1982 large date Woody? 1 1

[Rykel]

From what I've read about Woody's this seems to be one I don't want to jump the gun though I was wondering I've heard two different things that they used to be collectible and now they're not so collectible others say they're coming back I don't really know what's true. I need some expert advice knowledge. It has the wood grain lines running through the obverse and on the reverse there's actually a lighter yellowish colored line running through the center.

 

[Mike Meenderink]

No that would not pass for me as a "woody" cent. There is specific coloring and patterns that are required to make the coin appear as a wood grain look. These coins were usually found in the earlier wheat cents. Some attribute these coins wood like appearance to an improper alloy mix when manufacturing the planchets for the coins. Other coins which appear as a "woody" are very rare are mint pattern coins. Pattern coins are coins the mint itself experimented with by adjusting the planchet metal alloy compositions to save money and materials. These changes were usually made during hard times or times of war. Although scarce these coins do exist. Many "woody" coins exist but few are actually pattern coins. Mild wood like appearance with striations is a common state of these older Lincolns. It is when the coin appears as mine does below that the stakes begin to get higher. Below is my 1919 "woody" Lincoln cent with an improper alloy mix. Many that have looked at this coin believe it to be a WWI pattern coin as the US mint attempted to experiment with different metal alloys during the war.