69 LMC More Questions

Cents were not plated until 1982. Your coin looks stained and has circulation wear.
John1

Perhaps a very tiny amount of MAD, but you should be able to find a better example for your collection.

Thick or Thin letters


The deeper in the die the device goes, the more narrow it becomes. This enables the die to release the coin easily after striking. So if the upper layers of the die are abraded away, the devices become smaller and narrower on the coin itself.

https://www.coinworld.com/news/us-c...tal.all.html

As has been said, before 1982, cents were not plated.

Here is a brief history which you may find helpful: The composition of the Lincoln Cent (except for 1943 when the cent was zinc coated steel) up to 1962 was 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc (this composition is also seen in the uncirculated version of the 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial One Cent Program). In 1962 the cent's tin content, which was quite small, was removed. This alloy of 95% copper and 5% zinc remained until 1982 when the composition was changed to what is commonly called copper plated zinc. Cents of both compositions appeared in 1982 (some 1982 cents were actually struck in 1981). The Zinc Alloy from 1982 (beginning at the West Point Mint in January and at the Denver Mint on October 21 of 1982) to the present is actually Zinc Alloy 190 electroplated with 8 microns of copper. (ALTERNATIVE METALS STUDY Contract Number: TM-HQ-11-C-0049 FINAL REPORT August 31, 2012 by Concurrent Technologies Corporation, Submitted to: United States Mint, Page 1, Section 1.1) ALLOY 190: COMPOSITION (% by Weight) Lead = 0.005 max; Iron = 0.010 max; Cadmium = 0.005 max; Copper = 0.7 to 0.9; Zinc = Balance. (Jarden Zinc, 8/12/2015)

Thank you all so much for helping me. You are more help than you would believe. I feel like I'm flying blind at most times with this. I read a lot of the posts and go to the links that you guys suggest to gain as much knowledge as possible. Until I actually get to see some of these really cool and amazing coins that people post with my own eye I'm sure what I post is all wrong. So thanks for being patient and guiding me bnb.

Us too, but in the meanwhile, knowing that you are learning is pretty good too.