2006 Reverse Wierd Am

And Close AM on 1998-S and 1999-S Proofs too!

Kevin nailed it.
John1

cwb,
The 1996 Wide-AM is very doubtful as it got "stolen" a week or so after a 1995 Wide AM was discovered and proven to be a fake. Both had severely rotated dies, the '95 was put-together like the double-headed novelty coins ( PMD). After an investigation by Coin World due to complaints by a Coin Show Bourse Chairman about the theft, (which supposedly occurred as the owner of the 96 mad a stop on the way home from the show), many of the details were proven to be outright lies. My co-author Dr. Brian Allen and I yanked the 1996 out of the second printing of the 3rd edition of our book, Strike It Rich With Pocket Change due to questions revolving around the alleged theft by two black guys (where have I heard that story before?). That individual has since left the hobby.

I agree with Ken about the 1996 Wide AM, it is questionable at best. We know that there is at least one of them out there, real or not. Chances are it isn't genuine. With today's technology counterfeiters are getting very good at what they do. The 1995 Wide AM was an obvious fake, even a novice collector would have picked up that something wasn't right about it.

With the reverse design of the cent experiencing so many changes in recent years, the chances for errors such as the wide/close AMs, exists. The first time the cent saw a major design change in 1959 with the introduction of the Lincoln Memorial reverse, there was supposedly at least one example of a 1959-D with the wheat ear reverse. This cent too is controversial, but has been verified as genuine. The cent has had 6 different reverse designs in the last 6 years. Are there any 2010 cents with a commemorative reverse? How about 2009's with a memorial reverse? Errors like these could easily be overlooked.

AM refers to the A & M in AMERICA on the reverse of the cents. A Wide AM cent will show the M centered between the A and the E, a Close AM will show the M closer to the A, nearly touching it.
http://www.lincolncentsonline.com/wideAM.html

Monticello or Lincoln Memorial?

I always look for the centered "M" on the AME area for wide AMs and off centered for close AMs:

Forget the paper measurement. Die wear can alter the distance between the AM on close AMs. But the centering/off centering always remains the same with die wear.