AM cent.

As Paul Gilkes relates in his “Readers Ask” column in the Sept. 10 issue of Coin World, the coin was struck by a reverse die bearing a slightly modified design not intended to be used until 1993. “Fewer than 20 known examples of the 1992-D Close AM cents are reported,” Paul writes. (The Philadelphia Mint version of the 1992 coin is even rarer.)

The Close AM design replaced the Wide AM design used since the Lincoln Memorial reverse was introduced in 1959. The “AM” refers to the first two letters of “AMERICA” and their relative positions to each other.

The column is exclusive to the print and digital editions of the Sept. 10 Coin World.

Pulling a ‘big’ doubled die cent from circulation

Veteran “Found in Rolls” columnist Bill O'Rourke made his own discovery of a rare Lincoln cent while searching through rolls of what were mostly 2017 and 2018 cents. He found a 1984 Lincoln, Doubled Ear cent in one of the rolls, decades after the variety was struck.

Bill writes that the discovery is proof that “highly collectible Lincolns that are considered ‘Big Ones’ ” can still show up in circulation. While the doubled die obverse variety is not a 1914-D Lincoln cent, it nonetheless is a good find.

Furthermore, the coin is in nicer condition than you might expect for a 34-year-old coin. Bill writes, “This was a nice borderline Uncirculated, well struck, no zinc-rot, 1984 Lincoln, Doubled Ear cent.”

Read the column, found only in the Sept. 10 issue.

Jefferson 5-cent coin on quarter dollar stock

A third column this week focuses on yet another rare find from circulation — a unique 1989-P Jefferson 5-cent coin struck on copper-nickel clad quarter dollar stock. In his “Collectors’ Clearinghosue” column, Mike Diamond explains that a wrong stock error occurs when strip rolled to the proper thickness for one coin — in this case, the quarter dollar — is passed through the blanking press for another denomination, in this case for the 5-cent coin.

“Typical” wrong stock errors generally are found on coins that share a common composition. For example, the most common wrong stock error is the 1970-D Washington quarter dollar found on dime stock. Both coins are composed of copper-nickel clad, with the only difference being the thickness of the strip.

The 1989-P 5-cent coin reported by Mike was found by a fellow error coin specialist who almost lost the coin when, not yet aware of its status, he attempted to feed it through a coin-counting machine.

Read Mike’s column, and other exclusive content, found only in the Sept. 10 issue of Coin World.

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