1994 Memorial Cent What Is This?

I thought maybe double struck in collar as well but still not sure. I'm thinking Coop would know

Maybe it is just me, and I know the obverse has gone through many slight changes over the years, but to me that bust of Lincoln just doesn't look right.

i hope mike diamond sees this then! THanks coop, not a double strike I'm assuming? I was thinking of listing it on ebay. But obviously not if it isn't a true error! Hope more people can shed some light on this! Thanks for the comments!

I've seen this effect before -- on the obverse and in the same area -- but I don't understand it. Yes, the copper plating has split, but that doesn't explain why the letters are small and strongly offset. Yours is the best example I've seen and I'd like to write it up for Coin World. If this is to your liking, please contact me at mdia1@aol.com.

My hypothesis is double struck in collar. The stress of two strikes, first being forced up into the relief and then flattened because the second strike is slightly offset, is enough to cause the split of the plating and the distortion of the letters as the metal flows outward. Maybe it only happens in cases of thin or poorly bonded plating. It makes sense in my brain at least.

I'll be anxious to read Mr. Diamond's writeup.

It will be interesting to read Mike's assessment if the OP allows Mike to examine the coin and do a write up for it.

The article on this coin is in this week's Coin World. The tiny letters of exposed zinc are an unusual form of split plating doubling.