mo2fish Posted October 15, 2023 Share Posted October 15, 2023 I think I'm in the right place. I found this 1988 that appears to be a flared "G". Not really sure? Any opinions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J P M Posted October 15, 2023 Share Posted October 15, 2023 I have never heard of that term for a Cent. Is it some YouTube hype for a collectable coin ? Just asking ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandon Posted October 15, 2023 Share Posted October 15, 2023 (edited) I assume that what you are referring to is the "1988 Reverse of '89", FS-901, CONECA: RDV-006, which is described by NGC VarietyPlus as having a "[l]etter "G" in the designer's initials [that] has a vertical stroke that projects downward below the letter's curved bottom." The "G" appears rounded off at the bottom on other 1988 and previous years' Memorial reverse cents. This variety is also listed and described on doubleddie.com at https://www.doubleddie.com/278722.html, which identifies seven different pairs of dies that produced this variety. It is, nevertheless, an apparently obscure variety, unlike the "close AM" and "wide AM" varieties of 1992 and 1998-2000. I don't recall ever having heard of it before and am not aware of any sales records for it. One of the VarietyPlus photos follows: I don't think that your coin is a "Reverse of '89", although I am not completely sure. The designer's initials are weak on your coin, and what you are taking as the "vertical stroke below the letter's curved bottom" appears to be a nick on what would otherwise be the "normal" reverse, a photo of which from doubleddie.com follows. Notice that the entire "FG" is weaker on the "normal" reverse, as it is on your coin: Edited October 15, 2023 by Sandon corrected wording Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Meenderink Posted October 15, 2023 Share Posted October 15, 2023 The planchet plating crack is more interesting...and obvious. Thats an error on this coin. However not of any significant value since in 1980s the mint sucked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mo2fish Posted October 15, 2023 Author Share Posted October 15, 2023 Yeah I kinda wondered if the little tail piece on the bottom of the G sometimes wears off or not. I'll look a little further as I did find one photo that looked similar on the pcgs price guide, which is also where I got the term "flared G" from. Thanks for the info, I really appreciate it. I'm just learning all this stuff and it's a lot to take in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleRJO Posted October 15, 2023 Share Posted October 15, 2023 (edited) On 10/15/2023 at 3:07 PM, Mike Meenderink said: ... in 1980s the mint sucked. And this continues with poorly struck coins and all the recent woke coin programs, which seems to be the misguided primary concern. They don't seem to really care about quality any more, and they cut corners in important areas to make up for losses associated with unpopular woke coin programs. The only thing I still buy direct from the mint any more are the inexpensive collector dollars, since I also have uncirculated and proof Presidential and Innovation dollar coins in my collection. Even those have become poorly designed and struck, and very little wear obliterates the year and mark only found on the edges. I hope the mint wakes up and realizes that their former unmatched world class reputation is going down the toilet. Sorry for the rant, but it just burns my britches. On 10/15/2023 at 3:27 PM, mo2fish said: Yeah I kinda wondered if the little tail piece on the bottom of the G sometimes wears off or not. I'll look a little further as I did find one photo that looked similar on the pcgs price guide, which is also where I got the term "flared G" from. You are correct that PCG$ refers to this variety as a "Flared G" ... https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/coin/1988-1c-flared-g-fs-901-rd/569369 But I agree with Sandon that your coin is not the rare Philly transitional reverse "Flared G" 1988 1C FS-901 (Rev of 89) since the "flare" is missing. It's not possible that just the serif flare wore off without similar wear to the rest of the "G", or without leaving any signs that the flare was once there. And the overall shape of the "G" doesn't match. See the attached side-by-side comparison to the Flared G variety engravers initials, with your coin on the left which should make this clear. There is also a detailed description with diagnostics at the following Error-Ref.com link, including the attached images, for identifying the Flared G 1988 Rev of 89 Cent variety if you are still not sure. https://www.error-ref.com/transitional-reverse-1988-1c-with-reverse-of-1989/ -------------------------------- Edited October 16, 2023 by EagleRJO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mo2fish Posted October 15, 2023 Author Share Posted October 15, 2023 After viewing all of this and more, I agree. So close but yet so far. Thanks you folks for all the great information! RonnieR131 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
