Kcmed Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 Spoiler I assumed to fast last coin was an error.. this looks like the bottom on the 9 is missing but also looks like a rough coin. Any help is appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coinbuf Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 Just parking lot road rash damage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenstang Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 Welcome to the forum Not an error, just a damaged and worn cent. In the future, please crop your photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kcmed Posted March 5 Author Share Posted March 5 That date is normal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henri Charriere Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 On 3/5/2024 at 6:58 PM, Kcmed said: That date is normal? T B b S O L. The coin, first and foremost, is 27 years old. It has presumably been in circulation all that time. There is extensive PMD (post-mint damage). Directly above the date is a crater left by a meteorite. The "T" in LIBERTY exhibits a symptom of the tertiary stage of a communicable disease. There is no telling exactly what happened to the IN GOD part of IGWT. Wear and tear is to be expected in older coins found in circulation. I am not going to bother to ask you what the reverse looks like. I will assume it is in Mint State condition. 🤣 The "9" looks odd, but what would you look like if you went out in a blizzard or sub-freezing temperatures without protective gear of any kind? I advise you again to get a good grounding in your type coin of concentration. Roll hunting is for retirees who can effortlessly separate the wheat from the chaff. Spend more time reading and less time scavenging. Familiarize yourself with the key dates (and the varieties you will likely never see). Above all, collect for the enjoyment and thrill of finding something you never thought you would in the unlikeliest of places. The Forum will always be there for you. powermad5000 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandon Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 The date, along with other areas of this 1997-D Lincoln cent, have been affected by crush damage from the coin being pressed against a rough surface, such as a roadway. it is not a mint error. It is in fact extremely unusual to find any significant mint error, die variety, or other coin with substantial collector value in circulation. If you are a new collector, you should be learning the basics of collecting U.S. coins, such as the history of U.S. coins, types, which dates, mints and major varieties are valuable and grading before getting into more advanced topics such as mint errors. (Do you have a recent edition of the "Redbook", a grading guide, and a subscription to a current price guide?) If you want an overview of what constitutes a mint error, see the following articles on the NGC website: Learn Grading: What Is a Mint Error? — Part 1 | NGC (ngccoin.com) Learn Grading: What Is a Mint Error? — Part 2 | NGC (ngccoin.com) Learn Grading: What Is a Mint Error? — Part 3 | NGC (ngccoin.com) Learn Grading: What Is a Mint Error? — Part 4 | NGC (ngccoin.com) Variety vs. Mint Error | NGC (ngccoin.com) For a comprehensive treatment of mint errors, see the site error-ref.com. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powermad5000 Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 It is also possible the coin was initially struck by a partially grease filled die causing the tail of the 9 to disappear, but even if that were the case if this cent was in gem condition, it still would not add any premium to it and would be a candidate for the "interesting" box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...