1944 Wheat Cent. A Head Scratching Anomaly, Open To Interpretation.

I have nothing worthwhile to add, but a most interesting discusion indeed.

@ KeepAChange, This it is not a POLL. This it is a deliberated alliterated coins to seem an error. Fakers and speculators do this. This very strait crack it is 3$ work to do. Please come with really planchet errors.

I will never state you are a "faker". If I post how to do this, will be really open to all those who want to abuse. I really appreciate your passion for errors and most for planchet defaults.

What I say it is true and the process to do only the mint and the law enforcement entities has.

Maybe one day, we meet and you show me your collection of errors. will be a great day for me, because always when I see those accumulation of errors or varieties I discover something new.

Do not be offense. I have nothing against you. I state again this it is not a poll (on terms of this forum) then I suggest you to look very close to the markers of a crack planchet of your coin and even to the color of the coin and will tell you everything.

@KeepTheChange, On the photo request, here's what interests me. From that angle, I can almost see the structure of the metal surface inside the break. I would love to see a sharply focused shot showing the metal striations on the inside raised portion of the break. That may be a beast of a pic to capture, but it would be a clue.

As you know, the 1944-1946 cents were largely minted from recycled shell casings. The 1944-1946 cents have a composition of .95 CU, .05 Zn, rather than the previous and later composition of .95 CU, .05 Sn and Zn in a mixture. That would change the crystal lattice structure of the metal, and possibly make it a bit more brittle.

Any metal that is flexed repeatedly will weaken. That's part of the reason that the number of takeoff and landing cycles for a plane and the number of vehicles over a bridge are matters of concern. Cold temperatures also affect the way metals respond to stress. Unlike most types of steel, which is more brittle at very low temperatures, pure Cu is a cubic close packed (CCP) metal, and highly resistant to cold, even to cryogenic fracturing. While Zn is also a close pack metal, it has a different lattice than copper (hexagonal, rather than cubic, IIRC).

I can only move the ball so far down the field here. I work with metals, but I'm not a metallurgical engineer. (They are way above my pay grade!) I have a hunch, but I think your next stop very well may be a metallurgical engineer. I hope that I can at least point you toward a couple questions to ask.

My non expert opinion is planchet defect which became altered in circulation either deliberately or not.

@Cujohn: Simple question: Do you see really how the planchet is cut at the mint plant?

I have done this to a copper cent. What you do is pound a box cutter blade into it with a hammer. I chopped one into 1/4 sized prices this method and that is what it looks like.

@Oldfordman. You are wright on this method, but today they use other things. And I thing many come to ask only for the monetary factor and not for the coins.

@CuJohn: in my previous posts I put links of filmed mint production from Phil and Denver. The San Francisco will be posted in the fall. I suggest you to go to see. I thing it is interesting.