I looked at a set of Lincoln cents today, and the 1941-S is somewhat prooflike

[James_OldeTowne]

I know we've discussed silver San Francisco coinage of that era sometimes coming prooflike, but it's the first 1941-S Lincoln cent that I found with similar characteristics. It doesn't look like a brilliant proof, but rather very much like a satin proof.

 

Anyone else seen one?

[Keigwin]

The 1941-S Lincoln has an interesting finish...not as grainy as those from Philly and Denver, or even from other S years.

 

Here's one from my set.

Lance.

 

[physics-fan3.14]

I'd be highly interested in seeing good pictures of it, James. PL Wheat cents, and indeed, PL copper in general, is very hard to find. The obvious exception is of course the modern PL's, since about the mid 1980's.

[messydesk]

I've seen this on 41-S, also. I think mine has a crappy strike on top of being more satiny than normal. I'll have to look for it later.

[RWB]

Early strikes from new dies will have a more satin-like appearance than most cons made from the same dies. That's normal for all 20th century coins except some 1921 morgans.

[DWLange]

Roger hit the nail on the head. The typical progression of a die's life in the 1940s was satiny when new, increasingly frosty as it wore, and prooflike after the erosion lines, clash marks and other flaws were polished away. At that point the process of erosion would resume until the die either failed or simply wore too severely to refinish. By the late 1940s and early '50s that no longer seemed to matter, as the SF Mint continued using dies until they failed completely, regardless of their condition.

 

Worn dies produced the most pleasing luster and the poorest details. Repolished, prooflike dies produced coins lacking all shallow elements, such as the initials AW on the WL Halves and the bridge of Liberty's nose on Mercury Dimes.

[James_OldeTowne]

Roger hit the nail on the head. The typical progression of a die's life in the 1940s was satiny when new, increasingly frosty as it wore, and prooflike after the erosion lines, clash marks and other flaws were polished away. At that point the process of erosion would resume until the die either failed or simply wore too severely to refinish. By the late 1940s and early '50s that no longer seemed to matter, as the SF Mint continued using dies until they failed completely, regardless of their condition.

 

Worn dies produced the most pleasing luster and the poorest details. Repolished, prooflike dies produced coins lacking all shallow elements, such as the initials AW on the WL Halves and the bridge of Liberty's nose on Mercury Dimes.

What you gentlemen have stated certainly meshes well with my observations over the years of UNC cents of the 1940s. But I thought that the example I looked at was unusually prooflike. I have sought permission to take an image, but it is not my coin, and besides, I don't know if I can digitally capture the character of the coin.

 

Thanks for the great (as always) discussion!