Learning To Identify Cleaned, Dipped, And Other Problem Lincoln Wheat Cents

Now for some coins that I'm not sure about. This 1944 cent mostly looks okay to me, except for between the wheat stalks and both sides of ONE CENT on the reverse. I can't tell if those are cleaning marks or not.

I like your idea of soliciting feedback on these cents, and folks here could learn a lot from comments, but you've given us too many examples too fast. It will involve excessive scrolling. I'll address the first.


I agree it's been messed with, but the diagonal lines on the obverse look more like compositional variations in the planchet elongated during rolling (i.e. an eye-pleasing woody). The spot in the upper right does seem to be from an old rubbing, like with an eraser. The lines on the reverse are travelling in the same direction as those on the obverse, so although they appear to be PMD scratches I suspect they are manifestations of the planchet variations exposed from extensive PMD rubbing. The splotchy nature of the toning is consistent with this. There are some large carbon spots, which may have been the cause of the rubbing.

I agree with the cleaned coins except the first 1943 steeler.
This coin looks fine to me. The second steeler suffers from bad dipping.
Coins after the steelers are not cleaned.

You're welcome Mark. I like that you're looking for reasonable opinions rather than judgements. I need observations and opinions to learn as well. Of course it's difficult to know what really happened to a coin. All we can do is give the simplest reasonable opinion that fits the facts.
Gotta wait on the reverse pic of the 25s to make any statements, so I'll continue with the third cent.


IMO, that goo is probably glue, which would suggest the coin had been mounted somewhere. The scrub/rub marks probably happened while it was still mounted, otherwise the goo would have been the first target of the rubbing. The devices (such as LIBERTY) were able to protect the closely adjacent fields from the rubbing. Eventually, the coin was unmounted; fresh pry marks at 9 and 12 o'clock. Judgement: PMD.

1942 - Probably unintentionally cleaned but definitely scrubbed at some point.

Very helpful y'all!

Thank you so much. :O)

~ Mark

Great thread. After you master - clean & dipped - you can start on re-colored & artificial toning.

Cool! What's a good coloring agent to use?

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jk!

I wondered the same quite recently. Very helpful answers here: Definition of 'woodie'

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And, myeend!

~ Mark