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 Replies: 20 / Views: 2,630 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1000 Posts |
Hello all. This is my first post, so be gentle! [Feel free to skip down to the pictures if I'm being too verbose.] I've been lurking on the CRH forum for a little under a month. I usually do JFK halves (I can post a thread on my experience with that if there's any interest), but I didn't contact my bank to get boxes shipped last week. I got bored early this week and decided to try cents -- a minimal investment, and they're a lot easier to dump. First ten rolls. Beginner's luck. 1918, 1928, 1944, 1956D wheaties. 1928 came out of the first roll, and I thought that was old. 1918 blew my mind. The eight was obscured by a bit of gunk, but I saw the one and was hoping for a 100 year old coin. Next time, maybe. Hooked on cents now -- my eyes hate me -- I grab another ten rolls today. They look awful. One has a machine wrapped end, but folded top. Another CRHer's dumps? Looking like it. I've got a maybe 15% copper rate, with only a 1955 wheat. Scads of shield cents pour out and blind me. Looks dumpy. Then this gem pops out of roll eight or nine.   I would greatly appreciate your feedback here. I know I'm not the first newbie to post about a great find that was definitely not a great find. I've got a close up of the reverse too. I apologize for the image quality, as the pictures came off my phone.  I know the gap seems pretty small in the full reverse picture, but I think I got the lighting better in the close up. I'm also seeing a cross bar in the FG, or hopefully seeing it. If it is a 1999 WAM, can anyone give me an idea of grade and value? (I'm cross posting to the grading forum without this long winded origin story.) As for value, there are only a few listings on ebay, and only one unslabbed. Which brings me to my next question: should I consider slabbing it? I'll need to figure out which of the LCS are open for an in person opinion. And maybe I should stop by Hobby Lobby to grab a 2x2 for it so the LCS owner doesn't think I'm a complete amateur. If you've gotten this far, thanks for reading! And thanks for your feedback! *** Moved by Staff to a more appropriate forum. ***Edited by Druu
01/21/2017 12:14 am
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Rest in Peace
10197 Posts |
 to the family! I'm gonna have to let a real expert verify this one for you, but it sure looks like its a no-touchie to me. I CRH myself on pennies, 500k plus to be exact and have yet to find a '99. Found 2-'98's and 9 2000 VAM's. If the similar die was used in 1999 as 2000 then the gap isn't wide enough by just a few hairs. Am curious to find out as well.  |
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Moderator
 United States
14463 Posts |
I moved this post to this section so other members familiar with Lincoln Cents and WAM's would see it. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
62064 Posts |
Both are the close 'AM' which is common. The wide 'AM' the 'M' is centered between the A and E on AMERICA.  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
791 Posts |
I can pretty much confirm based off of the FG initials that you have a 1999 WAM. Worth at least $50 in that condition maybe. Awesome find! I'm still looking for that one as well as countless other varieties. The only WAM's I've found have been 4 (yes FOUR) 1998 WAM's. |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
1000 Posts |
Thanks, Fuzzy! I had second thoughts about posting in the error/variety forum because of the CRH backstory. Crazy, I did compare to a 2000 LMC that went into the reject pile, as well as some regular 1999's I found. Maybe my pictures aren't showing what I was seeing on the actual coin. Here's a better lit shot of the FG. It seems to match the FG for a WAM (closer to the memorial, cross bar on the G).  Edited to add a close up of the reverse close up. (I didn't know it wasn't expandable.) Also, apologies for the rotated FG close up.  I cross posted in the grading forum, if anyone can put a number and color to it. I'm new to Lincolns, and I don't think I could be totally impartial. Edited by Druu
01/21/2017 12:14 am
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Valued Member
United States
123 Posts |
goof work on the wheats! |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3463 Posts |
to the forum! It does look like a Close AM in the first photos, but the close up photos that were added later lets us see that this is a Wide AM. The light and the distance the first photos were taken does make it difficult to see what you have. Nice find!  |
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Rest in Peace
10197 Posts |
Yep, you got one for sure, close FG...you lucky devil!  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1000 Posts |
Thanks for the responses, everyone! I wasn't positive, and Coop's assessment felt like the death knell on my hopes. It had me going back to the coin and squinting.
Now I just need to figure out its condition. This may be the first thing I've found worth slabbing?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3644 Posts |
Unless you changed your original photos all the pickup points are there, great find and welcome to the forum!
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Rest in Peace
10197 Posts |
I wouldn't slab it, put it in a blank album page (Whitman, Dansco) with all your other error coins and notables. I've got stamped pennies, cutouts, super RPM's/DDO's. BTW, another name for these in some circles are called "transitional dies". The change in the reverse dies of 1992 and 1993 have the close/far AM/FG's...great to compare to. Someone said that the 1998-2000 VAM's are actually the use of a proof die, I don't know about that, anyone have an answer? |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1000 Posts |
Thanks for the welcome, slamnbass. The pics weren't changed. First post was edited because I misspelled "this" as "thia," and it was bugging me. CrazyB0, here is John Wexler's link on transitional dies: http://www.doubleddie.com/58348.html, and I have read in several places that WAMs are a circulation strike obverse with a proof reverse. What is VAM an acronym for? I've only seen CAM for 1992, and WAM for 1998-2000. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4113 Posts |
Congrats on your 1999P Wide AM Find! * Regarding what is a VAM: go to the Peace and Morgan dollar forum and click on the first topic " What is a VAM?" |
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Rest in Peace
10197 Posts |
Druu, the 1993 CAM means Close AM, where normal business strike is Wide AM, close FG. WAM hence is opposite, Wide AM, where business normal being the Close AM, wide FG. If that makes sense. I put a 92 reverse nearby as a reference point when looking through 1998-2000's for VAM and a '94 reverse for '93 CAM's, maybe that'll help. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3644 Posts |
Normal business strikes from'93 on are Close AM's |
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Replies: 20 / Views: 2,630 |
Posted 01/20/2017 11:57 pm
