Hello Community, parts of the "2" in this 1992 Lincoln Cent looks a bit like the slender and curved 2 you'd find in the small date 1982 varieties, but is this just an error of some kind? Thank you for considering.
That is grease on some areas of the dies devices. When grease gets into some areas of the die, it prevents the devices from striking up normally. It like on your coin will be stronger like your coin, but eventually the grease will move and flatten out more on the tops of the devices. Imagine a small bowl and soft dough. When tossed into the bowl, the dough continues to have shape. But the pressing down on the dough makes the dough to conform to the bowls shape. This is is what happens to a die. The relief area of the devices will accumulate grease into an area of the devices. The constant striking is pressing the grease into the shape of the device. Thus will moves until it bottoms out on the device. Even when the device is turned over, the grease/dough remains in the devices. To se removed, it have to see removed with a tool to remove it. (Similar to a toothpick shape) Hope this helps paint a new picture on your mind of understanding of how grease prevents the normal shape of devices.
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